Cutting Crown Molding - DeWalt DCS361 Instruction Manual

The front section of the guard is louvered for visibility while cutting. Although the louvers
dramatically reduce flying debris, they are openings in the guard and safety glasses should be
Rail Guide Adjustment (Fig. A, K)
for any play or clearance. The rails can be cleaned with a dry
clearance, use a 4 mm hex wrench and rotate the set screw clockwise gradually while sliding the
Support for Long Pieces
WARNING: To reduce the risk of serious personal injury, turn tool off and remove the
battery pack before transporting, making any adjustments or removing/installing
attachments or accessories.
Never use another person as a substitute for a table extension, as additional support for a
workpiece that is longer or wider than the basic miter saw table or to help feed, support or pull
Support long workpieces using any convenient means such as sawhorses or similar devices to
Cutting Picture Frames, Shadow Boxes and Other Four-Sided
Projects (Fig. Q, R)
To best understand how to make the items listed here, we suggest that you try a few simple
Fig. Q
at 45º each to produce a 90º corner. For this joint the miter arm was locked in the zero position
and the bevel adjustment was locked at 45º. The wood was positioned with the broad flat side
against the table and the narrow edge against the fence. The cut could also be made by mitering
Cutting Trim Molding and Other Frames (Fig. R, S)
form a 90º corner. To make this type of joint, set the bevel adjustment to zero and the miter arm
to 45º. Once again, position the wood with the broad flat side on the table and the narrow edge
As the number of sides changes, so do the miter and bevel angles. The chart below gives the
NUMBER OF SIDES
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
The chart assumes that all sides are of equal length. For a shape that is not shown in the chart,
use the following formula: 180º divided by the number of sides equals the miter (if the material is
cut vertically) or bevel angle (if the material is cut laying flat).
Cutting Compound Miters (Fig. S)
A compound miter is a cut made using a miter angle and a bevel angle at the same time. This is
Fig. R
– EXAMPLES –
MITER OR BEVEL ANGLE
45°
36°
30°
25.7°
22.5°
20°
18°
NOTE: If the cutting angle varies from cut to cut, check that the bevel clamp knob and the miter
lock knob are securely tightened. These knobs must be tightened after making any changes in
bevel or miter.
The chart (Table 1) will assist you in selecting the proper bevel and miter settings for common
compound miter cuts. To use the chart, select the desired angle "A" (Figure S, Angle A+Exteriors
Angles = 90°) of your project and locate that angle on the appropriate arc in the chart. From
that point follow the chart straight down to find the correct bevel angle and straight across to
find the correct miter angle.
Set your saw to the prescribed angles and make a few trial cuts. Practice fitting the cut pieces
together until you develop a feel for this procedure and feel comfortable with it.
Fig. S
Example: To make a 4 sided box with 65° exterior angles(Figure S), 25°(Angle A) = 90° –
65°(Exteriors angles), use the upper right arc. Find 25° on the arc scale. Follow the horizontal
intersecting line to either side to get miter angle setting on saw (23°). Likewise, follow the
vertical intersecting line to the top or bottom to get the bevel angle setting on the saw (40°).
Always try cuts on a few scrap pieces of wood to verify settings on saw.
Cutting Base Molding (Fig. K, T)
Straight 90º cuts:
1
Cutting Base Molding Up to 3.5" (89 mm) High Vertically Against
the Fence
2
Fig. T
All cuts should be made with the back of the molding against the fence and with the bottom of
Left side
Right side

Cutting Crown Molding

The two flat surfaces on a given piece of crown molding are at angles that, when added together,
equal exactly 90°. Most, but not all, crown molding has a top rear angle (the section that fits flat
against the ceiling) of 52° and a bottom rear angle (the part that fits flat against the wall) of 38°.
Your miter saw has special pre-set miter detent points at 31.6° left and right for cutting crown
molding at the proper angle. There is also a mark on the bevel scale at 33.9°.
The Bevel Setting/Type of Cut chart gives the proper settings for cutting crown molding. (The
numbers for the miter and bevel settings are very precise and are not easy to accurately set on
your saw.) Since most rooms do not have angles of precisely 90°, you will have to fine tune your
P E R E T
Exteriors
Angles
INSIDE CORNER
Miter left 45°
Save left side of cut
Miter right 45°
Save right side of cut
T S N I G I W H T S R C P A M A E T I R L A S I E T X E R M
ENGLISH
Angle A
OUTSIDE CORNER
Miter right 45°
Save left side of cut
Miter left 45°
Save right side of cut
E Y L M I P O R A T N ! T