Remember when we used to cut all our crown by hand on a miter box?

I had to match some old work in a 1920s house last month and tried doing it the old way first. After three pieces that just would not line up, I set up my miter saw with a digital angle finder. The fit was perfect on the first try, no gaps at all. It saved me at least two hours of fussing and sanding. Do you still use any of the old hand methods, or is it all power tools now?

2 comments

2 Comments

betty_walker9d ago

Oh man, I feel your pain! I keep a hand miter box for small repairs, but for a whole room I always use a power miter saw now. The trick is to check your saw's fence for square with a good speed square before you even start, because if that's off, nothing will fit right.

the_ryan9d ago

My old DeWalt 12 inch saw had a fence that was off by like 1/16th from the factory. I spent a whole Saturday trimming out a closet and every single joint had a gap. It was so frustrating. Now I check it with a metal speed square before every big job, even if I just used the saw yesterday. It takes two seconds and saves so much headache. That little bit of play in the fence adjustment can really mess you up.