I think you need one of those framing gizmos that Tom uses. He swears by it.
Looking For Some Advice
I'm making a base for a small box and I'm having problems with the miter joints. I cut them on my table saw using an Incra V27 miter set to the 22.5 deg notch. I normally don't have trouble cutting 90 deg or 45 deg miters because I have tools to help me set the angles precisely. However, I don't have anything for setting up a 22.5 deg angle. I used a stop block when making the cuts and I verified afterwards that all like pieces are the same length.
For reference purposes, the cherry frame is roughly 4.5" x 8" and the frame pieces themselves are 1" wide. The stock is 0.5" thick.
My question is how would you recommend that these cuts be made? Would you use a table saw or a miter saw?
Do you sometimes get the same imprecise results and then fine tune the angles with a plane or sanding block? Thanks in advance for your help.
For reference purposes, the cherry frame is roughly 4.5" x 8" and the frame pieces themselves are 1" wide. The stock is 0.5" thick.
My question is how would you recommend that these cuts be made? Would you use a table saw or a miter saw?
Do you sometimes get the same imprecise results and then fine tune the angles with a plane or sanding block? Thanks in advance for your help.
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Hi,
I use what used to be called a Lion miter trimmer. The picture shows how it looks, how it works is that the lever moves a set of extremely sharp cutters back and forth. You pre-cut the frame pieces to about 45 degrees and about 1/16th or so over size. The steel base has a stop for a small arm or mini fence. You slide your workpiece against the fence, then push maybe 1/32nd past the blade, then slide the blade across, trimming off a very tiny amount. This produces an exact 90 or 45 degree angle that is glass smooth. Theoretically you can cut other angles this way, but it is specific to picture frames, or making exact 90 rails and stiles. Mine is a Grizzly and has a couple of arms with a stop block to make sure lengths are exactly the same. This tool was originally made in the 1880s. My wife bought it for me to make frames for her paintings.
What you're makeing is going to require using something like a 22.5 degree router miter bit. You could also do this on a perfectly set up miter gauge, or my other alternative, which is a perfectly tuned Rockler table saw sled, which has a huge scale showing the exact angle in at least hundredths of a degree. But I had a lot of problems using thin kerf blades because the blad deflected just enough so I couldn't get a straight cut and ends wouldn't match up. Using a full kerf blade helped a lot.
Another method is to use the Wixey angle gauge to tilt a table saw blade to an exact angle, with a full kerf blade. See picture. I'd want to use a perfectly set miter gauge to hold those small parts, and a good sacrificial fence.
I would not use a miter saw or chop saw, just not accurate enough to suit me, even my Bosch saw isn't accurate enough for this precision work.
But for your project, the router bit approach would work well. Finally, even with all of that, sometimes a little cover up is required, and for that, Timber Mate filler has worked best for me. Takes stain and finish well and stays put even in the tiny amounts I actually use.
I use what used to be called a Lion miter trimmer. The picture shows how it looks, how it works is that the lever moves a set of extremely sharp cutters back and forth. You pre-cut the frame pieces to about 45 degrees and about 1/16th or so over size. The steel base has a stop for a small arm or mini fence. You slide your workpiece against the fence, then push maybe 1/32nd past the blade, then slide the blade across, trimming off a very tiny amount. This produces an exact 90 or 45 degree angle that is glass smooth. Theoretically you can cut other angles this way, but it is specific to picture frames, or making exact 90 rails and stiles. Mine is a Grizzly and has a couple of arms with a stop block to make sure lengths are exactly the same. This tool was originally made in the 1880s. My wife bought it for me to make frames for her paintings.
What you're makeing is going to require using something like a 22.5 degree router miter bit. You could also do this on a perfectly set up miter gauge, or my other alternative, which is a perfectly tuned Rockler table saw sled, which has a huge scale showing the exact angle in at least hundredths of a degree. But I had a lot of problems using thin kerf blades because the blad deflected just enough so I couldn't get a straight cut and ends wouldn't match up. Using a full kerf blade helped a lot.
Another method is to use the Wixey angle gauge to tilt a table saw blade to an exact angle, with a full kerf blade. See picture. I'd want to use a perfectly set miter gauge to hold those small parts, and a good sacrificial fence.
I would not use a miter saw or chop saw, just not accurate enough to suit me, even my Bosch saw isn't accurate enough for this precision work.
But for your project, the router bit approach would work well. Finally, even with all of that, sometimes a little cover up is required, and for that, Timber Mate filler has worked best for me. Takes stain and finish well and stays put even in the tiny amounts I actually use.
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The big deal is cutting every piece on any particular segment to exactly the same length as its opposite pair. If one is even slightly off, getting the angle perfect doesn't matter much. Stop blocks for longer pieces. For short ones, put a block on the fence to set the piece against. A sacrificial fence will help with tearout. I'd use a really good draftsmans triangle to set the miter gauge exactly 90 to the blade so you don't get an unusable compound angle. I also had to perfect the fit of the miter bar so there is zero slop in the fit as you slide it. You're already using a full kerf blade.
Let the Timber mate dry completely, then sand smooth. You can get the filler in a variety of colors to match the wood you're using. While I'm thinking on this, I have begun using the new 3M flexible sanding sheets. The stuff lasts forever, and wrap around the sanding blocks shown in the picture. These make sanding a frame much easier and faster, particularly the beaded parts.
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All the 45° mitres on my many boxes were made on the router table. 22.5° router bits are readily available. It goes without saying that the opposite pieces in your case must be identical in length.
https://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?...outer+bit.TRS0&_nkw=22.5°+router+bit&_sacat=0
https://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?...outer+bit.TRS0&_nkw=22.5°+router+bit&_sacat=0
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