Help with Crown molding

[Jeff Dunlap]

Hi all,
I was hoping that someone could help me with a crown molding question. I am installing crown molding for the first time in our master bedroom and had a question about coped corners. I coped corners on the chair rail i installed, but no run called for 2 copes on the same piece, windows broke it up. THis will not happen with the crown however. I was wondering if you are supposed to cope the corners along the same run or alternate them, cope one end run the other end to the wall, cope the other piece to the that corner run it straight to the wall, etc. The runs would be 18' so i would have to scarf in a piece if that would make it easier to cope both ends of the same run, i don't know but i think it may look funny coping alterante runs. Please any advise is vey helpful.
Jeff

[Michael Panis]

Not that I have a ton of experience here, but I have always coped one side of each piece. As for looking funny, the whole idea is that no one should be able to see that you've coped it. It should look like a perfect mitre.

And maybe someday I'll be able to do them that well :rolleyes:

[Steve Jenkins]

The way i decide which to cope is to look up at the wall and cope the piece that I am looking along. That way you are looking across the joint instead of into it. So if you walk in the front door and have a wall to your left and one in front of you I would cope the piece on the wall to the left. The most common viewing direction tells me which to cope.

[Barry Vabeach]

Jeff, you will find a lot of info on coping and crown at the JLConline http://forums.jlconline.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=7

forum on finish carpentry. IIRC, the pros run 2 pieces flush to the wall on opposing sides of the room, then cope both ends of the other two pieces. I have done the same on the last project, and like you I used a scarf joint so it wouldn't have to be dealing with such a long piece. If you didn't already know, I find it a great help to rip strips of 1/2 ply and install them around the ceiling before I put up the crown, it gives you some solid wood for nailing in the crown.

[Brice Burrell]

Jeff, definitely take a look over at JLC, I'm a member over there and a trim carpenter. I start with a small piece of crown, maybe a foot long. Nail it to the last wall you intend to do in the corner where you'll start the first piece. Cope the first piece to the small one then you can remove the small piece and work your way around the room. Then slip the last piece into the first coped joint.

I use the 1/2" ply trick for scarf joints too.

[Ted Calver]

Sure dosen't look like JLC wants any amature carpenters asking questions there...for "professionals" only. Look but don't ask.

[Barry Vabeach]

Ted, I saw that also, but I go to a number of sites and just use the search function. It is extremely rare that the question that I have hasn't already been asked several times on the "pro" sites.

[Michael Pyron]

when I do crown in a square/rectangular room I put the shorter pieces up square on both sides and do the longer pieces coped on both sides. I make the square ones just a tad short to allow the ends to be able to move to accommodate the coped ends...I make the coped pieces long so that they snap in place and cut into the pieces the butt into (severely cut back my copes so that they are like knife edges and will dig into the other pieces, which allows for slight variations in the millwork)