# Circular Saw miter jig?



## no1hustler

I need to make some perfect 45 degree cuts for a frame using my circular saw. I can make 45 degree cuts but they are never perfect. Does anyone have a plan or picture of a jig that I could make?


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## firemedic

no1hustler said:


> I need to make some perfect 45 degree cuts for a frame using my circular saw. I can make 45 degree cuts but they are never perfect. Does anyone have a plan or picture of a jig that I could make?


Framing sqaure... Used like you would for sqaure cuts just use the bevel side...


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## mdntrdr

firemedic said:


> Framing sqaure... Used like you would for sqaure cuts just use the bevel side...


 
I'm guessin' you meant speed square. :smile:


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## no1hustler

firemedic said:


> Framing sqaure... Used like you would for sqaure cuts just use the bevel side...


I am hoping for something that makes it easier to line up where the cut is supposed to be.


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## SteveEl

This might work

http://www.greenthumbgoodies.com/Cutting%20Box/cutting_box.htm

If your initial kerf is slightly off of 45 it should still be possible to cut a decent joint.

Just cut one piece with the stock on side of the kerf, and the matching piece on the other side of the kerf. Any error should cancel out.

I would clamp the stock to prevent wriggling off the mark


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## no1hustler

I decided to sketch up what I had in my head. Do you think this should work okay?


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## tcleve4911

from amazon


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## jschaben

no1hustler said:


> I decided to sketch up what I had in my head. Do you think this should work okay?


 
:thumbsup: I like this. Gives you a zero clearance edge also.:yes:


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## firemedic

mdntrdr said:


> I'm guessin' you meant speed square. :smile:


Yep... Ya got me!


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## no1hustler

Alright, here it is. My first homemade jig.


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## firemedic

no1hustler said:


> Alright, here it is. My first homemade jig.


Looks great! First jig, huh?... It's all down hill now!!! Lol, your going to find yourself building jigs used to make a jig that your going to make a jig with  lol...

Good work

~tom


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## mdntrdr

no1hustler said:


> Alright, here it is. My first homemade jig.


 
Nice design! :thumbsup:

I would be leary of the plastic shattering from blade contact.

Plywood would be a safer base option, in my opinion. :smile:


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## no1hustler

Well I'm frustrated. I still can't make 45 degree cuts. First problem is the guide is too tall for my saw. It hits the motor and the adustment for the blade height. I'll have to try something different.


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## firemedic

no1hustler said:


> Well I'm frustrated. I still can't make 45 degree cuts. First problem is the guide is too tall for my saw. It hits the motor and the adustment for the blade height. I'll have to try something different.


Lol... No seriously sorry it didn't work out...

Thinner fence is all need, right?


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## woodnthings

*I have used something like this for 40 years*

It's a guide rather than a jig:
http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?c=&p=48434&cat=1,240,45313&ap=1 :thumbsup: bill


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## SteveEl

Do you HAVE to have the blade set to cut that deep? On my saw, if I raise the blade to make a shallower cut that will also raise the motor housing and that could clear the obstruction. (I learned about this doing the same thing you are.)

I'm curious if you want to make perfect 45s or if your real goal is to make perfect 90s, say for picture frames?


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## no1hustler

SteveEl said:


> Do you HAVE to have the blade set to cut that deep? On my saw, if I raise the blade to make a shallower cut that will also raise the motor housing and that could clear the obstruction. (I learned about this doing the same thing you are.)
> 
> I'm curious if you want to make perfect 45s or if your real goal is to make perfect 90s, say for picture frames?


My goal is to make 90s for a frame. Am I going about this all wrong?


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## sanchez

If you are going to do this repeatedly, maybe a modification on a table saw's miter sled? I'm sure this idea could be used as a starting point for a circular saw jig using the same principles.

http://www.finewoodworking.com/Workshop/WorkshopArticle.aspx?id=30357


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## SteveEl

Well, I'm a beginner too. Its just my guess that accumulated error will be an issue. What happened when you tried it out? Am I blowing smoke? Were you able to make good joints? If not, double check that each piece is the exactly correct length. Are they straight and true? If so, then the angles must be off. 

I've read - book knowledge again - about some approaches that might work, but there's nothing like giving it a try. What happened?


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## no1hustler

Since the guide is too high, the motor hits it. I raised it up as high as I could (cutting 2x6) and the little handle that raises the base hangs to low (bad design). I suppose I need to really fix the guide before I totally give up on it. One other change I need to make is the guide is too short. I need to extend it past the wood so it continues making a straight cut. 

I was even more frustrated after I ran to my brothers house to make the cuts using his miter saw (cheap ryobi). I still couldn't get the cuts very square after making several attempts to adjust the angle. 

Maybe I'm just not cut out for this hobby.  My paycheck doesn't support the tools that quality tools that I need.


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## SteveEl

What material are you trying to do this with? 

Did you or your brother check his saw for "true"? Just because the bevel is set to 90 and the cut is set to 90 doesn't mean they cut 90. That's something that can be adjusted, and would be a good place to start if it hasn't happened yet.


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## no1hustler

Just simple 2x6 pine. 

I have no idea what he has done. I'm guessing not. I know from testing it that when you put the saw on 45 it doesn't cut exactly a 45. I tried several times to move it a tiny bit and thought I had it but it is still off a bit. I believe it is good enough but its still frustrating. I guess this is where good quality tools comes in.


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## SteveEl

Suggest trying to make his saw cut 90, and instead of fiddling with the miter setting, instead find the instructions for adjusting the fence so it cuts 90.


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## no1hustler

Yeah. I was trying to avoid using his saw from the get go. Lol. If I can't get this jig to work, I'll have to try and adjust his saw.


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## SteveEl

So you know how I was talking about cutting on both sides to cancel out any error? Maybe I was blowing smoke. That seems to work well for bevel cuts on scarf joints, or for ripping glue joints, both times that you want to make a 180 degree angle. I can't make it work for a 90 degree miter. There was another thread on this using a power miter saw here: http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f2/im-loss-23759/

Or if you want to keep trying with the circ, I'm going back to this
http://www.greenthumbgoodies.com/Cut...utting_box.htm
but sort of like in Sanchez' link, instead of just having one set of rails, make two, and 90 degrees to each other.

Using any approach, your still using construction grade lumber as it came from the store, I think, so when you layout the pieces on flat surface, the cuts might have been perfect but the wood itself might not be flat and true. If that's an issue, I'd suggest buying wood for fine detail type projects from a cabinet shop, after you've ironed out the method on the cheap stuff. (Don't ask how many different projects I tried before I learned that!)


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## no1hustler

Yeah. I have already learned that cheap wood results in cheap quality products. My lumber yard didn't have anything close to a 2x6 that wasn't a stud and I don't have a place to mill my own stuff right now. This project is supposed to be a low budget project so I can't pay someone to mill anything either. Otherwise I would have been better off just buying the particular item. 

Soon my brother will be going back to work with a log home builder so I can probably get him to plane some wood. 

Thanks for all the help!


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## davcefai

*Go Neanderthal!*

I think that you may be trying to do the job in the wrong way. Frankly I doubt that you could ever get the precision you are demanding from a hand held circular saw.

Have you considered going "neanderthal" for this. Use a hand saw and a mitre block. Or better still a hand mitre saw - you can get a reasonable one for about $30.

All I can say is that it worked for me. My hand mitre saw can give me perfect mitres, somewhat better than my SCMS.


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## haugerm

I still like your jig. It was a good idea. Try making another with a shorter fence, longer body, and with plywood instead of acrylic.


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## KenBee

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2003541/3086/Protractor-and-Saw-Guide.aspx

I have one of these and it works very well for any degree cut you need to make.


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