Cutting Outside Miters

Miter the first piece of moulding.

Start with two pieces of moulding, each a few inches longer than the section of wall they will cover. Set the saw blade 45 degrees to the right. Put the moulding that goes on the left-hand side of the corner against the fence to the left of the blade. Cut the moulding, leaving it long.

Miter the second piece.

Turn the saw blade 45 degrees left. Put the second moulding to the right of the blade, and cut a miter in it that leaves the board longer than finished length.

Lay out the length.

The point of an outside miter sticks out beyond the corner by the thickness of a moulding. To get the right length moulding, measure the wall, add the thickness of the moulding, and make a mark that distance from the point of the miter. It's sometimes easier if you do it in steps, as was done in the photo. The moulding shown here runs along a short wall of an alcove, which measures 10 3/8 inches. The moulding is 1/2 inch thick. If you look closely, there's a light mark on the moulding at 10 3/8 inches. The moulding is 1/2 inch thick. If you look closely, there's a light mark on the moulding at 10 3/8 inches; the second mark, which shows where to make the cut, was made by measuring over the thickness of the moulding.

Cut the moulding to length.

Set the blade for a square cut (0 degrees), and lay the moulding on its back on the saw table. Cut the moulding at the line.