Working on the Pulpit project, I have had a lot of miters to cut. When I first started cutting them, I noticed they were not meeting properly. Well being a bit OCD, I couldn't stand that so I started looking at my miter saw, which is fairly new to see what the problems was.

Didn't take long to see that I wasn't as square as I thought I was. So I started looking at alignment. I found the great video if you happen to have the Dewalt SCMS and need to check your alignment.

After a good bit of time and test cuts and using my wixey, I got the blade true and square.

So now back to my original question, how do you cut your miters? I did switch back and forth between cutting some of them on my table saw using the Osborne EB3 Miter Gauge and even used the table saw blade tilt for some of them depending on what I had setup at either station. So I got to thinking I wonder how the rest of you cut those wonderful miters when you have them on a project.

Also do you have any secrets on the way you align them when you are cutting so you don't have to go back and forth to the saw and "trim" a little more off. Do you set the saw to cut at the long part of the miter, or the short part of the miter?

Do you feel like you get a better miter cut from the table saw or the miter saw?

Just some questions to see how you all cut your miters.

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John Moody
Site Administrator


John Moody Woodworks
http://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com

Whenever possible, we use the EB3 exclusively. Below is Matthew's attempt on the EB3. The second pic which shows an outdoor garbage container, was built 90% by our 15 year old son Tim. I only gave 10% guidance, he did the rest. 

P.S. Great video John!

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Michael and Matthew Agate (Newfoundland Canada)
Proud Supporter of The Patriot Woodworker and what this great site stands for!

Table saw with a Woodhaven miter gauge.

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Lew Kauffman-
Wood Turners Forum Host

Time traveler. Purveyor of the world's finest custom rolling pins!

Table saw & an Incra miter gauge. For thinner stock I switch out the gauge for the

Dubby.

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EAGLES MAY SOAR BUT WEASELS DON'T GET SUCKED INTO JET ENGINES!

Well, it depends John.  I have an Incra digital miter on the TS and my DeWalt compound miter is dead on so I can use either one.

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Ron Dudelston
Site Administrator

Above and Beyond WoodWorks

Depending on what it is, either my Dewalt miter saw or a 25+ yr old Craftsman RAS

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Greg
Site host

http://www.thesawdustfactoryga.com/

Greg I use to cut some on my dad's old craftsman RAS. In fact he never had a table saw, we did all the wood working with the RAS, miter saw router table and a jointer.

By the way y'all didn't answer the question about cutting. Do you mark and cut to the long side or the short side.

And if you were wrapping the bottom of a chest say. Do you measure the length, add for the thickness of the piece, 3/4" on each end and cut or do you cut one end, hold it in place, mark the other end and then cut?

Just interested in you sharing your technique.

I do one "fit" cut- on a short piece and clamp the piece on the work at the corner. Make another cut on the molding I'm using. Set that cut against the fit cut then mark the other end at the edge of the carcass. Cut it a little long and then sneak up on the final fit- using another "fitting" piece. I usually work from the front to the back. I normally mark the "short end"

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Lew Kauffman-
Wood Turners Forum Host

Time traveler. Purveyor of the world's finest custom rolling pins!

Short end here too. 

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Michael and Matthew Agate (Newfoundland Canada)
Proud Supporter of The Patriot Woodworker and what this great site stands for!

John

I use my Incra miter gauge for these cuts. After going through all the calibration setups, works wonderful.

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Wayne Mahler
God bless and protect our troops that serve so we can be free.

I had a bosch 12 inch sliding miter that i had to send back to them to get it adjusted.

Now i use a tablesaw with a sliding jig.

I use a Dubby sliding table for more than 90% of my cross cuts.  100% for miter cuts.  If I had to use my miter saw I don't think I could stand it.  I measure to the short side if I am wrapping a project.  I measure to the long side if making a frame. 

So now we are talking,

Any of you got pictures of your sliding jigs you use on the table saw you would like to share?

I do the wrap method that Lew described also and I agree with Greg, on a frame, I measure to the long cut.

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John Moody
Site Administrator


John Moody Woodworks
http://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com

Know what you mean about the saw not being square.  After a few botched cuts, I as well got out my trusted square and started doing some minor tweeks both to get it square AND to make sure that one side was a perfect 45 degrees.  Now that it's set up properly, I have no problem making square cuts or four sided frames.  Thanks for the other tips.

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Fred
aka Pop's Shop
www.pops-shop.com
'Soooooo many patterns - sooooo little time'
Scroll Saw Forum Host

For thin trim pieces on say a picture frame or other small project I've been known to use my trusty Stanley plastic miter box too. In a lot of cases it works out quicker and easier for me. On frames I cut to the long side too. 

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Greg
Site host

http://www.thesawdustfactoryga.com/

I also learned a long time ago there is no such thing as a perfect corner.

I put first piece on cut at 45 degrees and go around and scribe each corner one cut at a time.

When i run into inside corners i cut inside 45 then scribe the outside corner.

I commonly use a linoleum knife (hook knife) to get under tight corners and scratch my line on bottom of next piece like for 2 inside corners.

 When I was out at the Pole Barn Woodshop, it was a Delta 10"  Compound Miter saw.     I can borrow it, IF I feel the need.  However, that hasn't happened for a while, soFor a simple miter cut.    I have since upgraded a saw for the jig50s handle, meet 2013 blade.      All other miter cuts?      lay out a line, and i will cut to that line, with a handsaw.

Olde School???

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Planer? I'm the 'planer', and these are what I use...

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Planer? I'm the 'planer', and these are what I use...

I'm glad you jumped in here Steve.

I believe Greg was using that also.

you oughtta try a japanese pull saw steve. It'll leave that backsaw in the dust.