Mitering - Woodwork And Stairway Construction

Mitering is the process used to join two boards together at a 90° angle, using two cuts made at a 45° angle on two separate pieces of wood. The picture below provide you with an excellent example of a miter cut. The black arrow is pointing to the center of two boards cut to create a 90° corner.

What Are The Benefits of Mitering?

The picture above shows a mitered corner along the edge of a wood stair tread. If you look close enough, you will see the grain pattern is similar on both outside edges of the 90° angle.

If one of these boards ran past the other one and you used a butt joint, you wouldn't have similar grain patterns. If you're looking for the finished edge of a table top or stairway tread to be consistent, you'll need to miter the corners.

How Do You Cut A Perfect 45° Angle?

I think I know what you're talking about, because all it takes is a little movement, while you're cutting an angle, to create a problem. If you're using a hand saw and miter box, the best advice I can give you, would be to take your time, because any movement in either direction as you pull or push the saw will create problems with the angle.

If you're using a power miter saw, the best advice I could give you, would be to clamp the board to the saw table or make sure that you're using a extremely sharp saw blade. Just remember, the biggest problems caused while making miter cuts or mitering other angles, is movement.

If the saw or the board you're cutting moves in any direction at any time of the cut, you could have a problem, creating a nice tight fit, between the two pieces.

Another problem could be the tools that you're using. Most wood working professionals and stair builders use expensive tools that make precision cuts. I've seen plenty of miter saws that don't cut perfect angles and never will.

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