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Working with a crown molding jig will help you master the ropes of beautiful design details in no time.
Of course, you’ll need a quality tool to skip the guesswork and the wrong measurements.
So, in this guide, you’ll learn how to identify the best crown molding jig and what to look for, in general, when shopping for one. Reviews of the best-rated models are also included!
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At a Glance: Our Top Picks for Crown Molding Jigs
- OUR TOP PICK: Milescraft 1405
- RUNNER-UP: Fuller Tool 320-0755
- BEST BUDGET OPTION: FastCap Crown Mold Clip
- BEST CROWN MOLDING JIG FOR MITER SAW: General Tools 881
- BEST CROWN MOLDING JIG FOR JIG SAW: EasyCoper Crown Molding Jig
Comparison of the Best Crown Molding Jigs
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What Should I Look For When Buying a Crown Molding Jig?
Given the purpose of this tool, it’s quite obvious what aspects you should take into account. For starters, think of how you’ll install it, what kind of compatibility it provides, and what cutting angles it can facilitate.
Ease Of Use
A crown molding jig should make your job easier. If its design and assembly requirements are taking you lots of time or quite a learning curve, perhaps it’s not the best choice.
Just so you know, most jigs will require some sort of assembly when taken out of the box. While you can’t skip this part, it is still worth the effort of searching for one that is less complicated to work with.
Compatibility With Saws
As mentioned, the crown molding jig doesn’t do the actual cut, but will sit on a saw to secure your workpiece in place, while you cut it.
For this reason, it matters that you pick a model you’ll be able to use with your saw. In general, crown molding jigs are built to fit a wide range of saws. But it is better to be safe than sorry. Always read the labels for compatibility details before buying.
Cutting Angles
The crown moldings you’ll find on the market are typically angled between 30 and 60 degrees, with the 45-degree ones being most common.
Between these values, some crown molding jigs can offer only a limited angle capability. Others will give you room for creativity, supporting a wider range of angles. Consider with what angles you’ll most likely work with, before purchasing one.
Review of the Best Crown Molding Jigs
To skip the tedious trial and error work, get yourself one of the best crown molding jigs on the market. Below, we’ve rounded up a few reviews of the best choices on different categories, including the popular manufacturers. Read through it carefully, and you’ll easily notice what makes a top choice!
Best Overall:
Milescraft 1405
PROS
CONS
Our Review
The best overall crown molding jig comes from Milescraft. The 1405 Crown45 model provides great value for the money, facilitates accurate cuts, and it is quite easy to use. As it weighs 1.45 lbs and measures 14 x 6 x 2.5 inches, you’ll find it nicely sized. And given its aluminum construction, you can expect it to last, assuming you take good care of it.
In the package, apart from the crown jig and the product manual, a spring angle setting triangle is included. The tool can easily cut at any of the most common molding spring angles, from 38- to 52-degrees. And it can support crown molding from 2 to 5-1/2-inches. One look at it will show you why it’s a winner!
What Makes This Product Stand Out?
With a simple design and built to accommodate operation on any miter saw easily, this tool is a must-have. The right-side-up operation spares you from doing guesswork or trying to picture your moldings backward. And with its help, you’ll cut straight, at a perfect angle, every time. Once you learn how to use it, you just can’t go wrong with it.
Runner-up:
Fuller Tool 320-0755
PROS
CONS
Our Review
The runner up crown molding jig from Fuller Tool is smaller and nearly half lighter than the best overall. It measures 3.14 x 6.57 x 13.77 inches at 0.8 lbs, and it will pair nicely with many saws. Not just miter saws, traditionally known as the best choice, but also with radial or table saws, which makes it even more versatile.
Ready to serve you in any home carpentry project, it facilitates 45-degree cuts, always snug-fitting, without you having to worry about tilting the blade in any way. If you’re willing to buy the ogee cut adaptor for determining whether to place molding at 52- or 38-degrees, you’ll be getting a perfect aid for all your future crown molding jobs.
What Makes This Product Stand Out?
This no-fuss crown molding jig comes from a manufacturer with over 75 years of tradition on the market. It makes a dependable choice for both professionals and amateurs. And it is backed up by a nice warranty.
Best for the Money:
FastCap Crown Mold Clip
PROS
CONS
Our Review
Just like the name suggests, this is a set of clips that takes the hassle out of supporting the crown molding while installing it. A pack with four pieces will cost you a third of a crown molding jig’s price. And the accessories will last you for long, becoming indispensable as soon as you use it for the first time.
What it does is to support the crown molding while you install it. How it does it is super simple, as it only takes inserting a screw into the wall and hanging the clip to it. When you’re done, pinching its handle is more than enough to take it off.
What Makes This Product Stand Out?
This ingenious tool will literally allow you to do the work by yourself, regardless of how long your crown molding pieces are. If you already know how to cut those crowns, then you can certainly install it without any extra help. They are simple to use, quite sturdy, and a must-have for any crown molding project.
Best Crown Molding Jig for Miter Saw:
General Tools 881
PROS
CONS
Our Review
This set of crown molding jig and angle calculator from General Tools is an irresistible choice for a miter saw. In as little as 4 easy steps, it helps you craft professional-grade joints. Made of plastic, it weighs less than 1 lbs and measures 3.25 x 3 x 12 inches. And it doesn’t require assembly, either.
Of course, you still need to measure the angles and set your tools to cut specifically at the desired angle, whether it’s 38-, 45-, or 52-degree. But thanks to the angle calculator, the entire process is as simple as you hoped it would be. If you operate on a miter saw, you’ll want to give this jig a chance!
What Makes This Product Stand Out?
One of the biggest pains of using a crown molding jig is that most models require a relatively complicated assembly. But that’s not the case with this model from General Tools, which is ready to use out of the box and doesn’t require upside-down cutting!
Best Crown Molding Jig for Jig Saw:
EasyCoper Crown Molding Jig
PROS
CONS
Our Review
If a jig saw is your best friend and you’re not generally a fan of miter saws, consider this Rockler tool. It weighs 1.5 lbs at 21 x 8 x 4.5 inches, it is designed for either hand operation, and it will simply allow you to skip the cutting and fitting trial and error.
By design, it can work with moldings as wide as 5-1/2 inches. It lets you perfectly set coped intersections. And if you’re having questions or you feel like you need extra guidance, not only you’ll be getting excellent customer support, but there are also some videos on the manufacturer’s website that will come in more than handy.
What Makes This Product Stand Out?
If you’re tired of buying cheap overseas products that don’t last, a USA-made crown molding jig specifically designed for jig saw operation would be very tempting. What’s more, this product was conceived by a professional carpenter who knows the job's ins-and-outs, hence its flawless design that will make things tremendously easier for any beginner.
Best Kreg Crown Molding Kit:
Kreg KMA2800
PROS
CONS
Our Review
Kreg is a manufacturer that needs no introduction, and a selection of the best crown molding jigs can’t rule it out. With the KMA2800 you’re not getting just another jig, but a crown molding cutting kit with a handy protractor to make your job even easier.
The design is straightforward, the instructions are clear, and the product is easy to set up for any job. The widest crown molding it can tackle would have up to 5-1/2 inches. And the angles it facilitates are anything from 30 to 60 degrees.
What Makes This Product Stand Out?
This crown molding kit from Kreg features an outstanding design, carefully thought up to the smallest details. Its base can be locked in any required spring angle in a snap. And the 8 non-slip feet made of rubber will allow you to place it firmly on your benchwork, always ensuring accurate cuts.
Best Bench Dog Crown Molding Kit:
Bench Dog 10-027
PROS
CONS
Our Review
Bench Dog makes the promise of the safest and easiest way to cut crown molds with its 10-027 kit. Sized at 15.5 x 6.1 x 4 inches and with 1.25 lbs, it will nicely pair with any 10-inch miter saw, and with any model above this one. What’s more, it comes with an attractive limited lifetime warranty.
Made of down, the product has a catchy design, and the fence riser will easily allow to fit crowns of up to 6 inches wide. Furthermore, the integral setup lets you make all the right settings and avoid wrong cuts with ease.
What Makes This Product Stand Out?
Expect from this crown molding cutting jig to deliver precisely as advertised. Ease of use, along with accuracy and the value for the money are its greatest strengths. You unbox it, and you can take it anywhere with you, there’s no need to attach it to the miter saw. And the operation instructions will help you skip the guesswork or having to watch any demonstrative videos.
In summary, here are the best crown molding jigs:
- Best Overall: Milescraft 1405
- Runner-up: Fuller Tool 320-0755
- Best for the Money: FastCap Crown Mold Clip
What is a Crown Molding Jig and What is it Used For?
A crown molding jig is a tool designed to help you cut crown molding with accuracy, at the perfect angle. You’ll still need a miter saw to do the work. But the crown molding jig will help you line up the material for perfect cuts. And ensure that the crown molding won’t slip during the cutting process.
One can think of it as an adapter that allows you to position the crown molding at the right angle and be able to cut it without having to incline it in any way. It gives stability to the workpiece and allows you to cut without mistake, every single time.
How to Use a Crown Molding Jig
All those angles and miter cuts can make crown molding somewhat confusing. But if you get yourself a quality crown molding jig and use it properly, things won’t be as complicated. Here’s how to use such a tool:
1. Prepare Your Saw
The miter saw will do all the hard work, while the crown molding jig simply keeps the workpiece in the right position and angle, making sure it won’t slip. Before anything else, you need your miter saw set in place, adjusted, and ready for cuts. Keep your safety glasses in the nearby, too.
2. Adjust The Jig
Assuming it’s not just taken out of the box, your crown molding jig will probably be already assembled. If not, follow the manufacturer’s indications to get it ready for work.
Then, find out at what angle you need to cut the crown molding, using a dedicated angle-finder tool. Adjust the jig to match the crown molding spring angle, precisely. And place your jig on the miter saw.
3. Set The Workpiece
With the miter saw ready for action and the jig placed securely on it, put your crown molding into the dedicated area of the crown molding jig. Make sure that you have your jig on the left side of the saw if you want to cut left-hand pieces, and the other way around for right-hand pieces.
4. Start Cutting
Finally, put on your safety glasses, keep your hand on the crown molding, away from the saw, and proceed to cut the workpiece as needed.
Crown Molding Installation Tips, Tricks, and Hacks for Success
It takes knowing a few tricks to enjoy a truly seamless experience of working with a crown molding jig. Take notes and make sure you’ll put the following tips into practice:
Use Long Pieces
Long crown moldings are a bit more challenging to cut, as you’ll have to balance your workpiece while it sits on the jig.
However, if you work with smaller pieces, you’ll need to scarf it afterward, to conceal the places where you’re joining two of them. Do your best to work with long enough pieces to span an entire wall at once!
Rely On Masking Tape
With your crown molds properly cut, you’ll still need to chalk lines that will serve as indicators for positioning the studs and ceiling joists, as well as the rail trim, for when you start driving nails.
With an easy-release tape, you can draw your lines, install the crown molding, paint it, and remove what’s left visible from the tape when you’re done.
Choose Pieces Wisely
Depending on your room’s configuration, some walls may be longer than others. Considering this detail, it is best if you always begin by installing the molding on the longest wall, with the longer crown molding you have at hand.
Using a full-length piece with square cuts at both ends will spare you from unnecessary coping. Also, while moving on, install the pieces in one direction.
Conclusion
By now, it should be more than obvious to you that a crown molding jig acts as your third hand. Always ready to keep your crown molding in the perfect angle on the miter saw, you’ll want that third hand to be firm and reliable. Consider the products we’ve reviewed above or others similar to these, and you’ll be more than happy with your choice!
People Also Ask
Completely new to this crown molding thing? The following questions and their answers will shed all the light you need before taking out your credit card and ordering one of the best crown molding jigs you can find. Here’s what else should be clear to you, other than everything we’ve talked about:
What is Crown Molding?
A crown molding is a special type of molding that serves as decorative finishing anywhere a wall meets a ceiling. Also, notably, this molding is used only at a room’s top, not the bottom, hence the “crown” term – it sits up, and it acts as an embellishment for a room.
What Angle to Cut Crown Molding?
You normally cut a crown molding to combine it with a second piece, at an angle. Most corners are set to the standard 90-degree, which means each of the two molding pieces that will be joined must be cut at 45 degrees. The rule is that you must measure the angle of the corner where you’ll install the crown mold, and divide that value by two.
How to Measure for Crown Molding?
In terms of measurements, there are several details to consider, all of which indicate how the piece of crown sits when already installed on the wall. The height will give you the distance from the ceiling to the crown end’s bottom. The projection indicates the distance from the wall to the crown end’s edge.
There’s also a face measurement, indicating the distance between the top and the bottom of the crown molding – as in a straight line that joins the two opposite points. And there’s the length measurement, which shows the length of the crown molding stick, entirely.
What Kind of Saw Do I Need to Cut Crown Molding?
Crown molding implies working with corners, and because perfect molding angles are required, a power miter saw is your best choice. A miter saw allows you to cut fast and easy on any required angle, to the right or to the left, just as you need it.
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