Woodworker's Journal 1983-7-1, страница 20

The Beginning Woodworker

Making Miter Joints With Hand Tools

ARCHITECT'S PLANS FOR

MINIATURE HOUSES

Build one of these delightful beautifully scaled r • r TOLLHOUSES! Eleven architecturally and historically authentic styles: WILLIAMSBURG COLONIAL. GEORGIAN. WEDDING CAKE VICTORIAN. CAPE COD. SALT-BOX. TUDOR. FARMHOUSE, 1900 FIREHOUSE. CONTEMPORARY. S6.50 each. ANTE-' BELLUM PLANTATION. $9.50. SECOND EMPIRE VICTORIAN. __

S10.50. All lor S59.95 Williamsburg colonial Saving S18.55.

h*\DOLL

(j DOMICILES

jjfcwfl DEPT WJ

Brochure S1.00

Box 91024 Atlanta. Qa. 30364

IJrVtx CORNER "" f Jliillj^ CUPBOARD

Small hanging cupboard has lots of country character, whether decorated with scenes, graining, striping, stencilling, or just painted or stained. Is easy to build one or a hundred with our clear, easy-to-follow plans—$4. BENCHCO, Dept. J-1, P.O. Box 631, Peterborough, NH 03458 Brochure ot other plans available—$1.

Calendar Clock Plan

This fine reproduction of the John Hawes Calendar Clock will make a great addition to your home. The upper dial tells the time and the lower one indicates the day and month. Features 8-day key wound Westminster chime movement. Movement, decal and carvings available. Plan with catalog 3.50 Catalog without plan 1.00

ARMOR PRODUCTS

Dept. H Box 290 Deer Park, NY 11729

Miter joints are often used in both traditional and contemporary woodworking, usually to join the sides of small boxes and frame members. Cornice and base moldings are generally mitered where the sides join the front and, of course, most picture frames consist of four mitered joints.

These joints, with or without reinforcement, are not noted for their strength. They are basically decorative joints and since they are often in full view, must be carefully made. A poorly fitted miter joint can be horribly conspicuous and will downgrade what might otherwise have been a good piece of work.

Two members meeting to form an angle, whether acute (less than 90 degrees) or obtuse (greater than 90 degrees), are correctly said to be mitered though a mitered joint that forms a right angle is usually referred to as a "true miter".

Miter joints may be either flat or on edge (Fig. 1). Both types, when held only with glue, are very weak joints as the end grain of the joined parts sucks up the glue causing a "starved" joint. It's possible to rely on glue alone if the project is small and the joining surfaces are first "sized" with a coat or two of thinned glue to seal the end grain. Generally though, it's best to

employ some additional means of strengthening the joint.

Whether working with hand tools or tablesaw, the critical operation in making miter joints is cutting the angles accurately. When hand tools are used, a fine tooth backsaw or dovetail saw is needed to make the cuts. If the parts to be mitered form an angle of less or more than 45 degrees, an adjustable protractor, which combines the functions of a protractor and bevel square, provides an accurate and convenient way to mark the cutting angle on the workpiece (Fig. 2).

Lacking an adjustable protractor, use a protractor to set a bevel square to mark the cutting line on the work-piece (Fig. 3A and B).

True miters are best cut by holding the workpiece in a miter box and using the 45 degree slots in the side of the