Appreciation post: That one custom crown molding return that took me all day

Parker Price · 2026-04-10T09:45:03.502646+00:00

I had to match a 120-year-old profile in a San Francisco Victorian, and cutting the compound angles for the inside corner took me about 6 hours to get right. Anyone have a better method for tricky historical trim?

kim_johnson515mo ago

Yeah that scrap wood pile method is real lol. I cheat by making a cardboard template of the wall angle first, then test cuts on cheap pine. Saves a ton of time matching those old profiles.

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jamesf415mo ago

Six hours on one inside corner is a new personal record for me. I spent half that time just staring at the miter saw, hoping the trim would cut itself. My method is basically trial, error, and a whole lot of scrap wood that looks nothing like the original profile.

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the_amy5mo ago

That six-hour corner sounds like @jamesf41's scrap wood pile.

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