# Crown molding Jig



## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

I made a jig for crown molding over 20 years ago without internet reference. I just knew what I needed and made it. It worked beautifully all these years, but recently some ads started popping up for store bought jigs while I was actually installing it. It made mine look like something out of the stone age because it is so monstrous in comparison.

So, I was just curious as to what is everybody using whether you have a homemade jig or one of these store bought. I think I’m getting rid of mine just because mine is so large and I need the space. I just don't know if I should make my own or buy one these other plastic jigs. I checked out the Kreg Crown-Pro and Milescraft 1405 on YouTube and I’m amazed at how easy they make it look and not a bad price,.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

If you bed the first piece of ceiling mold into your miter saw, then make a mark on the base of the miter saw where the molding sits on the saw base, you can cut each piece by putting the molding on that line each time. 

I never used any kind of jig when cutting molding of any kind, it is all what a person gets use to, I guess. I wouldn't know how to use a jig.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

BigJim said:


> If you bed the first piece of ceiling mold into your miter saw, then make a mark on the base of the miter saw where the molding sits on the saw base, you can cut each piece by putting the molding on that line each time.
> 
> I never used any kind of jig when cutting molding of any kind, it is all what a person gets use to, I guess. I wouldn't know how to use a jig.


I could have done that years ago. but not anymore My eyesight is going out and my shoulder is so bad that I can't hold anything anymore so I need the extra support. My jig now is long and fastened to the miter table so I just have to get the piece on the jig and slide it to my cut mark. 

I'm not sure if I'll be able to hold long pieces in place with the little plastic ones


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Sleeper said:


> I could have done that years ago. but not anymore My eyesight is going out and my shoulder is so bad that I can't hold anything anymore so I need the extra support. My jig now is long and fastened to the miter table so I just have to get the piece on the jig and slide it to my cut mark.
> 
> I'm not sure if I'll be able to hold long pieces in place with the little plastic ones


I definitely understand, I don't do things as well as I use to either, the ole body just won't cooperate. I am 35 (in my mind) but my body is 75. lol


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I've set up a jig like that to miter crown molding. I've since purchased a compound miter saw and miter the molding laying flat now. I don't cut that much crown molding anymore so I really have to think to miter it right with that saw. I maybe do that work once a year now.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

I've watched a few videos on it and wow, I wish I knew about this stuff years ago. If my shoulder weren’t so bad, I would to do this full time. My wife and are really enjoying looking at this work we just done and now she wants to do this in our new house. I didn't want to do it because all the corners are bullnose, but now I know how to get around the bullnose using 22.5 deg cuts instead of 45. Our new house has 12 ft high ceilings so I'll have to do it all on a scaffold.

I tried making a couple of cuts without the jig and realized that my fence isn't tall enough so I'll need a jig anyways.


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

I made a simple jog out of a few pieces of furniture grade plywood scraps. Just L-shaped. It's in two pieces and attached to the fence on each side. I have a piece of parting stop that I tack on once I fit a scrap of the crown molding I'm going to use. Then I can set in the crown each time upside down and it rests snugly against the fence and the parting stop.
Mike Hawkins


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

I started doing trim work back before the electric mite saw was on the market, all we had was the Stanley or Millerfalls type of saw. We had something to hold the ends of the molding up so that wasn't a problem. We would bed the molding in the base of the saw upside down from how it went on the ceiling and make the cut.

I always put my coping saw blade in the saw backwards as it always did a lot better and easier job for me to cut on the pull instead of push. I just got use to cutting ceiling mold like that and never changed. Those old manual saws were very accurate and would cut up to a 60 degree.

Sometimes when I think of ceiling mold, I remember a few times of going to someone's home to install ceiling mold after I finish my main job for the day. I especially remember installing ceiling mold in a kitchen in the dead of winter while the lady was cooking supper. Talk about hot, I was sweating so hard it was unreal up there above the blame stove shooting ceiling mold in place. It is a wonder stuff didn't fall in their food but she wouldn't stop cooking, we just had to work around her.

I always hated to put molding in a home when someone lived there, we had to move blame furniture and things out of the way to be able to install the molding, I hated that. OK Back on topic. lol


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

My jig that I made maybe 20 years ago was all made from scrap pieces of plywood and beside the fact that it is heavy and builky, it works pretty good. I just have to remember to always cut upside down so I made notes all over it so I don't forget. :smile2:
I notice that home depot sells the Milescraft 1405 jig and I think I'll take a look at it the next time I'm there. 

This is what I'm using now:


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

BigJim said:


> ........................................
> Sometimes when I think of ceiling mold, I remember a few times of going to someone's home to install ceiling mold after I finish my main job for the day. I especially remember installing ceiling mold in a kitchen in the dead of winter while the lady was cooking supper. Talk about hot, I was sweating so hard it was unreal up there above the blame stove shooting ceiling mold in place. It is a wonder stuff didn't fall in their food but she wouldn't stop cooking, we just had to work around her..........


Oh I know about that. I used to be an electrician and got called out to give an estimate on rewiring a HUD house. There was an elderly bed ridden man there hooked up to machines in the living room and the daughter with her little kids lived there as the caregiver. The daughter was into it way over her head with her invalid father and 2 toddlers and a new born so the place wasn’t exactly a show case. I had to move boxes and piles of dirty clothes just get to the outlets. I bid it a little high because of the conditions and got outbid. I really felt sorry for the daughter and wanted to help, but was kind of glad I didn’t get the job.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Sleeper said:


> Oh I know about that. I used to be an electrician and got called out to give an estimate on rewiring a HUD house. There was an elderly bed ridden man there hooked up to machines in the living room and the daughter with her little kids lived there as the caregiver. The daughter was into it way over her head with her invalid father and 2 toddlers and a new born so the place wasn’t exactly a show case. I had to move boxes and piles of dirty clothes just get to the outlets. I bid it a little high because of the conditions and got outbid. I really felt sorry for the daughter and wanted to help, but was kind of glad I didn’t get the job.


It was probably a good thing you got outbid, I know every time I tried to do something to help someone because they needed help, I would be the one to get burned. Strange how it seemed to work like that.

Johnny, your shoulder being in bad shape like it is, I don't see how you could stand the pain like that, I don't think I could. When I ran ceiling mold by myself, I would use a 10d finish nail drove into the wall about 1/2 inch above where the bottom of the molding would cover the hole from the nail. Put the nail about 1/3 the distance of the length of the ceiling mold from the corner. Lay the ceiling mold on the nail to hold it up while you bed it into the corner. Don't nail within three feet of the corner so you can roll the molding to fit perfect.

You probably already knew this, but just in case you didn't, maybe it would help your shoulder when putting the molding up. :smile2:


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

BigJim said:


> ......
> Johnny, your shoulder being in bad shape like it is, I don't see how you could stand the pain like that, I don't think I could.


It's been like this for a while and I just couldn't take the time out to have surgery. It’s gotten pretty bad and I plan on getting it done as soon as I sell this house. Its frustrating besides the pain when I have to have my wife pick my arm up over my head to drill or measure something. Anyway I'm getting by, just a little slower.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Sleeper said:


> It's been like this for a while and I just couldn't take the time out to have surgery. It’s gotten pretty bad and I plan on getting it done as soon as I sell this house. Its frustrating besides the pain when I have to have my wife pick my arm up over my head to drill or measure something. Anyway I'm getting by, just a little slower.


I don't envy you at all there, I hope you mend well and mend fast with the least amount of pain after the operation.


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