Skirting (45 degree angle)

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I am fitting skirting boards to wall.

I don't have a mitre saw and I need to cut 45 degree angles. Is there a way to do this?[/u]
 
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Usually a handsaw has a 45deg mechanism built into the handle, but you need to be accurate to make an external 90deg joint look good - mainly because a lot of walls aren't true.

if it's an internal 90deg you're better off using a coping saw and coping the joint - think that's what it's called.... always a perfect fit

But there are lots of ways to get 45 degrees... for example fold a bit of paper into a triangle
 
R - assuming a moulded (not plain) skirting: internal angle is a scribed join (or joint). 2 ways to do this: method 1 - present one of the pieces of skirting up to the the other one and draw the profile onto it, then use a coping saw to cut around the profile - they should fit together. Method 2 is a variation of 1; cut a 45 degree angle on one bit of skirting, this will reveal the profile to be cut (of course you need a MSaw to do this or a 'good eye').

External angle (these are the problem ones) - you really do need a mitre saw! However, as martian quite rightly says, few walls are 90 degrees so even if you cut accurate mitres you'll still have gaps on external corners. Another problem is that often walls aren't plumb either, so you have a compound angle; this shows up as a gap at one end of your perfect mitre.

Cutting accurate external angles requires the bisection of the true angle and that's the cutting angle (rarely 45 deg) - one of the reasons why compound mitre saws are infinitely adjustable.

The cheepo mitre saws (manual) are OK for lots of stuff but can't accommodate wide boards (upright in saw). If you've only got a couple of externals to do then careful marking-out, lines front & back and a 45 deg (or the biscected angle) line on the top edge, hold in vice, cut by 'eye' should work but have a couple of practice goes first.
 
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Hi,
For real accuracy, you need a sliding bevel, because if your corner is not 90deg your mitre cut will not be 45. Measure your corner angle first, and then bisect it.
Spike
 

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