I have the same problem.
I usually make a small diagonal pencil mark showing the proper angle.
Be sure to do it on the top surface that the mitre blade will cut in to.
This helps reduce the confusion.
Nothing worse than botching a cut on an expensive piece of moulding.
(It's also useful when cutting intricate moulding to do some tests cuts on
small pieces.)
And, on the theory that you can always cut more but not add any more, I
always cut a wee bit long and then make a second cut if necessary.
ds


"Colbyt" wrote in message
...

"Phil" wrote in message
...
I'm putting 1/4 round molding up (down?) in between my baseboard and
floor, and I always
seem to wind up cutting the miters incorrectly the first time. In other
words, if I'm
making a cut at the left hand end for an inside corner, I'll invariably
wind up cutting it
the wrong way and have to redo it. Same thing for the other end of the
piece, and same
thing for inside or outside corners.

Maybe I'm just thick-headed, but it seems there's got to be a trick / tip
for remembering
whether the saw should be angled to the left or the right ... is there?

And I feel like I'm constantly shifting the saw from 45 degrees left to
45
degrees right.
Isn't there a method to let me keep it set one way or the other and just
put the piece in
differently?

Thanks ... Phil

One frustrated amateur to the other.

With some trim ( but not with q-round) you can use a piece of the trim to
create a shim allowing you to cut them upside down and backwards to avoid
the left/right switching. Most times I find it easier to just move the
saw.
I do try to do cut several rights or lefts and then do the reverse cut
when
doing more than a very small job. You can actually measure and write down
an entire room before you start to cut. Just record your measure on paper
with a \ or / to indicate the direction of the cut.

One thing that helps me a lot is to draw the line I want to cut on the
stock
before I place it in the saw. Just a rough slash to the left or right
when
looking down on the top of the piece of wood I plan to cut.

I also always measure the piece from the long point of the cut to the long
point. I usually add about 1/8" to the measurement. Sometimes I have to
cut off a saw blade width but most times I don't. I also keep a quantity
of
high quality latex caulk on hand (BG).

Colbyt