# Cutting and fitting 45 deg. miter ends



## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

I have a couple of projects in mind. My dilemma is how to make trim or wood, cut at a 45 deg. angle and have them meet precisely the right length. This would be like trimming a table top or box with another type of wood. Is there a trick to making them the same lengths and fitting without a lot of trimming. Recommended way to cut? Am I making sense?


----------



## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Knothead47 said:


> I have a couple of projects in mind. My dilemma is how to make trim or wood, cut at a 45 deg. angle and have them meet precisely the right length. This would be like trimming a table top or box with another type of wood. Is there a trick to making them the same lengths and fitting without a lot of trimming. Recommended way to cut? Am I making sense?


rough cut to size...
use a shooting board final ....
I love my miter knife...


----------



## BrianS (Nov 7, 2004)

I've only had success by the "trial and error" method. Cut one to fit, and slowly sneak up to a fit with the other piece, one shave at a time. I have seen some people use the "shooting board" method, but I've not tried it myself.


----------



## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

stick486, I'm impressed with the links. Several years ago, I helped my brother-in-law trim out a pantry that he got for his kitchen; it was to match is cabinetry. It was a bear trying to get the ends to meet precisely at the corners, both inside and outside.


----------



## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

If the angles are both 45* and the boards are exactly the same thickness, then the heels and tips will match perfectly. If you are making a frame then the opposing sides also have to be the same lengths. The theory is simple. Getting it to work is harder. 

One of the problems with using a saw is that the blade will deflect as it passes through late summer layers of wood. I've had better results when I used blade stiffeners with a good blade.


----------



## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Knothead47 said:


> stick486, I'm impressed with the links. Several years ago, I helped my brother-in-law trim out a pantry that he got for his kitchen; it was to match is cabinetry. It was a bear trying to get the ends to meet precisely at the corners, both inside and outside.


That might be because the corners were just a tad out of square,as in most house construction. A sanding block with 40 grit cloth on it is handy to make adjustments on the spot to hand fit these joints. 

On furniture it is a little different as the tolerances are tighter,and if care is taken in the build, for squareness, then less adjustment has to be made.

Herb


----------



## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Best ways to get it right the first time for me: 
Favorite would be sneaking up on the miter with a shooting board.. SB has to be set up dead on..
Easiest would be sneaking up on the miter with a 12" disc sander. Jig for sander needs to be dead on..
Nice to have both with adjustable features...
When its just a lil bit of tweakin' required, a block with 100grit works for me..
I get my best results by working my way around, one corner at a time..

then sometimes ya just say AHHHHHHHHHH CRAP!!

I'd say that even one of those 6" disc /48" belt sander combo's would work well enough with the right kind of jig. The jig needs to be
rigid enough to hold the angle and even then a lil practice goes a long way. With the inside edge of miter resting against the 
disc, apply a little pressure one way or the other to zero it in..


----------



## JIMMIEM (Apr 4, 2010)

A well adjusted miter saw should do it.


----------



## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

Herb, should have explained in more detail. The pantry was attached to the end of existing cabinetry; we were cutting crown mold. It had one inside angle from the wall cabinet to the pantry; two outside angles on the top trim as the pantry was 24 inches deep.
If the wood isn't real thick, could a router with a 45 deg. bit work?


----------



## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

cope the insides and a miter trim knife... 
there's nothing like it..


----------



## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

I might so that for a bathroom remodel. I put up corner thingies but the wall corners aren't even close to 90 degrees; in fact they are rounded off. Lousy sheetrock job! I'll probably have to do the coping, trimming and filling in any gaps. Thanks for the suggestion that can be used for the remodel!


----------



## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Knothead47 said:


> I might so that for a bathroom remodel. I put up corner thingies but the wall corners aren't even close to 90 degrees; in fact they are rounded off. Lousy sheetrock job! I'll probably have to do the coping, trimming and filling in any gaps. Thanks for the suggestion that can be used for the remodel!


That is basic carpenter work 101.

Herb


----------



## kywoodchopper (Jul 18, 2013)

I always thought you were to get the joint close then caulk. That's how it is done in the construction industry. Just joking!
I don't use caulk. I use wax.
Malcolm / Kentucky USA


----------



## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

kywoodchopper said:


> I always thought you were to get the joint close then caulk. That's how it is done in the construction industry. Just joking!
> I don't use caulk. I use wax.
> Malcolm / Kentucky USA


When I first started carpenter work there were no power screwdrivers and electric drills were single speed unsuited to drive screws . An old Swede carpenter I was helping hang a door, drove the butt screw in with a hammer. When I asked him about that, he informed me that screws were made to pound in and screw out. Ya you betcha, on to the next door.

Herb


----------



## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

A fairly wide sled with two very flat, dry pieces of hard wood, set at a 90 degree angle/each at as close to a 45 degree angle relative to the blade as possible. Double and triple check with an engner's square to make certain you have the angled wood an exact 90 -- That 90 is the important item. Slide the sled into the blade. Clamp stop blocks to the angled wood to regulate the length of each piece. Mark the four pieces you are cutting with same numbers on each end you intend to have match up so you can reassemble them easily. Pass pieces through the router either first or later. After cutting, if your 90 is right on, you will a near perfect cut. If you want perfection, put in a blade stiffener. if you need more strength, consider a spline (cut out of the same material as the frame, or use a contrasting wood. You will need a spline jig for either the table saw or router, which you will also find on YouTube. 

If it isn't perfect, you can do what the old masters did, fill it with something, or use a shooting board or sanding as stated above.

Here is the link to a sled I like. It is pretty practical. Contrary to his using a carpenter's square, I'd use an engineer's square instead to get as close to that 90 as possible. It doesn't take much error to make squaring up difficult. Can you ever get it exact? I think if you perfected the sled instead of each individual frame, you probably could. My wife does some fine art, so frame making is getting higher on my list, and the sled is the way I prefer to go.


----------



## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

DesertRatTom said:


> A fairly wide sled with two very flat, dry pieces of hard wood, set at a 90 degree angle/each at as close to a 45 degree angle relative to the blade as possible. Double and triple check with an engner's square to make certain you have the angled wood an exact 90 -- That 90 is the important item. Slide the sled into the blade. Clamp stop blocks to the angled wood to regulate the length of each piece. Mark the four pieces you are cutting with same numbers on each end you intend to have match up so you can reassemble them easily. Pass pieces through the router either first or later. After cutting, if your 90 is right on, you will a near perfect cut. If you want perfection, put in a blade stiffener. if you need more strength, consider a spline (cut out of the same material as the frame, or use a contrasting wood. You will need a spline jig for either the table saw or router, which you will also find on YouTube.
> 
> If it isn't perfect, you can do what the old masters did, fill it with something, or use a shooting board or sanding as stated above.
> 
> ...


Tom this guy does have some neat ideas and interesting techniques . Watched his router table builds but never seen this


----------



## neville9999 (Jul 22, 2010)

I like your guillotine its a very nice one and perfect for getting perfectly clean cuts, I have a post called my favorite tool, its my Stanly shooting board and plane so I will post the photo again, shooting boards are the real deal in precision cutting. N


----------



## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

drool... 


your killing me N.


----------



## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

@neville9999
could you @take some detailed pic of that from different angles and post them???....

couldn't find the thread....


----------



## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

here ya go Mr. Stick

http://www.routerforums.com/jigs-fixtures/58385-my-favorite-tool.html


----------



## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

TwoSkies57 said:


> here ya go Mr. Stick
> 
> http://www.routerforums.com/jigs-fixtures/58385-my-favorite-tool.html


thanks...

Mr. ?????

I hope to see the ends and the other side....

ps.. this is the 4th or 5th time today search has failed me...
still trying to find the thread on the Mk II I started...


----------



## MAFoElffen (Jun 8, 2012)

Old thread but-- FYI to follow-on's.

This is how I was taught:
Crown molding around cabinets... Measure the cabinets. That's the inside edge/bottoms of the crown molding. (That is the measurement/marking point for crown molding) Someone said well adjusted Miter saw (yes). Use a miter saw crown molding jig, to hold the molding at the angle it's mounted (albiet upside down). Cut the miter (for example 45 degrees)

Mounting- Cut a block for what the drop would be for the bottom of the moulding from the ceiling, if the moulding where mounted at it's mounted angle. Use that to mark where the bottom of the moulding should end up. Cut another scrap block to use as a cheaper tap block. Get your first corner, but tack it about 4-6 inches from the end. work your way to the other end. Stop 4-6" from the other end. While you are mounting, use the tapping block if you need to cheat it up to your mark. Tack from the bottom edge. Finish up by tacking the top edge. Next piece, dry fit the joint. Dress up with a sanding block as needed. Glue the miter edges. match the edge and pin together. That is the important part, getting that joint together. After tacking it up, Go back and tack closer to the end where the joint is.


----------

