- 1). Cut a piece of molding to fit the left hand side of an inside corner with the right end of the molding square cut and butted up to the adjoining wall. If you start the molding installation on the right side of a doorway, you can square cut both ends of the first piece. This makes starting the installation easy and puts the first piece of molding in place for the coped corner.
- 2). Place a piece of baseboard standing upright on the miter saw with the bottom edge on the table and the back against the fence. Set the saw table to 45 degrees right and cut off the left end of the molding about 1 inch from the end.
- 3). Place the molding face up on a sturdy and steady work surface with the angle cut end hanging off one edge about 6 inches. Clamp the molding to the work surface to keep it steady. Follow the edge of the mitered cut where the cut meets the face of the baseboard with the pencil lead to highlight the cut edge. This is especially helpful on light colored woods.
- 4). Hold the coping saw in your right hand and place the blade against the bottom edge of the molding where the angle cut meets the flat face of the molding. Hold the blade at a 20- to 30-degree angle to undercut the face of the molding.
- 5). Saw through the molding from the bottom edge to the top edge and follow the edge of the angle cut exactly. Keep the saw straight on the straight portions of the angle cut and follow the curves and angles when it changes direction. As you near the end of the cut, saw slowly with very little pressure to keep from breaking the wood.
- 6). Place the coped molding against the square cut piece in the corner. If the cope is perfect, no gaps will show in the joint. Sand the leading edge of the coped cut to a sharp edge. Use the sandpaper to fine tune the cut to eliminate any gaps.
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