Cutting Crown Moulding
Laying down, or standing up? It all depends — but here are a couple of quick tips for success with the laying-down way. October 3, 2011
Question
I have never cut crown mold laying flat while using the bevel and miter settings. What are the pros and cons?
Forum Responses
(Architectural Woodworking Forum)
From contributor Y:
I think it may be based on what one gets used to and their particular equip. For me it is more cumbersome and more difficult to line up on the mark when laid flat. Plus there are more saw settings to mess with. Cutting on the flat just doesn’t do it for me. Good luck with it.
From contributor V:
For me the only time I cut laying flat is if it won't stand up on the chop saw. If I have to cut laying flat it usually means a big wide crown that is not flat on the back and it becomes a real pain in the butt and can be confusing at first. You have to screw up a couple pieces before it starts to click! The first thing I do is a sample inside and outside miter to check the settings and adjust as needed.
From contributor A:
One little trick for getting your saw set to cut crown flat, is to take a smaller piece that lays at the same angle on the wall, and cutting it standing up on the mitre box. Lay the small corner pieces on the mitre box and set your saw bevel and angle to them.
From contributor S:
Like others said, make a set of miters to help you set up the saw. Write on the back the saw settings so you can easily get to them. Most miter saws have positive stops at these angles. I forget now, but it was something like 11 and 18 degrees. On my Dewalt there was a little triangle indicating the correct setting. This is assuming the "bed angle" is the normal.
From Gary Katz, forum technical advisor:
When you cut on the flat, you need to be able to dial in the miter and the bevel angle precisely, especially for corners that are slightly out of square. That's when a good protractor and a crown chart come in real handy. When you cut in position, all you need is a protractor to read the corners and adjust your saw to the proper miter angle. The bevel is cut automatically. Otherwise, I agree with the other comments here. It's easier, faster, more accurate, and above all more fun to cut "in position" against your fence. The only time our crew cuts on the flat is when the crown is too big to cut standing up.
