Cornice fitting

[davecooper]

I am fitting a cornice around the tops and bottoms of my kitchen cabinets. Do I fabricate the whole assembly before fitting, ie glue all the mitres first, or is it better to fit each length in turn, glueing it to the last. There are four mitres on each. I am concerned that if I use a proper mitre glue, which I want to do, and I fit it piece by piece, it will be difficult to align the joints before the glue sets

 

[Scrit]

The only time I'd make up then screw-on is when the lengths are fairly small and manageable (or fiddly), such as the two mitres at the front of a breakfront dresser or the top three sides of a full-height cabinet (fridge, oven, etc) in the middle/end of a run where it's going to be awkward to get a good fit standing on the ladder. For the rest I glue in situ. I'd love to see someone put in a full size U-shaped kitchen cornice in one piece, I really would.....

Scrit

 

[big-all]

the trouble with trying to assemble say three bits together you can support 2 parts but the third can put tremendous leverage on the joint

if your not sure start with the most prominent join and work your way round

 

[pjholybloke]

I guess it's down to personal preference. I prefer to pre-assemble whenever possible, as I find it easier to close the joint and get a good match on the profiles. With another pair of hands it's surprising how much you can put together and lift into place.

If I do have to glue a joint in situ, I make sure it's an internal mitre as they are a lot more forgiving to any discrepancy.

 

[largerjt]

I have to do this to the kitchen i've been fitting, What sort of saw would you recommend i use? I have an electric mitre saw but i've sure it will chip the laminate. do i need a specific blade?
any help would be great.
Rob

 

[big-all]

if its a reasonable blade [not a rip blade]
cut with the front facing and all the breakout/chipping will be on the back

 

[Brad Naylor]

I like to cut and glue up manageable sections using mitre-fix or similar on the bench or floor. Ideally the final assembly up a ladder will then only consist of a few joints - preferably internal ones.