Ripped out a $500 crown molding job after the miter slipped. Hand nailing vs pneumatic?

Last Friday I was trimming out a living room in Portland. Set my miter saw at 45, checked it twice, made the cut. When I dry fit it, there was a 1/16 gap on the outside corner. Not huge, but on crown that's a fail. Client walked in while I was staring at it and asked if I could fill it. I said no, pulled the piece, cut a new one, wasted about 2 hours total. That got me thinking about how I secure the cut. I used to hand nail crown for years, slower but I could fudge the angles with a block plane. Now I run a 15 gauge nailer and it's faster, but when the miter slips, it slips fast and you feel it too late. Anyone else notice the nailer makes you lazier about checking the saw? Or do you still hand nail outside corners on site?

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1 Comment

miles_grant353d ago

You ever read that old trim carpenter's blog about how nailers mask bad cuts until the glue dries and the gap shows up later? That stuck with me, but honestly the nailer is worth it if you recheck every miter before you pull the trigger.