BobVila.com

Molding is a detail that enhances any interior. Use a coping saw to get a professional fit in a corner. Nail on one leg of the corner, then cut a 45 degree inside miter into the other leg. Mark the contour line. With your coping saw, trim the "meat" off the back. By cheating your cut slightly toward the rear of the molding, you should get a perfect fit over the contours of the first leg.

Handsawing is not always an easy task. Make sure you've got the right tool for the job. A crosscut saw is probably the most common handsaw, used for making straight cuts across the grain. A toolbox saw achieves a similar effect, but it's much smaller and easier to handle. For detailed work or tight curves, a coping saw will give you the flexibility to make difficult cuts. A bow saw will handle your pruning chores.

Here's another great tip from BobVila.com. If your home doesn t have the style you wish it had, adding crown molding can help. It can mask any imperfections between the wall and ceiling and add formality, polish and a sense of history, literally crowning the room. Installing crown molding can be a tricky job and probably isn t for beginners. But for those with basic carpentry skills and some patience, it can be a very satisfying do-it-yourself project. Before you start, set up a short scaffolding using sawhorses and planks so you can reach the ceiling and move easily while you work. To avoid wasting expensive molding on mistakes, cut one-foot-long test pieces. Experiment with cutting them to the correct angles and use them as templates: The key is to know which edge is the outside of each cut. Keep it simple by cutting molding in position on the saw using crown stops. Most pros only use a compound miter saw on the outside corners, which are the most visible. For inside corners, use a coping saw. Use real wood molding for this job because manufactured materials will chip if you cope them. Perhaps most important, how do you know which edge is the top of the molding? Look for the ogee, the common element in most crown molding that looks like a wave. It goes closest to the ceiling. Find out more at BobVila.com: The ultimate home improvement web site! BobVila.com 2008

Bob Ryley installs a chair rail and replaces the glass in the doors of the dining room hutch. Ryley cuts the necessary pieces of railing using a coping saw to achieve an exact fit. Bob then describes the restoration and replication process of the corner cupboard. Danny Ruffini is busy glazing the cabinet doors, using a hot glue gun to secure the glass to the frame. Lastly, hinges are added and the doors are hung.

In the master bedroom, Bob Ryley is installing the medium density fiberboard baseboard trim. Where two pieces of trim meet in a corner, Ryley's approach is to cope the inside corner. He begins by using a table saw to cut out the majority of the wood. Then, using a coping saw, he follows the trim's edge profile to get a tight-fitting joint. Ryley first dry fits the coped joint to check the work and, once satisfied, secures the trim with finish nails.

In Naples, Florida, Bob helps Al Stiles build a jig valence over a kitchen window to match the decorative stiles on the kitchen hutch.