How to Correctly Cut Molding

Molding is a term that includes all the interior trim on the walls and ceilings in your home. When installing molding in your home, there are two difficult cuts that you may have to make. The first cut is necessary when you need a miter joint on an outside corner, and the second cut is necessary when you need a coped joint on an inside corner. Once you have mastered these two cuts, the rest of your molding installation will be relatively simple.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Scrap wood the same thickness as the molding
• Try square
• Sliding bevel
• Miter box and saw
• Clamp
• Coping saw
• Fine sandpaper or file

Outside Corners

1. Hold a scrap piece of wood which is the same thickness as your molding on the floor against the wall. The board should extend past the corner you want to measure. Draw a line on the floor along the outside face of the board.

2. Hold the piece against the adjoining wall. Mark the face of the board where it meets the line on the floor, then mark the top of the board where it touches the corner.

3. Use your square to extend the mark on the board from the bottom edge to the top edge. Align your sliding bevel to match up this mark with the mark that indicates the corner. This is your cutting angle.

4. Adjust your miter saw to match the angle of your sliding bevel. Hold the back of the molding against the back of the miter box and cut the molding to the proper length.

Inside Corners

5. Adjust your miter saw to make a 45-degree cut. Hold the back of the molding against the back of the miter box and cut one end of the molding.

6. Place the molding face up on a workbench and clamp it in place. Be sure to use a scrap piece of wood between the clamp and the molding to protect the molding.

7. Use your coping saw to cut along the contour on the face of the molding. Hold the saw upright, with the handle on top, so that you cut on the upstroke. To ensure a tight fit, slightly undercut the joint so that only the front of the molding will touch the adjoining piece.

8. Place your coped piece against it to test the fit, after you have installed the adjoining molding. Remove any imperfections with a file or fine sandpaper.

Tips & Warnings

• The first technique is used on outside corners because the corners may not meet at a 90-degree angle, especially if you own an older home. Be sure to repeat the measurement on each outside corner; don't assume all the corners have the same angle.

References

• The Art of Woodworking: Finish Carpentry; Jon Eakes; 1994