Tough cut to make - need suggestions

My buddy is finishing up his kitchen install and is putting molding on top of the cabinets. The outside wall is about 7' so he needs to cut the molding to match the slope of the ceiling.

The molding is pre-finished Maple, 3/4 x 3" and sits flat on top of the cabinets overhanging the face frame by about 1 1/2". To do this on the chop saw he needs to stand the wood on edge and rip an angle of about 10deg with the money side up. Can this be securely held to make the cut?

My first thought is to clamp the modling to the end of a square cut

2x4, drill two holes through the molding into the end of the 2x4 and install dowels. Then the 2x4 can be clamped and the cut can be made cutting through the molding and the dowels. The holes for the dowels won't show because that part of the molding will be on top of the cabinet.

Second thought is to make a sled and do the angled rips on the TS but my saw is 100 miles from his kitchen and any tweaking will take a considerable amount of time.

Any better ideas?

Reply to
Limp Arbor
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Maybe draw a line on it and cut with a hand saw?

Reply to
dadiOH

Might be a reason for me to by a saw but what kind? Dovetail? Gent?

I did consider a belt sander to do the major damage and clean it up with a block plane but then I'd have to drive the 100 miles to fit the molding. :-(

Reply to
Limp Arbor

Seems to me that it would be MUCH easier (and safer) to clamp the moulding vertical, and use a small plane to cut the slope on the top of the molding. And the angle doesn't have to match the ceiling slope, it can be a bit greater than the ceiling slope, so the the visible face of the molding meets the ceiling precisely.

Even if the plane is like most of the new ones on the market, and not a very good one, you don't need a smooth cut, because the planed face will be hidden.

Hand tools rule!

Old Guy

Reply to
Old Guy

There is a jig made for doing crown moulding that makes the job an absolute cinch. Costs about $75 - saw it at the Kitchener Wood Show last weekend - cannot remember the name but it was phenomenal.

Reply to
clare

I must be reading your post incorrectly. From what I can tell, you need to do a rip cut across the top of the molding to match a slop of the ceiling. Your estimate is the ceiling has about a 10 degree slope from the center of the kitchen to the wall behind the new cabinet. The wood is maple (which makes using hand plane a *real* challenge on 3/4" to most DIY'ers.)

I hope I am misreading, as you don't have much of an option here without hauling a contractor's TS to the job site. You haven't provided the longest length of molding you need to rip.

And using a sliding bevel gage with a plumb-bob (checking it in about 3 or 4 places) doesn't seem to be a good idea for you since your TS is about a 2 hour drive away.

As another poster replied, it is only the very front top edge that is seen by visitors, so a rip cut of maybe 15 degrees (a 5 degree extra) could still be not what you had in mind. Just how much wood did you want in direct and tight contact with this sloping ceiling? With maple, I don't think you *need* the full 3/4 inches. We are talking about molding after all.

Have you considered some sort of double bevel rip cut like on the cutting edge of a chisel? 15 degrees on most of the top edge and then only maybe an 1/8 inch matching bevel at the actual point of contact with the ceiling? 1/8 inch bevel is do-able for fine tuning at job site with a hand plane.

Reply to
Phil Again

After reading other replies I think I misunderstood. I thought you needed an angled crosscut but you need a bevel rip along the top, correct?

If so, what's wrong with using a circle saw set to correct bevel and a straight edge guide? The bevel doesn't have to *match* the ceiling, only accomodate it; i.e. the bevel can be greater than the slope of the ceiling because only the front, sharp edge of the cut will show.

Another way is with a router and guide. Attach a shim to the router base so it is angled as you need and have at it. If the router base doesn't have a flat edge, make a temporary one from 1/4" ply...you need a straight edge on the base so the angle of the router relative to what is being cut doesn't change.

Or could you possibly be talking about a bevel on the face of the molding? If so, WTF for??

Reply to
dadiOH

I don't think I was clear as to what needs to be done. The cut needs to be similar to the end of the board in this picture but only at

10deg:
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have a tenoning jig but if my math is correct at 10deg on 3/4" wood the blade would need to be about 4 3/8" high.

The molding lays flat and has a finished edge that overhangs the face frame and part of the overlay doors (similar to base molding laid flat).

Yes the top edge can be rough cut or belt sanded then tweaked with a plane but a single swipe with a CMS would be sooo much easier.

Reply to
Limp Arbor

OK, now I have it.

Your best bet may still be a handsaw. I could see making a couple of narrow guide blocks with the correct taper and clamping them on to the piece to be cut (laid flat, back down) so that a saw could rest on the guides while sawing. Sort of a horizontal miter box or shooting guide. I'd probably use my little flexible Japanese saw intended for cutting off dowels and the like. Bit of a PITA but it would work and should need no further tweaking. __________

Life just isn't fair sometimes, is it? :(

Reply to
dadiOH

Suitable solution found.

I clamped a sample piece of Maple to the end of a 2x4 Drilled two holes with a 9/64 dit Drove in two 5/16 fluted dowels Set my CMS to 10deg miter Held the 2x4 against the fence Made the cut

The piece didn't even budge. A little wiggling and tugging and the piece came off the dowels. Not good for a production run but for the three cuts he needs to make it will be fine.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Reply to
Limp Arbor

correction: 19/64 bit

Reply to
Limp Arbor

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