When I had to install some crown molding I began by using a loop of string tacked to the wall near the ceiling to hold up the free end of the molding. The problem was, I kept scratching the freshly painted wall using this method. I had better success with the setup shown in the drawing below. I used a bar clamp to make a mast that extended beyond the top of a stepladder, and I clamped a handscrew to it to make a horizontal shelf to support the molding. Standing on another ladder, I could easily tilt the workpiece into position and snug its coped end against the adjoining molding while the free end of the molding rested on the handscrew shelf.
— John Ketcham, Rockford, IL
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