Really, it depends on how you like to work. Both techniques accomplish the same taskВВ-that is, marking out a piece of door trim and then cutting it to the correct length. You can mark the length of trim with the miter up (the point of the miter faces the ceiling) or the miter down (the point of the miter faces the floor). Years ago, Neal Barrett-one of the best woodworkers in the country and a PopMech contributing editor-showed us a neat trick for marking door trim. The Best Brad Nailer for Light-Duty DIY Projects 4пёЏвѓЈ Mark vertical door trim miter up or miter down. With practice, the process becomes automatic: Mark the stick, mark the trim, cut the trim, nail the trim. Transfer the marks on the stick to the trim, and then cut. Now take the stick and your piece of trim to the miter saw. It simplifies marking these complex runs of trim. Marking a single stick and recording the data on it can help save bending, kneeling, and standing. The stick is especially helpful when you need to mark out fussy short runs of trim, such as when youвЂ™re dealing with multiple wall peninsulas or trimming around built-in cabinets. (The illustration makes it clear.) You can also make a little sketch on the stick to help you match sections of wall to the pieces of trim you will cut. Make your marks on the stick, and make a little tick mark on its edge to indicate the miter direction. To use the tick stick on baseboard, butt the stick to an inside corner and mark the length of the wall from the inside corner to the outside, or hold it in place spanning two outside corners. Erase the marks when youвЂ™re done and start over. Its most important features are that itвЂ™s straight and wide enough (and thick enough) so that you can mark it accurately. 2пёЏвѓЈ Use a tick stick.ДЄ tick stick is a length of scrap wood on which you record dimensions. For short lengths of trim (under 4 feet, say), particularly baseboard, use something called a tick stick (more on that below) to transfer the length.

Whenever possible, put the trim in position and mark directly on it. There are times when you must use one, but what youвЂ™re after isnвЂ™t to cut trim to a whole number and a fraction-itвЂ™s to simply match its length to the wall, window, or door.

Using a folding rule or tape measure will almost always result in inaccuracy.

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