Crown Molding and Trim: Install It Like A Pro!

I install trim a couple times a year as a do-it yourselfer and I can generally eyeball my first cut (leaving the stock long if possible) and then make 2,3 or 4 refining cuts getting closer each time until I end up with the perfect miter cut. I bought this book hoping to become an expert in making my cuts dead on the first time - but it did not help.Issues:1. The book does contain a lof of upselling to buy the author's angle finders and to go to his website. Kind of annoying.2. The book is very technical, and not that easy to follow and understand. The author seems to ramble on all over the place about how to make different kinds of miter cuts rather than lay it out in easy to follow style (For an inside right Crow Molding - Step 1.. Step 2... Step 3..For an inside left Crown Molding, step 1...Step 2...)3. The book can be confusing because its not clear when the author is speaking at times whether he's referring to a compound saw or non-compound saw...or whether it's a saw that makes compound cuts in both directions or only one...4. The book contains too make tables and charts. In today's world I would think everyone has (or can affordibly purchase) a compound miter saw so there is no need for different tables for compound and non-compound miter saws. The book would be better to focus on using just one saw type instead of trying to be all encompassing. Then all instructions should be specific to taht exact saw (for example, a compound miter saw that makes the compound cuts only to one side).5. The charts provided are too accurate to be reasonably useful. For example, good luck accurately setting a 36.4 degree angle. No matter how expensive your saw is, you're unlikely to ever get it set to that level of accuracy. Even with using an extra tool. I suppose someone with a state of the art computer controlled machine might be able to set such an exact number, but for the rest of us, even after using a extra angle tool, you're still likely to be off by several degrees on your cut.6. The book often references setting angles above 45 degrees. (I admit I might be missing somthing here) but I have 3 compound miter saws and none of them can make any cut greater than 45 degrees.I won't say the book is terrible, because I think the author has legitimately tried to help people learn to master miter cuts. And it may for some people. But for me, in the end, it was simply too technical and confusingly organized to be useful. I spent about 15-18 hours reading the book over one weekend and trying to make accurate cuts, only find it is much easier to do what I always did: Look at the angle on the wall, make an approximate eye-ball cut, check it for fit, and then go back and make a slight refining cut, then check it again, and repeat until you've got the perfect angle. If the saw is in the room you can make 3 or 4 refining cuts and check the fit each time to get the perfect cut within 2 minutes. You may waste a little stock, but no more than when using the system in this book, because as I said you're saw is never going to be accurate to a tenth of a degree that the book instructs you to set it at.3 stars because it has some generally helpful information, and it may be a good book for some people that the books resonates with (just didn't resonate with me)... I would recommend the author update the book to be specifically written for one type of saw (like 10" compound miter saws with motors on the right that only make compound cuts on the left side. Then includes specific steps through each cut.)

This book is fairly good. I purchased this along with Tauntons "Trim Carpentry and Built Ins", which is far superior, by way of clearly explained steps with tons of illustrations and photos to demonstrate all sorts of pro carpenter techniques. I jumped back and forth between the two when I started installing floating crown on open top cabinets. I have done quite a bit of home remodeling but wanted to get a better handle on some of the more involved projects. In my shop I have a professional Delta Table Saw and a Delta Pro Chop Saw, both of which are over 20 years old. They absolutely "rock" when it comes to precision and versatility. And knowing that there are some limitations to the chop saw in terms of depth of material I can cut, I went out and bought a Kobalt 12" Sliding Compound Miter Saw. The Kobalt is a heck of a saw for the price. I would spend several hundred dollars more for a Dewalt or Bosch, but since I am not a professional carpenter, making a living off of the equipment, I could not justify home remodeling DIY beyond something like the Kobalt, with which I am very pleased.So, as I started my project, I was challenged with some transitions from floating cabinet runs which blend into cabinets with soffits above them. I felt a need for the books to figure out what kind of blockouts or nailer boards I might need to integrate, in order to maintain an unbroken elevation line for the crown in order to keep it all at the same distance off the floor or from the ceiling. During this project I found myself drawing from the Tauntons book, over the blue cover True Angle book (after all, they are selling an angle finder, which is incorporated into every step and illustration). Nothing wrong with that, but I felt the Tauntons book was written by professional carpenters who integrated a ton of "pro tips" and short cuts about cabinetry, wood in general, trim, wainscoating, chair rail etc. I learned so much more from Tauntons than the True Angle book.So, if you are only doing crown molding, the blue book provides pretty much everything you need, but it goes into a lot of detail about crown molding projects that only a professional would be capable of pulling off, with vaulted ceilings, complex wall angles and room shapes, etc. Kind of like getting a drink of water with a fire hose. I am sure I will find myself referring to their book as well as the Tauntons. They are both worth having in your library, but if I could only buy one, it would be "Trim Carpentry and Built Ins".

Okay, this was (for me at least) one of those books that I truly felt was well worth the money. I was so impressed with the way the author wrote the instructions--he appeared to really want to teach--I went online and attempted to speak with the author. Unfortunately, I was not able to reach the author but I did get a person (wife? coworker?) and she informed me that the author had developed some significant health problems and the company had closed. I have many woodworking books and some by top-name people in the industry. The author of this book, in my nonprofessional opinion, deserves a "job well done." I can't recommend this book enough---excellent instructions.

I found this to be an extremely informative book. It has content in it for working with sloped and cathedral ceilings that most other books on trim leave out. There are plenty of photos, all black and white but the print quality of the photos leaves much to be desired. However, you can see enough detail in virtually all photos that the print quality does not seriously take away from the quality of the book -- if you can see well.The shining quality of this book is its devotion to the use of crown molding. Very little coverage on any other trim work. If you want a more thorough treatment of other trim work, I would suggest the following books:Decorating With Architectural Trimwork: Planning, Designing, Installing. ISBN 1580110789Trim Carpentry Techniques: Installing Doors, Windows, Base and Crown: ISBN 1561583219

Everything went perfectly on my first-ever attempt at installing cornice moulding. I was having to cut flat because my mitre saw was not large enough to cut at installation angle. I didn't waste any lengths or make any false cuts. 7" high cornice, 14ft lengths... no problem... due to this book (and the electric angle measuring level I bought). The tables are essential for flat cutting.

Very good information and perfect for my project.