Coping a joint - Trim Carpentry |
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Pictured left is what a Coped Joint looks like ... Shown is 7" Crown which is an unusually large crown but can still be coped. Coping is always a superior inside joint method for Crowns, Chair, Decca, and Base Moldings. | |
| Coping a joint is shown in a short movie on the left and the right images (double-click them) Coping makes a more professional joint by 'fitting' snugly to its' mate. Coping is the Best way to install trim joints. It takes a while to learn, but once it is mastered, a skilled Carpenter can install a Coped joint as fast as someone using lower quality shortcuts like 45 degree miters. | ||
Wait about 1 minute for download - If the Movies above do not play you may need Quicktime Download free |
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Coping a joint involves first cutting a 45'degree angle ... then cutting along the angle cut to produce a 'Profile' cut. The reason this is superior to a 45' degree cut is that where the two surface meet at the angle - There is wood behind the cut which is acheived by the profile cut. In the case of a 45'cut ... there is nothing ... so when the wood shrinks - even a little - there is nothing behind where the two surfaces meet and it looks like a large gap in the moulding at the joint. FAQ's about Coping a joint: Why do a lot of carpenters 45'degree their joints? Well, two reasons ... 1) They just don't know how to cope a joint successfully. It takes a while to learn how to cope a joint. It is not easy to learn and not everyone has the God-given ability to be able to do it. 2) They don't have a boss that requires it. At KC Wood ... We require all joints to be coped from Upper-Bracket Homes and even on entry-level. If Coping a joint is superior why don't all Trim Crews require their carpenters to cope joints? Because it seems to most companies to be a more expensive labor intensive way to do a joint... BUT THIS IS FALSE ... at KC Wood we have found that maintaining a strict discipline of "Coping all Joints" actually saves us money because our Carpenters actually can go faster coping than if they 45'degree joints. |
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