Issue 432

Miter Madness

Can I admit something that is pretty embarrassing … I am bad at making miter joints. OK, when I focus and pay attention I can do just fine at accurately cutting what I call the most annoying joint in woodworking … but often, I get them wrong on the first go-around. My first and most common mistake is thinking that preset detents are accurate. This invariably leads to trouble and starts me down a long and grouchy path.

I do have a couple of jigs that I’ve built for my table saw that cut dead-on miters … but that means taking off the guard and walking all the way to the storage room. So instead I set up my miter gauge on the table saw and once again find that I need something a bit more accurate. I know, I have been woodworking for 40 years or so, why do I have this mental block on miters? Your guess is as good as mine, but while you are guessing, why don’t you share with me your miter cutting technique … maybe you will share something that will get me off the miter schneid.

One can only hope.

Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal