Expert: Jamie Yocono - 9/20/2006

Question
we have a compound miter saw & are trying to figure out how to cut crown molding for on top of our cabinets to meet the ceiling. but my husband & i cant figure out how to set the miter saw to get the right angles.  i think we would need pictures to show us the angles of the molding & then how to set the saw.  any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
thanks, June

Answer
Hi June,

I wish a had a dollar for every time someone asked me how to install crown molding. Truth is- it's been so long since I did it, I barely remember how, so this isn't going to be an "off the top of my head" answer. But- I did look at some websites that I frequent, and these three different sites should be very helpful to you.

http://www.altereagle.com/How_to_install.html
http://www.josephfusco.org/Articles/Crown_Moulding/cuttingcrownpg2.htm
http://www.compoundmiter.com/crown.html

These tutorials should make this job easier, especially if you like visual aids. Frankly, it's a tough job. I'm not trying to discourage you, but unless you have some skills and access to tools, it might be something you should consider hiring someone to do. Tools you need include a compound mitersaw, nail gun & accessories, and possibly a tablesaw, as you might need to rip some blocking that you'll need to install the molding.

Another thing you might want to consider- there's a tool called a "Third Hand" and it's been useful to me in situations where you need...well.....a third hand. I bought two from Amazon for about $70 or so. I've used them for everything from cabinet installation to masking off temporary spray booths. They ratchet into place with one hand, and allow you to do stuff you could never do alone. So you might want to check these out for your job. Heck- you could buy them, use the for the molding job, and then sell them on eBay. I've done that with some tools that I wasn't sure I would need again. BTW- I purchased the larger pads (6" square) for these Third Hands; you'll see them mentioned on the Amazon website. The larger pads give you a little more stability, which helped me when installing kitchen cabinets. But for crown molding, you might be OK with the small pads that they come with as a stock item.

I hope these sites help. Sorry I can't give you specific help, but it's been so long that I've done this, you're better off looking at these tutorials. Feel free to write back if you have any other questions after reading this. And ... please be careful. Those mitersaws can be dangerous. Good luck!


Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com