Back from the dead--or maybe not
I haven't posted anything in more than 2 months because I have been so frustrated with this project. Well, that and the busy Christmas holidays.
It's now been 2 years since I started this thing--or is it 3??! It's been so long I can't remember anymore. One reason it's not finished is my trepidation about the crown molding. I just didn't know where to begin. And I was afraid to waste a fortune on piece after piece.
I finally ordered a jig from Rockler, which positions the crown perfectly for my regular miter saw, since I don't have a compound model. It works great for regular old inside and outside corners, like you'd find in a plain room. But no, I have the most complicated angled cuts possible in MY project. So I've yet to figure it out. I spent all last weekend cutting on a "trial and error" basis, accomplishing nothing in the end except a big mess on the garage floor and a blow-up at my kids.
Last night, I tried again, using information I found online. Still, it doesn't work. This morning, I went to Home Depot to try to find a person who knew something about crown, but it's so hard to find any human there for anything! I saw a book on installing crown, and it had lots of pictures--including photos that looked like my problem! So even though it was $20, I bought it--along with another 3 feet of crown to try out. (I still have my 7 foot piece that I have yet to cut because I don't want to mess it up. It's the longest piece that has to go beneath the shelf.) I also got the toe-kick trim for under the windowseat.
Well, after trying to follow the book's directions--I STILL can't do it! Part of the problem is the section dealing with my kind of angles gives instructions using a compound miter saw. So I'm lost.
I went ahead and cut and dry-fitted the toe-kick trim, just to get something done. And I made regular inside and outside corner crown templates, like the book says to do. But I had to stop when it came to making the vaulted corner templates because of the saw problem.
So once again, I've come to the end of my only "free" day without accomplishing the major task that keeps hanging over my head like an anvil. To make matters worse, we had to spend more than $200 today for new front brake pads, etc. on the car. What a crappy Saturday!
I can't do anything tomorrow because we have church, then we have to drive 2.5 hours each way to get out daughter from a camp retreat. That will finish off the day. The kids have Monday off, but not me. Oh well. I saw a sign in a store today that quoted Einstein, saying "in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." I should remember that.
My 12-year-old is even wiser. When she saw me crying for the umpteenth time trying to figure out the crown, she hugged me and said, "Mama, don't cry." I replied, "This day has just been a waste, and last weekend was a waste because I spent all that time on this and still haven't figured it out." She responded, "It's not a waste. You learn from your mistakes, don't you?" Wise words from a kid who always makes me smile--and laugh. And as she said, "A hug always makes things better." And it did. Too bad it can't make a correct crown molding angle, too.
It's now been 2 years since I started this thing--or is it 3??! It's been so long I can't remember anymore. One reason it's not finished is my trepidation about the crown molding. I just didn't know where to begin. And I was afraid to waste a fortune on piece after piece.
I finally ordered a jig from Rockler, which positions the crown perfectly for my regular miter saw, since I don't have a compound model. It works great for regular old inside and outside corners, like you'd find in a plain room. But no, I have the most complicated angled cuts possible in MY project. So I've yet to figure it out. I spent all last weekend cutting on a "trial and error" basis, accomplishing nothing in the end except a big mess on the garage floor and a blow-up at my kids.
Last night, I tried again, using information I found online. Still, it doesn't work. This morning, I went to Home Depot to try to find a person who knew something about crown, but it's so hard to find any human there for anything! I saw a book on installing crown, and it had lots of pictures--including photos that looked like my problem! So even though it was $20, I bought it--along with another 3 feet of crown to try out. (I still have my 7 foot piece that I have yet to cut because I don't want to mess it up. It's the longest piece that has to go beneath the shelf.) I also got the toe-kick trim for under the windowseat.
Well, after trying to follow the book's directions--I STILL can't do it! Part of the problem is the section dealing with my kind of angles gives instructions using a compound miter saw. So I'm lost.
I went ahead and cut and dry-fitted the toe-kick trim, just to get something done. And I made regular inside and outside corner crown templates, like the book says to do. But I had to stop when it came to making the vaulted corner templates because of the saw problem.
So once again, I've come to the end of my only "free" day without accomplishing the major task that keeps hanging over my head like an anvil. To make matters worse, we had to spend more than $200 today for new front brake pads, etc. on the car. What a crappy Saturday!
I can't do anything tomorrow because we have church, then we have to drive 2.5 hours each way to get out daughter from a camp retreat. That will finish off the day. The kids have Monday off, but not me. Oh well. I saw a sign in a store today that quoted Einstein, saying "in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." I should remember that.
My 12-year-old is even wiser. When she saw me crying for the umpteenth time trying to figure out the crown, she hugged me and said, "Mama, don't cry." I replied, "This day has just been a waste, and last weekend was a waste because I spent all that time on this and still haven't figured it out." She responded, "It's not a waste. You learn from your mistakes, don't you?" Wise words from a kid who always makes me smile--and laugh. And as she said, "A hug always makes things better." And it did. Too bad it can't make a correct crown molding angle, too.
posted by Tif at 7:24 PM
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