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07-08-2021, 10:42 AM
(This post was last modified: 07-08-2021, 10:44 AM by AlanS.)
I want to make several small boxes.. the liners are about 1/8" thick and measure 2"x 5". I want to miter these liner inserts....I have used my chop box and table saw, but it's dangerous with the small parts. I even made a sled for the TS.
I looked for a mini table saw with a tilting arbor...nothing. I would use my handplanes, but don't know how to get a precise 45 and 'perfect' cut. Any suggestions?
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07-08-2021, 11:41 AM
(This post was last modified: 07-08-2021, 11:42 AM by fredhargis.)
Would you consider a miter trimmer? I'm suggesting ones like the old Pootatunk or Dosch, although there are some Asian copies made these days. I use my Dosch on small parts and it works really well. The other suggestion is a table saw cutoff sled, but not the normal style. I just built one from plans in a magazine especially for small boxes. What's different is the size (very small, and it only has one runner. When that runner is in the left miter slot, I cut any 90º I need. Then, moving the sled so the runner is in the right slot (my saw if left tilt), I can lay the pieces flat and cut the 45º miters. I can post pics and dimensions if that's of interest. I will admit, your parts are a little smaller than mine...I'm usually 1/4" thick and maybe 3" wide.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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(07-08-2021, 11:41 AM)fredhargis Wrote: Would you consider a miter trimmer? I'm suggesting ones like the old Pootatunk or Dosch, although there are some Asian copies made these days. I use my Dosch on small parts and it works really well. The other suggestion is a table saw cutoff sled, but not the normal style. I just built one from plans in a magazine especially for small boxes. What's different is the size (very small, and it only has one runner. When that runner is in the left miter slot, I cut any 90º I need. Then, moving the sled so the runner is in the right slot (my saw if left tilt), I can lay the pieces flat and cut the 45º miters. I can post pics and dimensions if that's of interest. I will admit, your parts are a little smaller than mine...I'm usually 1/4" thick and maybe 3" wide.
Fred...I would love to see a pic or link to the sled you speak of. Alan
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I've used a Zona miter box before. Ideal for small parts, and relatively inexpensive from Woodcraft. Even cheaper from Amazon.
https://www.woodcraft.com/products/zona-...-miter-set
Still Learning,
Allan Hill
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Alan, here's the sled I built...my first and only crosscut sled. I can't remember which magazine had it, but it was this past year. Anyway, my version is 15" deep (front to back) and 24" wide. The one runner I used is a Incra miter runner because they have that washer system to keep things in line. Anyway, these pics show it on the right and left slots, you can see the 45º on the left side of the sled (along with an "oops" 45 near the center. Something like this in (maybe) a smaller size should work for what you are doing. Of course, if your saw is right tilt you would probably want the runner on the other side of the sled.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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(07-09-2021, 08:34 AM)fredhargis Wrote: Alan, here's the sled I built...
Fred's sled is probably the best approach.
There's always a disk sander with a proper sled.
A router table with a 45º bit is another option.
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For small mouldings I use a Nobex miter box set up. It's easy to get right where you need to cut and wont blow apart the piece or take your fingers off.
You could use a circular miter saw but move the blade down on the piece really slow to take minutes pieces of wood at a time and use a sacrificial zero clearance fence to support the piece at the cut.
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For making little miters from small bits, I found it best and safe to make a miter sled wherein the blade is in the center and it has two runners.
You can press the wood flat and keep it in place with a pencil’s eraser or a wood block and clamp.
I’ve made many small boxes this way without any concern.
It’s safe.
Gary
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Set up a 45 degree chamfer bit in your router table and use that. The only trick is to set the fence so that you cut all the edge but do not remove any of the face.
Even if the part lifts a bit during the cut, a second pass will fix it.
And the bit will always give you a true 45.
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Something that I've done is to install a 7 1/4" saw blade in place of a 10" blade on my tablesaw. Using a miter gauge with extension or a sled has given me very good results.
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