Trying to match that old crown molding profile...

I figured I'd just run a custom knife on the router, but the plaster walls in that 1920s house were so out of square it took me a full afternoon to get it right. Anyone know a better way to cope for walls that are way off?

4 comments

4 Comments

piper_kim1mo ago

Cope is for inside corners. You're scribing, not coping.

laura_schmidt821mo ago

Wait, are you saying the actual coping cut on the work piece isn't the same thing as scribing the profile to transfer it? Because I always thought "cope" was the whole process of marking and cutting that inside corner joint.

the_thea1mo ago

Yeah, I get the mix-up because I used to think the same thing lol. Piper_kim is right that scribing is just marking it, and then you actually cut that line to cope it. I learned the hard way when my first few joints were a mess from not making that cut clean after scribing.

taylor.reese1mo ago

That full afternoon sounds about right for old plaster. Honestly, the idea of running a custom knife is genius, but yeah, nothing is ever square. Did you end up having to shim the whole run or just fudge the cuts at the corners?