Carpentry and Woodworking - Crown Molding jig?

I have a 12" Hitachi CMS (C12FDH) and was wondering if there is some type of jig or something I can use or make to help me in cutting crown molding.

Specifically, I would want some kind of fence to keep the lower edge of the crown steady while cutting "in position".

I realize that Hitachi makes a stop for this purpose but I've been told it's basically useless.

I like my fingers.


Thanks for any replies,

Dan

Ive been reading up on crown molding I have a couple of rooms to do ,

I'm strickly DIY dont do it for a living .

there are alot of jigs Ive looked at

Unless your doing it for living I don't think a jig is worthwhile I plan to do rough cuts with miter saw then finish cuts with miter box .

I am thinking about the collins coping foot , but truth Is I expect I will do just fine with miter box and rasp . as a DIY time is not a critical factor

heres some links Ive bookmarked on the subject

http://www.garymkatz.com/ToolReviews/CollinsCopingFoot.htm
http://www.garymkatz.com/

http://www.compoundmiter.com/

also tauton press has a good book on trim carpentry that covers it along with a trim carpentry dvd

I dont have any difficult fancy corners to join ,

Using the stops on the saw work great. I use a Bosch, and will probably never go back to the "upside down and backwards" jig stuff.
Just set the angle at 31.5 degrees left or right (or whatever the stops are), and the bevel at 34.5, lay your product flat on the bottom plate of the saw and cut it. You will want to cope the inside corners anyway, because no room has ever been built square.

Most guys just make a pencil line across their miter table to represent where the front edge of the crown should be. If you have the pencil line, you can visually see if you have the crown too far up or too far down on the fence. I also have crown stops which work great for keeping the crown from sliding too far down the table- it is also far more accurate than the pencil line because it removes the margin for error. I always cut in position- upside down and backwards.

There's also a new product called cut-n-crown (Google for "cutncrown") that is a jig which simplifies crown cutting. Looks nice, but I prefer the old fashioned way. Its hard to teach an old dog new tricks.

My Bosch has detents for cutting crown flat on the table. I would think that a Hitachi would have then also. For cutting in position, upside down and backward, I've used the work clamp supplied with the saw if it's the right kind of even clamped a piece of wood to the fixed part of the table.

Whichever way you choose always work in the same direction. I go right to left but you can go left to right if you like. Going the same way makes it easier to maintain your orientation since in a rectangular room you just keep making the same cut on your miter saw.