Angles for ceiling moulding...?

Question

we our having a hard time figuring out the angle to cut our crown moulding

when we cut it one angle the ends lines up perfect until we put it up against the ceiling then it doesn't line up anymore, caz the crown is in a tilt position when stuck up

so any clue what angles we have to use for each piece to match up?

the room is square plain jane nothing fancy

We are using a miterbox and saw. We don't have a compound miter saw.

Answer 1

Rockler makes a crown molding jig for $20 that takes all the guess work and headaches out of cutting crown molding. It's the best $20 I ever spent for molding. Crown molding is one of the most difficult carpentry projects there is. Here is the website for the jig:
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10565&filter=crown%20molding%20jig
Good luck

Answer 2

Crown is cut in two ways either a electric chopsaw or an electric compound saw you need the compound if cutting larger crown
4 inch crown can be cut on a 10 inch chopsaw.
You put the crown in the chipsaw upside down sitting so the part of the trim that fits up against wall is up against the fence now the fun part when you are cutting the right side you are actually cutting the left side.
Upside down and backwards
Ok you don't have a compound saw then you will still have to do the upside down and backwards thing because the angle to cut it any other way is a compound cut at 32.5 by 32.5 degrees.

Answer 3

The tilt position of the crown is called the spring angle. Most crown nowadays pretty much has the same spring, and because of that most miter saws have stops for cutting crown at the right angle.
You can make a jig yourself. But it might not be a job for a first time trim job. Crown is often said to be harder than it actually is to install, but it does have a learning curve. I would encourage you to cope your joints instead of but mitered. This allows for some fudge room, and allows for seasonal expansion, contraction.
I also always use backer blocks when I do crown in the homes I remodel. This is a trianglar piece of 2x material cut to fit between the wall/ceiling and the crown. Glue and nail the blocks to the wall/ceiling and then nail them in place every 16-24". Then you can nail your crown right into the blocks in stead of having to hit or miss the studs and joists.
JLC (Journal of Light Carpentry) is a great resource.
Try posting your question there.
http://forums.jlconline.com/forums/printthread.php?t=24780&pp=40

good luck. It is a fun project.

Answer 4

A miter box and saw is hard to use when doing crown, but you can do it. I recommend you go and get some white paintable 25 year caulk. Any joint that isn't quite perfect will be caulked, and use your finger to smooth to the surface. Caulk the seam at the ceiling and to the wall. On the outside use your hammer (any round part of the steel) to rub the seam. It will press in on the edge and tighten the joint, then caulk it. This is how we do it on the job. We use a compound miter saw, and it has a setting for crown it makes it dummy proof. We also cope our joints on the inside cuts. That makes things really easy. One side is a straight cut the other side is cut to fit the moulding. This website may help you.

Answer 5

I've seen a cool way to do molding without cutting angles. If you put a small block of wood in each corner and but the molding up to it the result is a finished look that looks great. Of course you will have to stain the blocks but its so simple and looks so good.

Answer 6

Set the molding up in your mitrebox upside down
to the way it will be on the ceiling.
(The bottom of the saw box is the ceiling, the
'fence' is the wall.)
It will help if you make a block to support the
end you are cutting in position.