Carpentry & Woodworking

Setting Up the Jig

1. Before you pick up the jig, make a simple crosscut on your saw to create a 2 foot long piece of your molding to be used as a template throughout the job.

2. To begin setting up the jig, place your template piece in the jig with the bottom edge up. This orientation is very important. Every single cut you make is done with the bottom of the molding closest to the blade. In English pubs, people drink toasts by saying "Bottoms up!", which means they tilt they glasses until the bottom is above the rim, and they drain their beer in one gulp. (Now that you've read that, it will be a lot easier to remember "Bottom's up!" every time you place a piece of crown molding in the jig.)

3. Adjust the fence so that the top and bottom edges of the molding are flush, as shown in the photo at right.. That is, the top of the molding (which meets the bottom of the jig) should form a 90 degree angle where it meets the sliding fence.

4. Tighten the two knobs on the jig to lock in your setting. That's it! You are now all set to make every compound cut required in a standard crown molding installation.

Making the Cuts
There are only five different cuts required in almost any crown molding job. You are either cutting a left or right inside or outside corner, or you are making a splice to join two lengths of molding on a long wall. As you stand in the center of a rectangular room and look into one of the four corners, the piece of molding which will be attached to the wall on the left of the corner is an "inside left". If your room has alcoves, or is L-shaped, you will have at least one outside corner.
Not all corners are exactly 90 degrees. By using the TRUE ANGLE protractor, you can check each angle. Divide the number by 2 (the result will invariably be within a degree or two of 45), and set your saw accordingly for a tight fitting joint every time. Let's make some cuts...

                   Inside left                                              Inside Right

                   Outside left                                              Outside Right

Take the 2 foot long template piece you cut earlier and write "Inside" on it. Now you need to cut an inside right on one end of the template, and an inside left on the other. Let's begin with the inside right.

Looking at the saw, swing the blade 45 degrees to your left. Place the molding in the jig ("Bottom's UP!) and place the jig on the bed of the saw. The bulk of the workpiece should be to the left of the blade. Slide the jig so that the cut will remove a minimum of waste. Make sure the jig is NOT IN THE PATH OF THE BLADE. Without turning on the saw, drop the blade to make sure it misses the jig. Adjust if required. Keep your left hand on the molding inside the confines of the jig (where it is safe), and make the cut.

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