How Do You Miter A Chair Rail?
Chair rail is the wood trim that runs horizontally along walls at 3 or 4 feet high, often forming the top border of wainscoting. Taking the chair rail around corners is basically the same process as taking floor trim around corners. Outside corners can be done with a straight miter cut (the two pieces cut at 45-degree angles, meeting at the corner to form 90 degrees). Inside corners are seldom square, so they should be “coped,” which means only one of the boards is mitered, and then “back-cut” to fit around the other one. Measure the wall on one side and mark a piece of chair rail with the measurement, putting the mark on at the top of the piece, near the back. Set the piece on your miter saw, sitting on its bottom edge in the same position it will go on the wall, with the mark under the blade. (The mark should be on the top of the piece, toward the back, so you will be able to see it as you look down at the piece on the saw.) Swivel the blade to 45 degrees, so it points away from th
