Miter cuts

[Karl Card]

Okay I realize that this is an age old problem. My problem is not a flat miter cut, for picture frames, trim, but with taller boards for, say, box building. I have a jig that does make perfect miter cuts for picture frames but I am making boxes and really like the miter corners when done right or correct. Is there a jig that can be made for making taller miter cuts? To me the miter saw sux, even when setup properly the blade seems to flex. The problems I have with a table saw is the first cut is perfect but when I do the other end of the piece of wood the "wedge" from the first cut goes under the fence. I have thought about making a fence "cover" that would go further down the side of the fence. I am thinking of a "block" or a "setup block" to put on your table saw that has already been cut at the perfect angle the put the board being cut on the block and slide thru the saw. Then there would be no tilting of the blade, just make sure it is a perfect 90 degrees to the table saw top. This is just a thought process and looking for thoughts.

[Matt Day]

Hmmm.... So you basically want some kind of jig that puts the board on a 45* angle? I suppose you could do that, just make sure the board is clamped well so it can't dip into the blade. Large pieces would be very awkward.

Personaly I think tilting the blade until it's at a perfect 45* is the way to go. Do some test pieces, lay them on a flat surface, and if the 45*'s line up perfect and the boards are flat you're good to go. KISS.

[Larry Fox]

For me, my miters for boxes and such took a giant leap forward when I introduced a donkey's ear shooting board and a LN #9. The #9 is NOT a cheap option but an extremely well-built and effective purpose built plane.

For me, the TS is for rough work only when it comes to tight miters on smallish stock like you would have for a box. Others have likely had better luck but to me accuracy and repeatability on things like that had been tough to achieve. The shooting board and plane excel for this application and you can likely get all 8 45's shot and ready to go faster than you can setup the TS for these cuts.

[Michael Peet]

I agree with Larry; I get better results with a plane and shooting board.

Mike

[Russell Sansom]

I think it can be a mild bummer when a power tool question gets a hand tool answer, but I have to agree with Larry and Michael on this one. I find I need a shooting board to trim all my miters. One thing, though:
you really don't need an LN #9 to shoot anything! It's a convenience and it works beautifully, but almost any plane from a #5 up to an #8 will work just as well if it can be set for a fine shaving. As a general shooting tool, the side should be square to the sole, but for shooting miters, even that isn't essential since you're shimming the work piece anyway and planing for final results, not for absolute square.

[Larry Fox]

I think it can be a mild bummer when a power tool question gets a hand tool answer,
I didn't interpret his question as a power tool one. I interpreted his question to be about making good miter joints for boxes and such and it just so happened that all his approaches up to this point have involved power tools.



One thing, though:
you really don't need an LN #9 to shoot anything! It's a convenience and it works beautifully, but almost any plane from a #5 up to an #8 will work just as well if it can be set for a fine shaving.

Completely agree with this statement. I only mention the #9 as that is what I use and have gotten good results from. For a long time I used a Low Angle Jack with good results although it was a bit light. A #8 makes a fantastic shooting plane as it's mass makes the task really easy - especially with thicker stock. So long as your shooting board is setup well and your plane's blade is ground square and sharp and you set for a fine shaving you are in business.

[Karl Card]

okay... this sounds really positive. Being I have never used a plane, seen plenty of them but never used one, what is a shooting board? I will also google that. Not a problem being a manual piece of work, I just want it correct.

[Richard Wolf]

If your first cut is sliding under the fence, turn it over and move the fence to the other side of the blade. You also sound like you are trying to cross cut with the rip fence, which is not always the safest solution.

[Aaron Berk]

How about a 45 degree router bit and straight edge guide?

I'd think you could get that set up as perfect as perfect can get.

[david brum]

Of course, you could always just make a 45 degree sled for your table saw. Then you've got a fence which allows you to attach stop blocks for repeatable, exact length cuts. You've also got a built-in zero clearance base so you don't get splintering. You could knock one together from scraps in an hour or so.

[Ken Masco]

I've been using the Dubby for 15 years. I love it. When I got my new left tilt cabinet saw I ordered a new dubby to fit. There have been several upgrades since my origional purchase that made it even better. Check out the Dubby.

[John TenEyck]

I've no doubt a shooting board and plane are best for fine tuning, but I've had no problems using a cross cut sled on my table saw and the blade tilted to 45 deg. Stop blocks on the sled give you parts of consistent length. The only important thing is to make sure your boards really have parallel edges (same width at both ends) because you cut the miters from the same side of the blade.