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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Melbourne - Australia
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    Default How to 'fix' an odd sized side to a mitre box

    Hi,
    I am after some of that ancient wisdom that hangs around here.

    I am making some very simple small boxes using just 4 mitred sides with some decorative keys added later.
    For one of these one side is about 1.5mm shorter than the others (go figure) so of course it doesn't go together properly.
    Rather than try and stuff around with angles it seems reasonable to adjust the other 3 sides to match the short one.
    Alas these were cut on biggish compound mitre saw but now the sides are only about 90mm (I said the boxes were small).
    I cant safely get something this small under the saw with a 45degree tilt and my fingers are precious.
    I figure everybody else has stuffed up this way too so the question is ....
    "How would you trim 1.5mm from a 90mm board with 45 degree mitres on either side ?"

    Thanks in advance

    JC

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    back in Alberta for a while
    Age
    68
    Posts
    12,006

    Default

    safest (and most accurate) is a shooting board and very sharp hand plane -- but you may not want to invest in the time it takes to build a 45° shooting board

    fastest is to use a carrier board to hold the small sides while they are being cut by the mitre saw -- this could be as simple as an L shaped board that traps the box side hard against the mitre saw's fence, with a pivoting arm to hold the piece down.
    regards from Alberta, Canada

    ian

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Oberon, NSW
    Age
    63
    Posts
    13,354

    Default

    Got some double-sided tape? (Not the thick, spongy stuff, mind you... something a bit thinner than that!)

    Grab a square of thin 3mm(ish) ply or mdf. Mark a line some 90-100mm in from one edge, then tape the pieces side by side with the "good" bevel aligned with your mark.

    Now you should be able to push the whole thing through your TS with it set for 45degrees.

    It often helps if you also glue down sacrificial pieces before the first and after the last box side, just to prevent any tear-out from the saw blade entry/exit.
    I may be weird, but I'm saving up to become eccentric.

    - Andy Mc

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Nowra, NSW, Australia
    Age
    65
    Posts
    3,003

    Default

    Disc Sander?
    ... Steve

    -- Monkey see, monkey do --

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Tallahassee FL USA
    Age
    82
    Posts
    4,650

    Default

    Glue the box together with the joint imperfection distributed among all 4 corners - some proud, some shy. Recut through the joints with the table saw set at about 45 degrees, so that the kerf cuts both pieces, and removes the glue. (May need a different setting for each joint). Re-glue for final assembly. The box won't be perfectly square, and it will be smaller yet, but the joints should be suitable for the decorative keys.

    Cheers,
    Joe
    Of course truth is stranger than fiction.
    Fiction has to make sense. - Mark Twain

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Melbourne - Australia
    Posts
    7

    Default

    wow - thank you all for these very helpful suggestions.
    I will investigate a shooting board and I do have (somewhere) double sided tape
    Not so sure sanding will work - I always end up altering the angle so it doesn't fit another way.

    I don't know why I didn't think of some of these myself - just shows you can go senile talking to yourself
    Thanks again

    JC

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Melbourne - Australia
    Posts
    7

    Default

    Hi,
    here are pictures of the 2 shooting boards I made after your suggestions.

    Noe all I have to do is learn how to drive the things - planing end grain has always been a problem for me.
    They were only completed late in the day so I haven't used them in anger yet.

    Thanks again

    JC
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  9. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    back in Alberta for a while
    Age
    68
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    12,006

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by jc508 View Post
    Hi,
    here are pictures of the 2 shooting boards I made after your suggestions.

    Noe all I have to do is learn how to drive the things - planing end grain has always been a problem for me.
    They were only completed late in the day so I haven't used them in anger yet.

    Thanks again

    JC
    HI JC

    I suggest a very sharp blade and a well set up heavy plane.
    The plane's sole doesn't have to be at an exact 90° or 45° to what you are trimming, BUT the blade must be.

    If you are having problems getting end grain shavings, the most likely reason is that your blade is not sharp enough!
    regards from Alberta, Canada

    ian

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