This cut is the exclusive oeuvre of the Fein Multimaster (and its imitators). No other tool can cut just the baseboard and leave everything else undisturbed. A japanese saw can work if you are willing to either cut the drywall behind (pipes? wires?) or be content to snap off the remaining uncut wood at the inside floor/wall corner that the blade just can't get to. You need a japanese saw with teeth all the way to the end of the blade. A very sharp chisel can beaver its way through, but the repeated mallet blows will probably crack the drywall. Casey

Maybe I should re-think the molding in the shower. I have seen it done before, someone here posted photos of a beautiful Mrs. Limestone inspired bathroom. I'll attach the link to that thread below. lnmc - Thank you for posting the photo. That's a teaser photo to what looks like a gorgeous bathroom! I like the transition from your molding to tile. I wonder how it would look with crown molding. Does anyone have photos of a crown molding "return" next to a tiled shower wall? Also, I'm having a tile molding installed at the top of the tile that will be halfway around the room. The tile installer suggested he install it up the side of the shower wall (just like in the link below). If we do a ceiling crown molding return, how should that abut the tile molding that runs up the wall? Here is a link that might be useful: Crown and Tile Molding

First, buy one of the books available at home improvement stores that covers crown molding installation. That book will answer most of your questions. Second, there is a big difference between installing stained and painted molding. Mistakes can be covered when painted. Not so with stained. third, coping is done to eliminate the necessity to fill an open or ill fitting joint. Coping also minimized the gaps from seasonal wood movement due to humidity and moisture. That means if you have a gap in a coped joint, it is done improperly. The joint you described about joining two pieces in a run is called a 'scarf' joint. To hide that joint, there are a few tricks. First, there are definitions. Open and Closed sections of the scarf. Open is when you can see the material of the crown and the angle. Closed is where only the profile of the crown is visible. To help hide the scarf, always create the joint so the closed end is overlapping the open end as the eye sees the joint. That allows the eye to look past the line of the joint instead of looking into the joint. Now, the problem with your miter saw and the scarf joints. To minimize that problem, simply plan the cuts. Set the saw for a cut. To make the matching miter, simply set the stock on the side opposite the first cut---do not change the saw. You can make those cuts with the stock flat on the table(tilting the saw to 45 degrees) or standing up(if the saw is a 12" blade model with the saw swiveled to 45 degrees).

I don't think the cabinet maker is at "fault" at all. Everyone is paying for the sins of the original architect here. There a a lot of intersecting planes in that space that don't bring much to the party. Sure , with a lot of forethought he could have had that crown under the soffit there, but, some other part of the design would have been compromised. Who's to say we wouldn't then be discussing if this or that cabinet looks too skinny or Does it look odd for the wall cabinets over the desk to extend underneath the soffit of the adjacent area ? I agree with several here, just leave it alone, it's not really that noticeable. Especially given all the other wall and ceiling intersections going on right there. It'll blend right in after the cabinets are complete and the walls painted.