A finish carpenter told me my miters were trash and he was right

I was building some crown molding in a house outside Nashville about 6 months ago and this older finish carpenter walks by while I'm tacking up the pieces. He stops and says flat out 'your miters are trash, you're leaving gaps that'll open up in 6 weeks.' I was a little defensive at first but I asked him what he does different. He showed me how he cuts his crown upside down and backwards on the saw with the fence set at a specific angle I never tried before. I changed my whole setup that day and started testing each joint before nailing. Now I can run a whole room of crown without a single gap wider than a credit card. Has anyone else learned a basic trick way later in their career than they should have?

3 comments

3 Comments

lee_reed22d ago

@bell.felix how long you been cutting crown? Still fighting with inside corners or no?

bell.felix22d ago

The upside down trick is a game changer once you see it. I had a similar moment with a guy in Chattanooga who showed me to cut a test block in scrap first to dial the saw in before touching good wood. Now I always check the angle on a small piece from the same batch, saves me more trouble than I care to admit.

pat_fisher2422d ago

Appreciate the tip, but I gotta gently push back on that "same batch" thing. Wood from the same board can still have hidden tension or a weird grain pattern that throws your saw off. I'd cut a test piece from the actual piece you're about to cut, not just any scrap from the same bundle. Just my two cents though, your mileage may vary for sure.