crown molding, could use a little help... - Page 3 - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

Metrojoebarbs · 11-02-2009, 10:21 PM

Always upside down and backwards with cope working in one direction.

Write down measurements on a piece of scrap (per room), take it to the saw and have at it.

**Gus Dering** · 11-02-2009, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JumboJack

Or (and i'm just thinking outside the box here) one could practice and learn on their own home before posing as a professional and charging people money to do something they don't know how to do....wow,that was a mouthful

For what ever the reason is some of us are taking this kid under our wing.
Maybe because he is upfront about his short comings and seems to have a passion to learn from our experiences. He seems to have found his calling in the trade and I, for one, am more than willing to share what ever i can to help him out.
I won't speak for Willy, but he seems to feel the same way.

I wish more young guys just starting out would hang out here and suck from whatever is left of my brain. After all is that not what we are committed to here?

Not the brain sucking part but the teaching part

Metrojoebarbs · 11-02-2009, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gus Dering

For what ever the reason is some of us are taking this kid under our wing.
Maybe because he is upfront about his short comings and seems to have a passion to learn from our experiences. He seems to have found his calling in the trade and I, for one, am more than willing to share what ever i can to help him out.
I won't speak for Willy, but he seems to feel the same way.

I wish more young guys just starting out would hang out here and suck from whatever is left of my brain. After all is that not what we are committed to here?

Not the brain sucking part but the teaching part

A kid that's not stuck in front of the TV playing internet video games and gets out there to work and make his way is a good kid to me.

Hang in there Free

WilsonRMDL · 11-02-2009, 10:36 PM

I usually lay crown like a few others. But after reading through this post I'm going to give the upside-down backwards method a try.

Resta · 11-02-2009, 10:57 PM

freemason21, I think is stiff task to do one month demolition and next day crown. You definitely get better day tomorrow. Relax: breathe in.. breathe out.. breathe in..breathe out..

tomstruble · 11-02-2009, 11:02 PM

good for you Gus,wish i had a smart old fart to teach me right

Inner10 · 11-02-2009, 11:40 PM

Quote:

For what ever the reason is some of us are taking this kid under our wing.

Well put, isn't that the whole point of a forum, to exchange information amongst different trade professionals?

If anyone has questions regarding video switching, data distribution, automation bla bla bla I'm happy to reply with anything I know. In fact I even encourage people to get more involved, I guess I'm just happy to find people listen to my banter.

Gus and Willie's posts were very informative to me and I look forward to experimenting on my house with the information I have been given...that being said I have 3 compound miter saws and a radial arm saw and have never installed an inch of crown in my life.

BTW that is one bad-arse miter saw Gus.

I thought my cheap-o craftsman radial arm saw was pricy enought until I looked at Omgas!

Willie T · 11-03-2009, 09:31 AM

There is a lot to be said for old men. I learned from one, myself.................... Here's the story.
*********************
The old man.

Today, fifty five years later, that’s all I can really remember him as: The old man. I’m sure I knew his name at that time, and it was probably “Mr.” Something or other. He was likely just as old as I remember him. About 60 or so. And though his name now eludes my memory, I can recall almost every detail of his appearance, and of the little garage workshop where he spent most of his days.

Our three or four year-long relationship began with just an occasional nod, as we neighborhood kids would ride our bikes past the open door of his woodshop. Before long, I would stop every now and then, leaning on my handlebars… watching. I don’t recall any of the other kids finding that open door very interesting. But I became enthralled with the world inside. There were sights and sounds so intriguing that I couldn’t have stayed away if my life depended upon it.

And Smells! The sweet aroma generated by the beautiful table saw… the dozens of different smells so biting, emanating from the mysterious shelves of varnishes, lacquers, and paints. The ever present cup of coffee at his elbow. They all drew me like a magnet.

Who knows what finally got me to muster enough courage to actually move beyond the threshold, and begin asking questions. But I did, and, one step at a time, the old man let me share a little of his special place. At first, I just stood by the workbench, scurrying to get out of the way when he would move to a power tool to work yet another bit of magic on the piece of wood in his hands. Then, he would ask me to maybe hand him something that was a bit out of his reach… a screw perhaps, or maybe even a tool!

Before long, I was helping a little more effectively. He let me sweep up. Boy was that ever a thrill to me. With that broom in my hand, I got to move all around that shop, savoring the discoveries of so many neat things in all the dark corners and recesses. Then, he let me actually sand on some of the pieces. How cool!

You’d think that one of my best memories would have been of him showing me how to feed a piece of wood into the saw… or how to drill a hole without splitting out the opposite side… or learning to appreciate the subtleties found within the grain of a select piece of hardwood. But, exciting as all that was, it was something else that remained with me for many years thereafter.

One day, the phone rang at our house, and my mother told me that Mr. “?” wanted me to come down to his house. This was a first. I didn’t know he even knew where I lived. Well, I ran the block or so to his garage door, and could hardly believe my eyes when I got there. Just inside the door was the most beautiful wagon I had ever laid eyes on. Except for the tire treads, it was made entirely of wood. And not just ANY wood. All sorts of different types and stains of contrasting woods made up this masterpiece. And it had high rails along the sides. They were removable!

Somehow, the old man had managed to work on this gift for weeks without me ever knowing it. Probably burned a lot of midnight oil when I was long past asleep in my bed. I never felt so special.

Well, the months and years passed, and I guess I grew up. Going to see the old man became less and less of a priority in my life. The wagon I had treasured so dearly became just another toy discarded for the “cooler” trappings of approaching teen years. I’d stop in every so often, but my visits became less and less frequent, and they were seldom very long.

Then one day my mother got another phone call.

“No!” I ran to the little garage. I don’t know why. I knew he wouldn’t be there. It was shut and locked, and I don’t remember ever seeing it open again. I wanted, in the worst way, for that old man to come back. But of course he never would.

But, just like some of your dads and grandfathers did for you, he left something behind that became a part of me. Yeah, a love of woodworking, but more than that. I can’t help wanting to teach and help young people whenever they show an interest in something I’m capable of sharing with them.

I hope each of you had an old man in their lives, a “Father/Grandfather figure”. They’re a very unique and special breed of men, and the world is a sadder place at each of their passings.

Willie T · 11-03-2009, 10:11 AM

Do I really care about teaching kids woodworking? I don’t know. To an extent, yes, of course I do. But more importantly, I find myself much more concerned with showing a young person how to navigate life’s highways and byways without becoming yet another traffic statistic. How to grow to be an adult that others will see as a credit to society, not a drain.

It’s been remarked about the inscribed dates seen on tombstones that it is not the date of birth nor the date of death that reflect the value and worth of a person’s life. Rather it is the wealth of living portrayed by that tiny little “dash” in between the two dates that is truly the sum of a man’s life.

All too many cold slabs of stone planted at the heads of lonely burial plots honestly reflect the sadness that many lives are represented by nothing more than a quick “dash” between birth and death. I want mine to stand for more.

And the best way I can think of for that to happen is for some former kid somewhere to murmur a little “Thank you” in his heart when he thinks back on his time around me.

Willie T · 11-03-2009, 10:25 AM

Just in case anyone might find these photos useful, here is a Word Document with a double (duplicate) set of the pictures you can print and cut out to have on hand for your toolbox.

skymaster · 11-03-2009, 11:19 AM

Tomstruble: LOL ok than call me, I will be your smart ole Fart

G&S Show · 11-03-2009, 11:49 AM

I use good side up- wall side towards me- 31.5 and 31.5 dewalt 12 inch- then angle grinder then of course wood putty lol
I tried the upside down thing this just works easrier for me

freemason21 · 11-03-2009, 02:17 PM

ok tomorrow im gonna be rippin down what i did and re-doing it. after looking at it for a while today i decided i dont like how it came out. im gonna have pictures and will post tomorrow thanks for all the help guys.

**Gus Dering** · 11-03-2009, 02:30 PM

Ok here is another little tip or two;

Cut a little block that is the same length as the distance from the ceiling to the bottom of the crown.

Go around the room and stick the block up against the ceiling and strike a little line on the bottom at all the corners and every 4-5 ft or so. Then you'll essentially have a dotted line to use as a gauge where the crown should be.

As it was mentioned before don't nail close to the corners until you have the adjoining piece up and ready to go. Then you can roll the two pieces slightly to adjust the fit as needed.

Short runs can be glued and nailed on the ground and lift a few at a time. Depends on if you have some help as to how much of that you can get away with.

Have fun with it.

skymaster · 11-03-2009, 02:41 PM

Gus got it right. Only diff I do is use a pc of the actual crown. BE VERY sure you run a continous line out from each side of the corners a good foot, As Gus states DO NOT nail corners until you have the fit correct. Most likely the crown will roll on you so you have to "adjust" how it lays in the corners. I carry a block of wood so I can tap the crown to the line and NOT mash it. A good stiff putty knife will help if you need to roll the crown UP towards the ceiling, slip the knife behind and pull top edge out and down while you push the bottom up to the line.

Willie T · 11-03-2009, 02:41 PM

Also, buy some 2P-10 adhesive (like super glue). It works wonders for stubborn (and 3-piece bullnose) corners.

freemason21 · 11-03-2009, 02:49 PM

i do have one question, my ceiling in this house is not level for crap. do i keep the molding level, or follow the ceiling? and as far as holding the crown up, i'll have some help tomorrow from my roomate. i have to put some 1x up first to conceal the water lines. they are in the corner where the ceiling meets the wall. its the only way to conceal. i'll take a bunch of pictures for everyone so you can see what i mean.

**Gus Dering** · 11-03-2009, 03:31 PM

Out of level but straight is not a problem at all.

Wavy, bumpy , jacked up ceilings and walls Are a biotch.

If the later is the case you can take a block plane and cut a little off the top of the profile as the ceiling bumps down without it looking real bad.

Beyond that, you just have to mash it as tight to the wall and ceiling as possible and let the caulking do the rest.

Larger gaps will need more than one application of caulk. Sucks, I know but it is what it is.

freemason21 · 11-03-2009, 03:37 PM

so try and follow the ceiling but keep the crown straight at the same time? the reason i ask is i've worked for a guy who would take a level and make the crown straight as can be, and then fill in any gaps with calk or cut a piece of trim to use as a shim. basically if there was a large gap that spanned any length, he'd cut a piece to fill it in. i always thought it looked stupid. but then again im not the professional here. i've also worked for someone who would follow the ceiling, so i never really knew. i've never really asked its never been something i've learned in great deal how to do.

**Gus Dering** · 11-03-2009, 04:14 PM

I personally feel that when you change the height of that last vertacal portion of the profile with a shim or scribing it off, that it is more apt to catch your eye than if you just roll with the ceiling.

You have to think on your feet a little bit here and determine for yourself what is going to look the best.

If the ceiling has a gentile sag in it for several feet and you can cheat it down on the wall a little and roll the spring angle down a little then I feel that would not be near as noticeable as two monster shims applied to the top of the crown.

The hardest thing to overcome is sharp bumps like you will find on a sloppy drywall finishing job. Bumping out or down a 1/4" in 12" is more than the crown can flex and you have to make a call, caulk all by itself or scribe a little here or there and caulk.

That shim on top should be used only in some extreme case where there is no way around it.

Remember that it always looks better from the floor. It never looks perfect from the staging sighting it down the length of the wall.

If it looks good from the floor, it is good.

That is not a license to be a hack either, just a mind trick to get through an ugly situation.