Crown molding adds beauty to any room. However, many people shy away from installing crown molding because of the required for installation. Putting crown molding on a vaulted ceiling is even more difficult because of the additional angles, and because these cuts are not the usual 45-degree angles. You can make the compound miter cuts required for a challenging vaulted ceiling if you know a few tricks of the trade.
Instructions
1. Place a digital angle finder against the two surfaces where the first miter will go. Read the angle on the digital angle finder.
2. Adjust your compound miter saw to half of the angle found in Step 1. Refer to a miter saw chart in the resources for the angle to set your miter saw. For example, if the angle of the corner was 90 degrees, the miter saw is set at 45-degrees for each side of the miter joint.
3. Cut two pieces of test crown molding at least 12 inches long on your miter saw. Crown molding is cut upside down on the miter saw; the table of the miter saw is like the ceiling, and the fence of the saw is like the wall. Adjust the crown molding so it sits square to each. This will be at 45 degrees or 32 degrees, depending on the style of crown molding you are using. You can tell by looking at the gap where the table and the fence meets behind the crown molding.
4. Turn the knob on the miter saw stops to hold the crown in this position as you cut. The miter saw acts as a second adjustable fence that the crown molding sits between as it is being cut.
5. Lower the blade of the miter saw slowly through the wood. This will help keep the crown molding from splintering.
6. Hold the test pieces in place against the ceiling, as they will be installed. If the joint is too tight, it will not sit flat against both surfaces. Adjust the miter angle 1 degree at a time, and re-cut the test crown molding until you have a perfect joint.
Tags: compound miter, crown molding, crown molding, angle finder, compound miter cuts