TIL a trick for cutting long crown molding by yourself

Last Thursday I was putting up crown in a big living room in Springfield and the pieces were 16 feet long. I was alone and trying to hold it up to mark the cuts, and it kept sagging in the middle. I ended up using two step ladders and a scrap 2x4 across them like a bench to support the whole length. It worked so well I got both outside corners cut perfect on the first try. How do you guys handle long trim when you're working solo?

2 comments

2 Comments

iris56524d ago

Yeah, the scrap 2x4 across ladders is a solid move... I've done that more times than I can count. For really long stuff, I'll sometimes just tack a temporary nail into the wall at the right height and let the molding rest on that while I mark it. Anything to keep that middle from dropping... saves so much headache.

sanchez.mary23d ago

Ever notice how the best fixes are always the simplest? @iris565 you're totally right about that scrap wood trick. It's like the whole world runs on these little bits of cleverness that just make sense. I see it everywhere, not just in building stuff. People figure out a small, smart way to solve a big, annoying problem. That temporary nail idea is the same kind of thing. It's not fancy, it just WORKS. Makes you wonder why we ever try the hard way first.