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Builders’ Tip: A Coping Table for Crafting Molding
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Click for larger image. | As much as I appreciate the delicate craft of coping moldings by hand, a jigsaw does make the work go much more smoothly.
However, even with a jigsaw, it can be difficult to hold the foot of the saw in plane with the 45-degree bevel on the end of the work piece while following the lines of a complicated, narrow molding profile.
The coping table illustrated in the accompanying drawing solves that problem for me.
- The table is a pyramidal box with slots cut into both sides for the molding stock.
- After beveling a piece of molding on the miter saw, I slide the stock into the coping table.
The box’s dimensions allow ample hand room for holding the work steady, and my fingers remain clear of the blade. During a cut, the saw rides on the angled side of the coping table.
Because I made the table out of the sink cutout of a plastic-laminate countertop, the saw glides easily over the plastic surface.
I use a Bosch 1581 variable-speed jigsaw with a T119BO coping blade for this work, but any jigsaw with a roller guide and a fine-tooth, scroll-cutting blade should work well.
— Grafton H. Cook, Dowagiac, Mich.
Tips & Techniques provided by Fine Homebuilding.
©2008 The Taunton Press
To contact Fine Homebuilding, e-mail Christina Glennon.
 Tax Credit Web Site Looks at Opportunity of a Lifetime
Builders and other industry professionals can help spur home sales by referring prospective first-time home buyers to www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com. The NAHB Web site provides detailed information on the $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time home buyers included in the economic stimulus legislation signed into law by President Obama.
Consumers can use the Web site to find information on the tax credit – including a detailed question and answer section. It also includes information about other housing-related and small business measures in the legislation and a number of home-buying resources for consumers.
“The new tax credit provides a great opportunity for first-time home buyers,” said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson. “Combined with today’s near record low interest rates, the large selection of homes on the market and very competitive pricing, the tax credit should provide the extra incentive needed to get prospective buyers who have been sitting on the fence into the market.”
Industry professionals are encouraged to highlight the tax credit Web site when marketing to their potential first-time home buyer market.
 Set Yourself Apart With CGB Designation
Join the ranks of the nation’s top building industry professionals with the Certified Graduate Builder (CGB) designation. The “Builder Assessment Review” (BAR) is your first step towards obtaining the CGB.
This comprehensive assessment measures your expertise in the four key areas of the building industry: building technology, business and finance, project management and sales and marketing.
Your results will show the areas where your knowledge is strongest and weakest and will help determine the courses required for you to obtain your CGB.
To learn where the next BAR will be held, visit NAHB’s education listings, or call the Professional Designation Help Line at 800-368-5242 x8154.
 BuilderBooks.com Offers More Than 250 Books That Help You Build Your Business
BuilderBooks.com is your source for training and education products for the building industry. The official bookstore for NAHB, BuilderBooks.com offers award-winning publications, software, brochures and more available in both English and Spanish.
To view these publications online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.
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