How to Cut Crown Molding Laying Flat – With Easy Reference Templates
This tutorial explains how to cut crown molding flat, on any miter saw (provided your molding isn’t wider than your saw’s cutting area). It’s easy to get confused about which side of what corner you’re cutting by the time you take your length measurement and get to the saw. Creating a set of templates will give you a visual guide that you can use in the room to mock up the corner you’re working on – and take with you to the saw.

With this method, two things will remain constant:
– The crown molding always lays flat on the saw.
– The saw is set with a constant left bevel.
What will change:
– The edge of the molding that is against the saw fence.
– The miter angle will flip between left and right
Saw’s Miter and Bevel Settings
This tutorial assumes that the angle between the wall and ceiling is 90• and the crown spring angle is either 38 or 45. If you are working with a funky spring angle or vaulted ceiling – this tutorial will not be helpful.
Spring Angle
First off, it is important to understand that crown molding is manufactured with varying spring angles. Knowing the spring angle of the molding you are using is important because it determines the settings for your miter saw.
*Crown spring angle = the angle between the back of the crown and the wall when the bottom of the crown molding is seated against the wall.
**The decorative edge of the molding is the bottom.

The most common spring angle is 38• so that is what I am demonstrating in this post. If you need to create templates for 45• spring angle use the substitutions below.
45• Spring Angle Substitutions
For crown molding with 45 degree spring angles, substitute these angles on your miter saw.
- set bevel (left tilt) at 30
- mitered (left and right) angles will be set at 35.3
Constants
These two things will be true for every cut:
- The left bevel will remain set to 33.9• for every cut. (Your saw might say 33.8 – and that’ll do just fine.)
- The backside of the crown molding will always lay flat on the saw surface.

Variables
These two things will change depending on the cut you are making.
- The miter will flip between left and right – but always at 31.6•.
- The edge of the molding that rests against the fence will flip between top and bottom. (Remember the decorative edge is the bottom.)

Inside Corners – Outside Corners
The reason crown molding gets so confusing is because you are accounting for the angle between the wall and ceiling and the angle between the wall and wall for every cut.

Make your Crown Molding Templates
Cut each template about 8″ long.
Remember that you will only flip your saw between right and left miter – AND flip your crown so the edge that rests against the saw fence changes.
Cut each template according to the instructions I’ve included below each picture and then write the instructions directly onto each template. In SHARPIE!
Outside Right

Outside Left

Inside Right

Inside Left

Now you should have four of your very own crown molding templates that are going to make your job so much easier!
I’ve been doing this for a good long while and I still need templates. My brain is very visual. It doesn’t translate, “left outside corner” into any kind of usable information. I HAVE to look at my visual guide – EVERY SINGLE TIME. They’re still handy after all these years!
Also, if you corners are out of square, you’ll either have to make micro adjustments to your saw settings to get a perfect corner joint– OR, you can use my little trick to fix gaps that you might end up having.

I’m so glad this method helped you conquer that frustrating project. Every time I install crown, I have to follow my own instructions because it’s not intuitive and I can’t remember how to keep everything straight in my mind – no matter how many times I’ve installed crown. I’m a visual person and I have to hold up the templates and make my brain understand what I’m doing. With each cut.
Crown is just that kind of project for me. I like to remind people as often as possible that even I, after renovating for over 25 years, am still confounded when converting “upside down and backwards” on the ceiling to …”What the heck am I supposed to do at the miter saw?”.
So anyway…kindred minds. Just wanted to give you reassurance that we aren’t idiots, we just have to find the method that works for our creative brains.
OMG, forget kissing the templates, I could kiss you! I have watched video after video, and no one was doing cuts like you, and they did not fit! Finally, I found you, and guess what, the cuts were easier (laying the boards flat) and they fit!!! I’ve only put up 2 boards so far, but I am now so excited to put crown molding in my entire house! This has by far been the hardest DIY for me, but you have made it doable! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Forever grateful, Dixie
I wish I could reach through the phone and hug you! I’ve spent the last two days crying out of frustration and feeling like an idiot, not to mention wasting money and time buying more crown molding because I just could not get it to make sense. I made your templates and just got it right on the first try! THANK YOU!!!!
Sorry this didn’t make sense to you. Unfortunately I cannot create a video tutorial at this time. Sometime when I’m doing crown moulding again, I’ll try to do a video.
Thanks so much, it made easier for me to complete my project!