Crown molding outside corners ate my whole Saturday, anyone else waste a day on this?

Tried to do a simple crown install in a bedroom outside Dallas and the outside corners just would not cooperate. First corner I cut with my miter saw at 45 and it left a gap you could fit a dime in. Spent like 3 hours fiddling with bevel angles and the corner block trick before I gave up and used caulk. Then the second corner, I flipped the board upside down like the old timers say, but my crown has a spring angle of 38 degrees so that made it worse. Took me from 8am to almost 5pm total, and I still think one corner looks off if you stare at it. Is there a way to nail these things without a cope cut or am I just overthinking it?

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wyatt_mitchell264d ago

...and that's the thing, outside corners on crown are just brutal because the spring angle changes everything. I did the same thing my first time, cut at 45 and felt like a genius until I held it up and saw daylight. What finally worked for me was forgetting the miter saw for the outside corners and just coping the end, even though it sounds like a pain. You can cheat by cutting the 45 first, then using a coping saw to shave the back edge at an angle, it takes practice but it's way more forgiving than trying to nail the exact compound cut. Also, that 38 degree spring angle is the kicker, most of the online videos assume 45 and that's why nothing lines up. Caulk is fine for the tiny stuff but if you're staring at it, you'll always know. Just take the next corner slow, cut it slightly long, and use a sanding block to sneak up on the fit instead of making one big cut and hoping.