Cutting and Fitting Coving
To help avoid cutting the mitre joint the wrong way, establish which way up your coving should be fixed to the wall and then, mark the back of the coving that is to be attached to the wall at frequent intervals with "W/E" (wall edge) (see Fig 3).
You may also find it useful to mark the back face of the coving that fix to the ceiling "C/E" (ceiling edge) (see Fig 3).
This will help you know which face of the coving goes to the wall and which face goes to the ceiling. Some coving comes pre-marked from the manufacturer.
Test Cut Your Coving
Before cutting your first mitre joint, measure the walls and cut your coving over-size in length to allow for cutting the mitre joints. Remember, when cutting an external mitre joint your coving needs to be longer than the walls.
Also, you can always cut a little off but you cannot add it back so measure Twice - check - cut once! (this golden rule of mitre cutting will save both time and money.
Before proceeding to cut into any long useable lengths of coving always use your small 'off cuts' to do some practice mitre joint cutting. This will give you more confidence to cut perfect mitres on the main lengths of coving.
Instructions for Cutting Mitre Joints
To help avoid errors remember the following practice when cutting mitre joints in coving to fit around your room.
- The coving that is to go on the right-hand side of the mitre joint, when being cut is locate in the left-hand locked workpiece holder with the wall edge to the back and ceiling to the front.
- The coving that is to go on the left-hand side of the mitre joint, when being cut is locate in the right-hand locked workpiece holder with the wall edge to the back and ceiling to the front.
Directly after having located the pivoting workpiece holders with the aid of the template in the desired position, the red locking screws located in both workpiece holders MUST BE FULLY TIGHTENED. (Turn the red locking screws clockwise and fully tighten both red locking screws until such time as any further movement in both of the pivoting workpiece holders is prevented).
When correctly set and double-checked you are ready to start cutting your mitre joints by placing the coving into one of the pivoting workpiece holders ensuring that:
The edge of the coving that you have marked "w/e" (wall edge) should go to the back. To remind you, the Guide Piece/Cam Stop has the word 'CEILING' on it and obviously the edge to go to the ceiling should be towards the front.(see Fig 4)
The Guide Piece/Cam Stop with the word 'CEILING' in it is provided to help guide your coving to the required inclined angle at which is to be cut. Both pivoting workpiece holders have four pairs of holes into which the guide piece may be located at various distances from the back. This arrangement is used as follows:
You must first establish the distance by which your coving will be standing out from the wall when fixed. (see Fig 5).
Having determined exactly what measurement 'X' is, you must then locate the Guide Piece/Cam Stop (with the word 'ceiling' on it) at measurement 'X' from the back wall of the pivoting workpiece holder.
It may be necessary to use a timber packing strip (not provided) to arrive at measurement 'X' to suit the selected type and size of coving (see Fig 6).
Please Note
These TOP TIPS for cutting Mitre joints are provided as a service from MML (QS) Ltd. The information is intended to help with the cutting and fitting of mouldings around the house with the use of the "Magic Mitre" product.
MML (QS) Ltd assumes no liability for omissions, errors or the outcome of any project. The reader and user of the product must always exercise all reasonable caution and follow all applicable codes and regulations and the safety instruction.