When you open this tool you'll notice that there is a piece of metal that reenforces the strength of the tool where the two legs pivot. I simply cut the 1x material to a length that stops the tool exactly at 38 degrees when the tool is closed onto the wood ... and the wood is resting against that metal reinforcement. I plan to cut more of these pieces, one for each spring angle of common crown moulding manufacturers.

This was a precise procedure ... I found out shaving the width of a human hair off the length of the jig resulted in a difference of about .2 degrees. It'll take a few tries to get an exact 38 degree jig ... but it'll be worth it. I can now set the spring angle in seconds.

Hope this helps.

mmortal666@hotmail.com

A great tool and time saver! (Rating: 5.00)
Review : The Bosch DWM40L has saved me a lot of time on even the simple angles. I bought it for setting up angle cuts on my Dewalt sliding miter saw and now using it for all angle cuts. While installing an angled facia board on a roof peak, I slid the Bosch DWM40L into the slope of the roof line, divided by 2 and cut a perfect fitting joint without trial and error!!
The price is right and the tool is quality built. Just wish I had the case to protect it. Ordered that 2 months ago from Amazon and still don't have it.
I recommend making several copies of the instruction sheet and keep them near your saw(s). The setups for crown molding require a few steps and if you don't use the tool every day for compound miters on crown molding, you will become a little perplexed if you don't have the instructions.
With the extension leg, short outside corner angles are easy to locate. At first, I wasn't sure I would need the extension but now I'm glad I have it. I have even used this tool for conduit bending when working with goofy angled runs. Really does eliminate time consuming trial cuts and bends.
Buy it, you'll like it!!

Quickly becoming indespensible (Rating: 5.00)
Review : Initially when I looked at this tool, I thought that it was a bit pricey for a digital protractor. Now I find myself using this tool for framing, trim work, and saw alignment. It has been invaluable in checking miter gauges for accuracy, you could use a protractor or speed square, but this is more accurate than a speed square and much quicker than either, especially if you need to make adjustments. This tool impressed me when I was checking alignment on my sliding compound miter saw. I wanted to verify its accuracy out of the box so I dialed into 90 / 0 degrees, the BOSCH protractor read 90.3, flipped it over and measured the other side of the blade and it read 89.7. Definitley much quicker than the conventional way, and you can easily use this with the table saw. Typically over time ( about 5 months now ) this tool reads between 0.0 and 0.1 accuracy, and like most scales you can check its accuracy and know what your margin of accuracy is. The back spring angle feature is very handy for crown molding, and for checking corners the back edge is rounded so as not to foil your reading in an inside corner measurement. This tool does so much more than I have mentioned, these are just tasks that I have used repeatedly and successfully. A carrying case would be nice, as this unit is nicely machined, it has a level built in which is handy and for quick checks, it saves holding two tools. So far, I am very satisfied with this tool.

Really it's a good tool -- but consider an alternative (Rating: 1.00)
Review : I looked at this tool in a local store because I'm installing crown in an older house. It is very well made and deserves more than one star, but while I was in the store I found a simple plastic tool for measuring angles called "mite-r-gage". It gives you an accurage measurement which you then compare with a crown table that gives you the angle and bevel for flat cuts on a compound miter saw.

I just wanted people to consider this $10 alternative if the Bosch is overkill for how often you'll use it.

Carpenters, Welcome to the 21st Century! (Rating: 5.00)
Review : I purchased the Bosch DWM40L Digital Protractor/Angle Finder to install baseboard, shoemolding, and crownmolding in an older home. Naturally, there wasn't a square corner in the entire project. The Bosch tool made exact measurements for calculating miter angles for each piece of trim. You take its measurements and calculations and then transfer them to your compound miter saw. Nothing could be easier. It took hand fitting and guess work out of the job. This a fabulous invention and it's miles ahead of the older, but timeless tools such as a square, bevel, and protractor. It also doubles as a carpenter's level. This Bosch tool is also extremely well built and cosmetically pleasing--its heft feels good in your hands. My toolbox is now in the 21st Century--what would my Grandfather think? He'd probably say that I have it too easy now that I own the Bosch DWM40L Digital Protractor/Angle Finder. Sorry Grandpa.