I've been working on a shiplap project for over a year now, but finding a handyman has been tough due to how busy it is around here. I have just a circular saw, which means I can only handle 45-degree cuts, and whenever I try to work with baseboards, it doesn't turn out well. Instead of struggling with mitering corners, I was thinking about butting up the straight edges together in the corners. Is there a major reason I shouldn't go this route?
4 Answers
You might want to figure out your angle for those outside corners and consider building a cutting jig to help with consistent cuts. A jig can really make a difference for repeatability and accuracy when you’re using a circular saw!
Sure, you could butt inside corners together if it's flat stock. But honestly, for outside corners, that's not the best idea—it usually looks pretty bad. If you’re set on using your circular saw, grab a finer tooth blade, cut from the back of the baseboard, and use a square as a guide to make those mitered cuts. It’ll help you get a cleaner edge!
Why not throw in a piece of trim at the corners? Even simple quarter-round will tidy up any rough edges and give your project a polished finish, hiding those uneven cuts without stressing over miters.
I’ve actually done this, and you can get it to work for inside corners by considering that little groove cut into the boards, which can cause small gaps at the 90-degree meeting point. If you trim the main board down by the thickness of the adjoining piece while keeping the groove, you’ll end up with a better fit. But honestly, you might be better off mitering since it looks cleaner overall. For outside corners, you'll expose some end grain if you overlap, which isn’t ideal at all. Just remember, miter cuts don’t need to be perfect; as long as the tips meet, you’ll be fine!