How my sander helps me cope

When installing crown molding, you miter some outside corners, but more frequently you're working on inside corners, which are coped.

Coping is the preferred method because it allows the wood to move without letting the joint open up and show itself.

With crown molding, it takes a bit of practice. In essence, you are back-cutting the crown so that you reveal the its profile. Then, it can marry its perpendicular mate.

I'll admit, sometimes my cope cuts aren't as perfect as I'd like them to be. When my cut goes wide, and I've left too much material on my crown, I'll grab my random orbital sander.

It's easier than picking up my coping saw, and safer than hacking away at it with a utility knife (which I've seen loads of guys do).

Using a 120-grit pad, I'll back-sand my cope, working down the end grain.

You can literally shave down the crown—but don't get overzealous.

This is an adjustment to the crown in a way a key cutter will polish the key after the cut.

With a little practice, you can have razor-sharp, super-tight cope joints.

More:

Our gallery of coping saws shows you how find a tense blade.

TOH TV's Tom Silva shows how to cope a joint.

And more sanding week:

Bosch's smart new sander has a fine filter and a clear canister.

How the Sand Devil makes a better block out of old sanding belts.

Why Craftsman's new VibraFree sander won't give you the jitters.

Our gallery of random-orbit sanders.

Black & Decker's new Mouse: The sensitive sander that shares its feelings.

The Festool LS130 Linear Profile sander hugs the curves.

Grip it and rip it: A quick-change paper tip for a palm sander.

The oldest, dirtiest DeWalt sander we ever did see.

And two sanders that get so badly abused, it's a wonder they still work.