Cutting ACCURATE 45 degree mitres on architrave CHEAPLY

[DaveyH]

Hi,

Is there a CHEAP way of cutting ACCURATE 45 degree mitres on architrave.

I've got one of those plastic mitre boxes, but my angles always end up some where between 42 and 48 degrees.

I don't really want to go to the expense of buying a compound mitre saw and most of the reviews you read for the cheap (£50-£100) ones often say that they aren't accurate anyway.

How did tradesmen do them in the old days? Before £500+ compound mitre saws and £800+ table saws.

Thanks in advance

 

[foxhole]

Something like this, cuts with a fine tooth saw.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Silverlin...-Woodworking-Carpenters-Cutting-/290855736603

 

[DaveyH]

Thanks for replying foxhole,

To be honest, I looked at getting one of those types of mitre saw, but I was put off because they get even worse reviews that the plastic mitre boxes and the cheap electric compound mitre saws. Have a read of this link and you'll see what I mean.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/angled-compound-mitre-saw/59824

However, maybe the first review on that link is correct, and people just don't know how to use them correctly.

 

[Burnerman]

You could try setting a bevel gauge accurately and cutting just on the waste side of the line with a dovetail or other fine toothed back saw.....as per our elders!
John

 

[joe-90]

Get a piece of 4x2 that's cut accurately, place this against your work and cut along it. If you can't get it accurate you need a new hobby.

 

[Dave54]

Shooting board and plane is the way to get cheap really accurate mitres. Saw them first, then pane them using the board. Plenty of "how to" online.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Is there a CHEAP way of cutting ACCURATE 45 degree mitres on architrave.

Well, for starters almost nothing in this world you do a mitre cut for is ever truly at right angles, so there is often a need to trim after cutting.

How did tradesmen do them in the old days? Before £500+ compound mitre saws and £800+ table saws.

We used an Emir (wooden) mitre box with a back saw (tenon saw), something like a 14 or 16in saw.

The adjustable guides make for a more accurate cut when properly set

On deeper skirtings used cutting guides which were not unlike this one by Emir . They come in 6in and 9in sizes. The saw used would be a 20 or 22in panel saw with 10 to 12 points

Smaller stuff like beadings are cut with a gents saw or beading saw on a mitre block.

For trimming and adjustment on site I used and still use a well-sharpened low angle block plane. In the workshop bench joiners often made-up donkeys's ear shooting boards, but they of limited use when installing as things are never square in the real world.

Avoid cheapo plastic guides and avoid cheap metal mitre saws - a decent metal hand mitre saw, such as a Nobex, will actually cost more than a cheap electric mitre (chop) saw. Cutting and trimming mitres takes a bit of skill which is acquired through repetition, I'm afraid. There is absolutely no other way to learn

Cheap and accurate are two words which are generally mutually exclusive. Also, note the complete lack of power tools in my response! If in a hurry amd I don't have the right kit I've made-do with a 7in speed square, a cordless crosscut saw and my block plane to obtain a satisfactory result - but again it's a case of practice making or a better job

 

[foxhole]

Thanks for replying foxhole,

To be honest, I looked at getting one of those types of mitre saw, but I was put off because they get even worse reviews that the plastic mitre boxes and the cheap electric compound mitre saws. Have a read of this link and you'll see what I mean.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/angled-compound-mitre-saw/59824

However, maybe the first review on that link is correct, and people just don't know how to use them correctly.

Never had any problem with them, they have a clamp to hold work down, if the timbers not held tight the accuracy will be lost.[Main problem with mitre box]

 

[^woody^]

Can't you just mark a 45 degree line on it and then cut to that?

 

[DaveyH]

I ended up buying one of these "Precision" mitresaws.

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p76675

It's a pile of crap and is going straight back to the shop. The 45° mitre is actually about 46° which isn't too bad I suppose. The main problem is that it just doesn't cut vertically. I tried everything, tightening the blade, over-tightening the blade, slackening the blade, sawing fast, sawing slow, letting the saw do all the work and I always got similar results. I then I had a really close look at it and it turns out the metal base isn't machined correctly, so the saw part always ends up coming down at about 86° to your piece of wood.

 

[Dave54]

To quote J&Ks post above. "Cheap and accurate are two words which are generally mutually exclusive" I looked at those metal mitre saws years ago, and couldn't find anything that was even near accurate for the money I wanted to spend. I didn't read the "architrave" part of the original post, which is why I said about "shooting" mitres.
As already said by others, if you only have a few to do, and they are a plain type of architrave and not fancy just mark it and saw. If you want to get the angle just right, use a slide bevel to take the angle off the frame and then bisect the angle to get the mitre angle, mark it on the wood, and cut by hand with a back saw. That should be near enough for painted work. Plenty just get cut at 45 degrees though. If you are painting then filler hides any gap.
For good quality work to be given a clear finish, the angles need to be accurate, and the face of the mitre needs to be "clean" I'd give it a swipe or two with a finely set plane, but free handing that sort of thing is a bit of a black art. For what it's worth, making furniture I rarely found the cut off any type of saw to be good enough. I would inevitably end up cleaning them up.

 

[DaveyH]

I bit the bullet in the end and bought an electric compound mitre saw. I went for a reconditioned Evolution Rage 3S off ebay. After adjusting the fence on it slightly using the supplied Hex key, I was able to get some excellent 45° mitres.

Thanks for all the help everyone.

 

[joe-90]

There are also two angle stops that need adjusting for when you cut at 45 degrees.

 

[gregers]

the best hand mitre saw has got to be the nobex range,they were very expensive yonks back and on ebay there still selling for a hell of a lot compared to powered mitre saws.