How to Install Trim With a Coping Saw

Have you ever wondered how to use a coping saw to install trim. This will show you how to cope a joint. It’s relatively easy if you have the right equipment, but can be very hard otherwise.
A coped joint looks much better than a mitered joint and it is much easier to do because you don’t have to worry if the walls are out of square.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Miter Saw
• Round wood files / rasps
• Trim of your choice
• Coping Saw
• Hammer
• 3 Inch Finish nails
• Finish nail set
• Wood Putty

1. 

   This is the wood I used for the basic floor trim. This is old trim used in my 50 year old ranch house. Modern trim may look a little different but the quarter round is the same. The quarter round is the narrow pieces that are 1/4 of a circle.
   This is not the entire length and is for demonstration purposes only.

2. Locate the studs on the wall and mark them above the height of the trim with a pencil. This is where you will be nailing the trim in. This is very important because if you don’t nail into the studs, the trim will not stay in place.

3. 

   Use your miter saw and cut the first piece to length. This should cover the entire length of the wall. The trim should be square on both sides. It should be a nice tight fit on both sides. Nail it in place through the studs.

4. 

   In this case, I am going to put the trim on the right side of the installed trim. Get a piece of trim longer than the length of the wall on the right side of the trim. Set your miter saw at a 45 degree angle as shown and cut it. Notice that in this case I put the bottom of trim to the back of the miter saw. If the cope was on the left side, I would put the top of the trim against the back of the miter saw.

5. 

   This is the completed angle of the cut.

6. 

   This is a sample of showing the angle of the cut from above. You’ll notice it also shows the cut of the quarter round which I will explain in a later step.

7. 

   Clamp the back trim firmly with the 45 degree angle up as shown.

8. 

   The coping saw.

9. 

   Position the coping saw at an angle away from the 45 degree angle as shown and cut along the profile of the molding made by the angle. This is very delicate work. Do not force the blade or cut hard and fast. Take your time.

10. 

    You may get to a point where you just can’t get the coping saw any further through. At this point, slowly back out the coping saw and then use it to cut off the chunk of wood you just cut through.

11. 

    At this point, there is a little chunk left. You can use your file or rasp to file it off or use the coping saw.

12. 

    The final cope.

13. 

    A perfect fit but the trim needs to be cut to size. So for the other end, measure and cut at a 90 degree angle. Again, make sure the trim is tight in place, then nail it in.

14. If the fit was not perfect, you can use you file or rasp to file out any imperfections.

15. 

    If you are installing quarter round trim, cut it to length and install it.

16. 

    Same as with the back trim, get a piece of trim longer than the length of the wall on the right side of the trim. Set your miter saw at a 45 degree angle as shown and cut it. Notice that in this case I marked on the trim where the angle I had to cut was. I did this so that I made sure I cut it correctly. It’s very easy to cut it in the wrong direction, so make sure you mark it.

17. 

    This is the completed angle of the cut.

18. 

    Clamp the back trim firmly with the 45 degree angle up as shown.

19. 

    Position the coping saw at an angle away from the 45 degree angle as shown and cut along the profile of the trim made by the angle. This is very delicate work. Do not force the blade or cut hard and fast. Take your time.

20. 

    For the quarter round I could only go through about 1/4 of the way before I had to cut the chunk off. I had to repeat this several times because I could not get a good cut all the way through.

21. 

    I used the round file to smooth out the last bit.

22. 

    The completed cope.

23. Cut the quarter round to length, square on the other side and nail it in place.

24. Repeat the process all the way around the room. Once you are done, set the nail heads with the nail set and fill in the holes with the wood putty. After it dries, sand the wood putty down and paint your molding.

Tips & Warnings

• This is very difficult to do without a miter saw. I did it with one of those miter boxes the first time I did it and it took hours. You can rent one, borrow one, or buy one.
• Cut the trim a little longer than necessary and then slowing shorten it until you get a perfect fit.
• If you are staining or painting your trim, it’s best to stain or paint it before you install it and touch it up later.
• If you are afraid of splitting the trim while nailing, drill a hole first before you nail it. The hole must be smaller than the nail.
• Plan your work so that you do not have to cope both sides on a piece of trim.