You know, cutting crown molding can be a big problem and anytime you do any type of interior carpentry, you think you might know what to do. But, many, many people just like you have trouble cutting crown molding and here is why.

Let us look at this framing square. Notice how it looks like a wall and a ceiling intersection. This is a 90-degree angle. We check out the crown molding. If you go ahead and hold the crown molding this way, it is not going to work. If you hold the crown molding this way, it is not going to work. But what happens if you rotate it into the wall ceiling just like that? You can see that is the way the crown molding has to be held inside the miter box saw.

Here is a typical piece of baseboard. Notice how its 3/4 of an inch thick or so it is just like the crown molding. It has got a flat surface here and a flat back but it also has a profound edge here. So remember, it gets held in a miter box saw this way. Here is a typical piece of casing that might go around the door or windows. Same thing, notice how, it is about 3/4 of an inch thick or so. It looks very much like the crown molding and it has a flat bottom and a profound face but it gets held in the saw flat. Here is our piece of crown molding. Notice it looks very similar to a piece of casing or baseboard. It is about the same thickness, it has got a profound face and it is smooth on the back. But you do not hold it in the saw like this. You do not hold it in the saw like this, you actually have to turn it upside down and rotate it so that the shoulder and the foot are flushed with the fence and the bottom table. And when you do that, you are ready to go.

Cutting crown molding is a piece of cake as long as you take your time and think about what you are doing.

I am Tim Carter of AskTheBuilder. If you want to discover more home-improvement tips, go to AskTheBuilder.com.