Old foreman told me I was mitering all wrong

I always did 45s on handrails. Looked clean to me. Then a retired boilermaker watched me cut and said those miters crack every time under heat expansion. He showed me how to cope the joint instead. Six months later and zero callbacks on railings. Anyone else get a game changing tip from an old timer that went against what you learned?

2 comments

2 Comments

elliot_harris251d ago

The cope joint trick is solid for trim and railings but be careful applying it everywhere. Miters have their place, especially on crown molding where the spring angle matters. I've seen guys try to cope everything and end up with gaps on corners that aren't perfectly square. Your mileage may vary but in my experience miters still work fine on flat stock that's not going to see a lot of temperature swings. The trick is knowing when to use each one.

perez.cole1d ago

Build on what you're saying about the temp swings too, because thats really where coping shines over a miter in the long run. Ive seen mitered baseboards in a heated garage pull apart in just one winter, while the coped ones still look tight after five years. Its not just about making the cut look good in the moment, its about how the joint holds up when the wood starts moving around.