# Getting Perfect Angles



## OHNOIMONFIRE (Sep 13, 2012)

Hey All,

I'm working on a project that requires joining together (via dowels) differing angles, specifically 30 and 15 degrees. See the attachment to get an idea what I'm talking about. 

After mitering the stock, the pieces I have have ugly gaps that I tried sanding out, which helped a little. 

Do you have any tips for getting a perfect fit at the angle joints? I thought about maybe using a flush trim router bit?


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

If you know what the overall angle is, divide by 2 and that's your miter setting. If you don't know, and have no way of measuring the angle, you can lay the pieces down and mark where they cross at the top and bottom, and strike a line. 









 







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## OHNOIMONFIRE (Sep 13, 2012)

cabinetman said:


> If you know what the overall angle is, divide by 2 and that's your miter setting. If you don't know, and have no way of measuring the angle, you can lay the pieces down and mark where they cross at the top and bottom, and strike a line.
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> ...


The boards that are mitered are fine, the angles are what they are supposed to be. Some of the pieces just arent matching up because they were sanded or cut at different times.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

OHNOIMONFIRE said:


> The boards that are mitered are fine, the angles are what they are supposed to be. Some of the pieces just arent matching up because they were sanded or cut at different times.


When you cut the angles on both pieces, they should fit together on a drawing (if you made one). If you leave them slightly long, and they aren't perfect, you can recut them with a slight change to the saw setting. If you started with a stop holding the angle, and it gets changed, and the new cut does fit, recut the pieces to the correct length.









 







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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

OHNOIMONFIRE said:


> The boards that are mitered are fine, the angles are what they are supposed to be. Some of the pieces just arent matching up because they were sanded or cut at different times.


I think that you just answered your own question. "sanded or cut at different times."

George


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## OHNOIMONFIRE (Sep 13, 2012)

GeorgeC said:


> I think that you just answered your own question. "sanded or cut at different times."
> 
> George


Lol yes, which led me to my overall question: would a flush trim bit on the router table clean it up for me?


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

OHNOIMONFIRE said:


> Lol yes, which led me to my overall question: would a flush trim bit on the router table clean it up for me?


To trim a mitered edge, you would need a pattern for the subject piece. It's not really a flush trim type of fix. It's more of a clean cut with a saw.








 





 

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## OHNOIMONFIRE (Sep 13, 2012)

cabinetman said:


> To trim a mitered edge, you would need a pattern for the subject piece. It's not really a flush trim type of fix. It's more of a clean cut with a saw.
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Okay I'll take some pictures tonight and load them on here.


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## OHNOIMONFIRE (Sep 13, 2012)

cabinetman said:


> To trim a mitered edge, you would need a pattern for the subject piece. It's not really a flush trim type of fix. It's more of a clean cut with a saw.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You were right again Cabinetman. I re-mitered the edges of the stock just slightly and the fit nice and snug now. Thanks.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

OHNOIMONFIRE said:


> You were right again Cabinetman. I re-mitered the edges of the stock just slightly and the fit nice and snug now. Thanks.


Joints look real good. Poplar is fairly easy to work with.









 







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## Homewright (Nov 30, 2012)

Here's an approach to the age old 'bastard' angle miter I came up with years ago and have since used countless times to get great results. For the first step, you can use either the paper alone or use a sliding T bevel to get the angle and transfer it to the paper. The first picture shows the no tool, no math approach.










Next, you fold the paper along your line either from creasing the paper or along the line you transferred using the T bevel.










Now all you do is fold the paper exactly in half making sure both legs of the paper meet perfectly and land at the point. Use the paper to transfer your angle to your miter saw.










I'll happily admit I'm a math idiot but there's usually a common sense (I know, I know, oxymoron alert!) work around. I've used this technique for years with excellent results and it actually saves a lot of head scratching when you get into a place where nothing is square but you want your joinery to be precise.


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## Quillman (Dec 30, 2012)

Have given up with the circular saw. They're aggressive, hard to tune, rip the bottom of the cut and so on.
I cut everything on the bandsaw, (tho its cuts are always rough), then finish common parts on the edge radius sander.
The fence and table are adjustable for compound cuts if necessary.
Every stick in the pile has been dressed to squareness in x, y, & z. Now I have something to reference to that I can count on.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

cabinetman said:


> When you cut the angles on both pieces, they should fit together on a drawing (if you made one). If you leave them slightly long, and they aren't perfect, you can recut them with a slight change to the saw setting. If you started with a stop holding the angle, and it gets changed, and the new cut does fit, recut the pieces to the correct length.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I think that this "If you leave them slightly long, and they aren't perfect, you can recut them with a slight change to the saw setting." is the key. 

I think that sanding of a miter joint is only going to make matters worse. I never sand.

George


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## Midlandbob (Sep 5, 2011)

Has anyone mentioned a bevel guage. Off angles can be set with the guage and transferred to the saw with good success. Sometimes a structure with a sequence of joints will have the last joint cut to a correcting angle like 28 instead of 30. The bevel gauge helps set the correcting cut.
Again apology if I am missing the point.


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