12 votes
Accepted

Angled cuts without miter saw or miter box?

The type of mitres you're looking to do are called case mitres because in a different context they'd be used for casework, i.e. cabinetry or box making1. Other than sawing them directly (challenging ...
Graphus's user avatar
  • 63.5k
9 votes
Accepted

Cutting tight miter joints for a frame around an existing object

How can I create a tight mitered frame around a fixed size, pre-existing object? OK I'll tackle this one first as it's actually most important: in this context you don't want to. To pass on some ...
Graphus's user avatar
  • 63.5k
8 votes

Technique for mitering X or Cross onto door

Don't try to measure it. Mark it. And mind the kerf. This is the trick to most woodworking, actually. You don't measure nearly as often as you just hold one piece up to another and mark the location ...
Katie Kilian's user avatar
  • 2,762
7 votes
Accepted

Can miter lock joints be made without a routing table?

The reason the lock miter bit is restricted to the router table is mostly for safety - it is a large diameter bit, and it exerts a lot of force on whoever is holding the router, be it you or the table....
Eli Iser's user avatar
  • 3,375
7 votes
Accepted

Is a quality miter gauge precise enough for cutting picture frames?

I cut miters under the assumption that getting to 45 degrees perfectly is difficult. My solution is to use a miter sled to make the cuts. The sled is uses a 90 degree angle set as close to 45 degrees ...
Ashlar's user avatar
  • 8,129
7 votes

What are the advantages of coping a joint vs. mitering?

The obvious positive answer with mitered joints is 'speed'. You set the miter to the correct angle (generally 45 degrees for most corners, and cut. And in theory you put them both in the corner and ...
bowlturner's user avatar
  • 15.6k
6 votes
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Doweled miter joint vs doweled butt joint

As far as I know, there really isn't much difference in strength in either case. Aesthetics are the big decision. Which, leaves the simplest is to just use screws (or nails) for the butt joints. You ...
bowlturner's user avatar
  • 15.6k
5 votes
Accepted

How to make a mitre cut along the width of a board with hand tools

You can freehand the cut with a hand saw. Start at one corner, carefully lining up the saw with your 45° angle mark, then slowly work into the cut. You'll want to cut primarily along the edge of the ...
FreeMan's user avatar
  • 6,236
5 votes

getting edge of plane square to sole for shooting

Stanley/Bailey #4 w/ corrugated sole, #5 1/4, #6, Wood river low angle block plane, Stanley sweetheart dual rabbet plane, Simmons #6--longer than Stanley/Bailey #5 but smaller than #6). Which of these ...
Graphus's user avatar
  • 63.5k
4 votes

getting edge of plane square to sole for shooting

A side flat enough that it doesn't rock is all that is needed. The squareness of the edge produced is determined by the (adjustable) angle the blade edge forms with the side. The angle of the sole, ...
scanny's user avatar
  • 2,179
4 votes

Is a quality miter gauge precise enough for cutting picture frames?

I have seen many guys using a table saw jig for this. Wouldn't the above be good enough? It depends on your standards, not the quality of the mitre gauge. As the section on mitre joints in a few ...
Graphus's user avatar
  • 63.5k
4 votes
Accepted

Weight bearing for a loftbed and wood only joints

I see three inherent weaknesses, two of which critically compromise the strength of the bed. I'd suggest looking at commercially-produced solid wood bed frames for some design ideas (don't look at ...
rob's user avatar
  • 18.7k
4 votes

Strengthened leg miter joint with spline [key]

The plans call for a domino or dowel, plus a spline for added strength. Just so you know, this is probably overkill. Many such legs are reinforced by just one means, not two, and the tables survive ...
Graphus's user avatar
  • 63.5k
3 votes

How can I replicate this joint?

The indicated joint could be created using mortise and tenon, dowel pins, or biscuits. I suspect the level of strength is in that order as well. It's less likely that this joint is connected using ...
fred_dot_u's user avatar
  • 2,879
3 votes
Accepted

Securing Liner in Wooden Box

New liners I think the correct approach to this problem is to make new liners. Possibly only two of the four pieces need to be re-done to get everything tight enough*. Now hiding mistakes is a ...
Graphus's user avatar
  • 63.5k
3 votes

Copycat furniture legs

Currently stuck on how to attach the wood pieces to achieve the X look without having super visible joints and without compromising the stability/support it needs. The metal legs appear to be ...
Ashlar's user avatar
  • 8,129
3 votes

How to prevent short off-cuts from flying everywhere?

Make or buy a zero tolerance insert for your tablesaw. This will give cleaner cuts, and not give a place for the off cuts to drop into.
LeeG's user avatar
  • 8,036
3 votes
Accepted

Coping Saw Angles

With mitre cuts you're nearly always going to bisect the angles*, so with 122° corners you will be aiming to mitre at 61°. But you're going to have to do some test cuts anyway to ensure the saw is ...
Graphus's user avatar
  • 63.5k
3 votes

Is there any way to join/seal large exterior mitre joints such as on a bay window sill so that they don't open up?

Select the wood more carefully Switch to using quarter-sawn boards. Without changing the species of wood currently used selecting quarter-sawn only for these pieces would go a long way towards ...
Graphus's user avatar
  • 63.5k
3 votes

Weight bearing for a loftbed and wood only joints

Rob's concerns are important. When you calculate the load that the main beams will carry you must ignore the depth of the notches and calculate the sag/load based only on the depth of the continuous ...
Ashlar's user avatar
  • 8,129
3 votes

How do I calculate a miter angle?

Here's a solution I wrote over on the engineering site where this problem is cross-posted. For anyone who may want to actually use this formula without evaluating the trig, here is a worksheet where ...
user138719's user avatar
3 votes

How is this weight rack joined or fastened?

Looking at the full size image, the top of the frame is a simple butt joint. The left-hand upright dies into the right-hand upright which continues past it to form the point. I don't see any sign of ...
FreeMan's user avatar
  • 6,236
3 votes

Problem cutting corner joints on specific skirting boards

As alluded to in the comments, the right way to do internal corners is not to mitre, but to cut one piece square, and then scribe the profile onto the other piece, and cut it away. When shrinkage/...
Martin Bonner supports Monica's user avatar
3 votes

Beveled edges on melamine MDF

I'd use the circular saw. A track is nice to have, but not necessary. You can get a similar effect by clamping a guide to the work piece, and sliding the saw along that. The guide can be anything long ...
Mike Baranczak's user avatar
2 votes

Can miter lock joints be made without a routing table?

Unless you are using a high grade plywood, a miter lock bit is likely to produce a lot of tear-out. I've never seen one used in anything other than solid wood. And unless it's an exposed joint that ...
Drew L's user avatar
  • 21
2 votes

What knock down hardware can I use on this platform bed frame?

Your approach is decidedly non-standard, and worryingly so. I'd recommend you stick with the standard approach - bed bolts, head/foot boards and side rails. The approach you're showing is necessarily ...
WhatRoughBeast's user avatar
2 votes

How to make a mitre cut along the width of a board with hand tools

To expand slightly on FreeMan's answer: You can free chisel it - a wide chisel and a mallet with also work. Extras - Generally, sawing and a plane is the quickest for a large board, and chisel ...
ewm's user avatar
  • 2,206
2 votes

How to prevent short off-cuts from flying everywhere?

It sounds like your main problem is that you're cutting on the wrong side of a tilted blade. However, for cutting picture frame miters you should not have the blade tilted at all. In general you ...
SaSSafraS1232's user avatar
2 votes
Accepted

Fill baseboard gaps after installing wood vinyl floors

Looks like you’ve got a good back saw you just need a quality miter box so that you can cut your angles precisely, Or spring for an electric miter saw. Personally I think a smaller shoe molding will ...
Alaska Man's user avatar

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