Gary's crown article

[charles]

I enjoyed Gary's article in the current issue of JLC. Questions for Gary or anyone else who knows:

1. Years, maybe more than a decade ago, I heard about structural crown to compensate for lack of framing ties. Ever heard that or seen it?

2. Is it safe to assume you are using 6d nails?

3. In the absence of any ceiling joists or nail blocking, should you use a different nail length, or space them differently, or cross nail, or what? Some guys install ripped, beveled strips along the top plate, but I'll bet that screws up your method.

4. Do you change your procedure for stain grade, or Windsor One, or MDF?

5. I know you would have to change your procedure for a pre-existing textured ceiling, since your crown holder would be all over the place and you can't flex the last piece of crown away from the wall without scraping the texture. So how do you handle this?

6. Are you using a 244D blade in your Bosch with the CCF, or have you found something better?

7. When nailing to the wall, why are you not holding your gun perpendicular to the wall?

Many thanks.

[newman]

1. never seen it

2. never safe to assume. 18, 16, or 15 gauge depending on size of crown

3. again, it depends on the size of crown. If stain grade, and larger than 3" I install backer blocks on walls with parallel joists. If mdf under 4-5", cross-nail and caulking/adhesive.

4. yes, see #4

5. tell the customer to have the popcorn stripped, then call me.

6. 244 blade in my milwaukee saw

7. do you mean perpendicular to the crown?

[jobercian]

1. never seen it

2. never safe to assume. 18, 16, or 15 gauge depending on size of crown

3. again, it depends on the size of crown. If stain grade, and larger than 3" I install backer blocks on walls with parallel joists. If mdf under 4-5", cross-nail and caulking/adhesive.

4. yes, see #4

5. tell the customer to have the popcorn stripped, then call me.

6. 244 blade in my milwaukee saw

7. do you mean perpendicular to the crown?

Number 5 is sage advice indeed.

I also think the 244d blade is by far the best, the first time I used that blade I became a better coper- it's what I use for most jigsaw work now.

The structural crown thing sounds wacko

Cheers

[Lettusbee67]

I've never regretted the time I've spent ripping and installing bevel strips.

Then again, I'm not the most proficient carpenter on this forum.

[Gary Katz]

1. Never heard of it.
2. I use 15ga 2 1/4" nails for crown
3. If the crown is running parallel with the joists, I cross nail, or I cross nail and use latex adhesive (power grab is great for paint grade trim), or, in commercial building with steel studs, I use backing. For built-up cornices, I use backing. Otherwise, I never do. I've had to tear out crown we've installed a few times...it's not easy to do, even when there's no backing.
4. Yes, I change my procedure. I go a lot slower.
5. Yes, I use a 244D blade with the bosch saw, and an S 75/4 FS for the Festool jig saws (it's a slightly thickner and slightly longer blade so you can lean against it a bit more, which is nice, but it won't fit in a bosch saw).
6. I often nail crown with the gun angled up. I don't know why. Just feels right.
Gary

[David S]

I angle the gun up slightly when nailing to the wall as well. Seems like less of a chance of the nail blowing out material, especially on 3 5/8 traditional where you are nailing through the small cove on the bottom.

[charles]

tell the customer to have the popcorn stripped, then call me.

Would you turn down a job if the clients wanted to keep the popcorn?

Yes, I change my procedure. I go a lot slower.

Gary, thanks for commenting. You skipped question 5 and I'd like to know why stain grade, Windsor One and MDF make you go a lot slower.

Seems like less of a chance of the nail blowing out material, especially on 3 5/8 traditional where you are nailing through the small cove on the bottom.

Yeah, that happened to me a lot when I installed PVC crown.