The Dining Room has a Crown

I've been in a house rut for the last week but finally broke out of it this weekend with Josh's help. We'd attempted to install the crown molding in the dining room last weekend but were stopped dead in our tracks by our uneven walls and ceiling. We had gotten one side of the room done but couldn't proceed until we had a solution.

We had originally been using our double bevel miter saw to do standard angles, but those don't work with overly wonky walls. That meant that we had to cope the joints.

Coping the joint means that you remove the material behind the face of the molding. Here's a picture of someone doing it with a coping saw:

Anyone who knows my history with kitchen knives knows that isn't something I should try. I'm pretty sure I would have hurt myself using a coping saw. Luckily, we have a Dremel and with the quick purchase of a carbide shaping wheel attachment (~$15) we were in business. 

Once the joints were coped, life got much easier and we were able to push everything where it needed to be to look nice and straight.

Behold - pretty, caukable joints that will look great once everything is filled and painted.