How to Make Mitre Cuts for Base Molding
Finishing carpentry requires patience. A DIY remodel job may begin with a flurry of activity including demolition, hauling, hammering and generally muscling things into place, but when it comes time to add molding and baseboards, the best practice is to measure twice and cut once. Visualize how the pieces will fit together and take your time. Miter cuts on a baseboard are easy once you get the basics down. Let the saw and the miter box or guide do the work for you. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Face the corner where your baseboard molding pieces will meet. Measure the lengths for the left and the right walls and write the measurements down. Mark the measurements "L" and "R."
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Mark your molding pieces according to the measurement. Measure the distance along the back of the trim piece. After you make your cuts, the longest part of the molding will be the back of the piece with the angle pointing inward to the face.
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Place the left piece into the guide on the miter saw. Stand it straight up and down with the face toward you and secure it against the rear fence. The fence is the vertical stop at the back of the miter table. Depending upon the model of saw you are using, you will either rotate the table base or the blade itself. Use the markings on your saw table to align the cut to 45 degrees. Make sure the cut begins at the mark you placed on the back of the molding.
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Cut the right piece by setting your saw or table to 45 degrees in the opposite direction and make sure that the cut begins at the mark you put on the back of the molding. The excess length will extend out to your right and you will be cutting the angle on the left end.
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Measure both the left and right pieces on the face for outside corners. Imagine the piece tacked to the wall with the angle extending out into open space to meet the joint with the adjoining molding. For both the left and right pieces, the cut begins on the back of the trim and extends outward toward the face at 45 degrees.
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