Ceiling cove molding opinion

[Ron Citerone]

My cottage renovation has 5 rooms with cove molding around the ceiling. I coped the first 4 corners previously. Today, I put the trim on the last ceiling. This time I mitered the inside corners and found it much easier with fine results.
I think if the molding was soft White Pine coping would be my preferred method. Seems the stain grade pine I get at the Big Box store has such heavy grain it is a bear to cut with coping saw and touch up sanding when needed is painstakingly slow.

My opinion. Curious what others say.

[Dave Sabo]

Learn to cope with a battery pwrd. grinder and a a sanding wheel. It’ll change your outlook on coping.

An elect. one is ok too

[Greg Quenneville]

Dave is right. I had to cope 89 corners of 9” baseboard and the angle grinder saved my sanity and the project.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Inside miters for crown molding, base board, chair rail, etc. were not allowed by any of the carpenters I learned from. I find ways to cut all or part of the cope with power tools when possible. I always have a coping saw in my kit and use it often.

[Tom M King]

The only time when I use inside corner miters is in a very tight, and consistently sized part like ceiling coffers, where it saves a Lot of time to make every one the same, so you can batch cut parts. There are just too many possible variables in a room corner. These coffers are about 4x5 feet. The crown molding around the top of the room walls was coped in the corners.

[Jim Dwight]

The issue with inside miters is not that they cannot be cut easier or cut to fit very well. The issue is that wood does not just move across the grain, it moves a smaller amount along the grain. So that joint you fit perfectly will probably open up, especially in the drier winter air. A coped joint will not open into a dark crack.

I admit I have not tried an angle grinder but I don't think it would do all of the coping on the crown I put in my house but it would probably do the biggest and hardest part well. A knife could probably do the rest. But I just use my Bosch jig saw held upside down. It is quick and easy. I have a collins coping foot but I often do not use it. It helps a little but I find it easy to cope without that attachment so I don't always take the time to put it on. One of the tools on my wish list is the 12V Bosch jigsaw, I think it would be even better. I have also coped with a coping saw and if it didn't get cut pine easily it would get a new blade. The blade does not have to be very fine to do paint grade coping, at least in my house.

[Mark Wooden]

Miters in pine cove will tend to show expansion and contraction more than a coped joint and be more visable from anywhere in a room also. its why ,when coosing where to start in a room, its best to face the cope joints at 90 degrees to the main view standpoint. This usually means the last piece of crown- typically with copes on both ends- is the one over the entry to a room.
I'm a lifelong carpenter and I dont use sanders or grinders or the like for this work, regardless of the material, soft pine through rift cut white oak, always a coping saw. It needs to cut on the pull stroke, it should always be cutting into the face, not pulling out of it. This means handle down. With prctice and a good set up, youll get a good , near to square butt joint, which is what a cope is. Grinders, sanders, improperly used jigsaws usually leave a way undercut cope that will be weak and thin at the joint, again showing movement more than it should.
As an additional note- I have seen some pretty good cope work done with a Collins Coping Foot on a jigsaw. Well thought out accessory by a production trim guy. I own one but honestly havent had the need to use it as I can cope as fast if not faster than most using power tools. As I'm usually not under pressure to burn through a trim job, I use my copping saw. It makes my arm nice and strong so I can lift my beer at the end of the day.........

[Ron Citerone]

Wow, now I wish I had coped it like the other rooms. Learned some things reading these posts. Thanks for your input.

[Tom M King]

I will sometimes lay out two coping saws, and two jewelers saws, so I don't have to switch blade positions. I use jewelers saws for the cove on the bottom of crown molding.

I once showed some new carpenters how to cope baseboard on a job that was not mine. I forget why I was there, but they said every time they nailed it up in the corners it would open up. They were mitering it. I went to the truck and came back with a coping saw. I cut an inside corner for them, used their gun to nail it in place, and both were down on their hands and knees looking at it as closely as they could. One said, "Dayammm. It looks like it's done growed together." They said they were going to go buy one of them funny looking little saws.