Quick Tip: Creating Template for Cutting Millwork

Cutting and piecing together millwork can get confusing. You find yourself scratching your head, because installing crown molding and baseboard often feels like putting together a puzzle.

Solve this problem by cutting short (six to eight inches) pieces of millwork that represent all of the different configurations needed for your project. Use scrap pieces. Clearly write "TEMPLATE" on each piece, and the type of template it is. For example, two pieces of crown molding that meet at an inside corner might be labeled as such:

• "TEMPLATE: inside corner, left side."
• "TEMPLATE: inside corner, right side."

Do not lose these templates! Cutting very short pieces ensures that you will not mistakenly use them for your project.