The Genius Miter Trick You Were Never Taught

[@InspireWoodcraft]

As per the norm, I forgot to mention one thing: Depending on the widths of your pieces, the narrow board will most likely come out to a greater degree than what the saw can handle. In this case, the narrower board ended up being around 55.25 degrees, and my saw maxes out at 50. In order to cut a steeper angle than your saw can handle, you have to use something as an auxiliary fence that changes the reference angle. That is exactly what we did here, but instead of setting up an auxiliary fence to, say, 45 degrees like most folks do and then measuring the angles and doing the math, we used the first cut as an auxiliary fence that just happens to already be at the correct angle. I sincerely hope this makes sense! It's hard to remember sometimes what is "common knowledge" and what isn't.

[@JasonPeltier]

yeah that makes a lot of sense... you're not using a 90 degree auxiliary fence like the normal way, you're using the cut angle as the fence and cutting the piece at "90" degrees amazing tip!

[@64maxpower]

Make a part 2

[@splinters_66]

I would love a book with all your tips in it,impossible to remember them all. Each new idea,pushes the older ones into the irretrievable areas of my brain 😁

[@CoronaWolle]

Woodworking is applied geometry. Thanks for this and all other knowledge and experience you share

[@mitchd949]

Pro technique to be sure! No need to write down numbers and do math when you can just use reference marks on the actual work pieces!

[@observersnt]

Nicely done video No stupidity, no one trying to be a comedian, no irritating background music, just a sensible, practical video Thank you

[@ick5353]

Amen. Some of the other KZbinrs that try to be “funny” in the video with their annoying giggle/laugh are just annoying to watch (there’s one in particular).

[@krisknowlton5935]

​@@observersntI have scrolled passed many a how to video for that very reason. I agree with you 100%.

[@dporrasxtremeLS3]

Just my preference too! Thanks!

[@cackleberryfarm4598]

100%

[@cackleberryfarm4598]

@@observersnt Thanks for some other people to start watching KZbin's is always suggestion the same videos in my feed of lame people, over and over. No matter how many times I tell it I'm not interested in a channel.

[@johndeaux9987]

wow, straight to the point and a good tip as well! No slap stick comedy routine or senseless rambling in a woodworking video, unheard of! kudos.

[@alexcollins9513]

You come across as an excellent communicator with a wealth of knowledge, no fuss or bollocks and especially no irrelevant clips from old comedy shows, just the points you are getting over and you do so, very well. Sir you are a refreshing breath of air in this desperate time of YT algorithms and click bait bullshit. Please please keep them coming

[@camhutchison5553]

One thing not mentioned is if the face of the material is distinct, then if the first piece used as a fence is face up, then the second piece should be face down when cutting it or vise versa. Also pay attention to the edges if it matters - if the first piece is inside edge towards you, the second piece should have the inside edge to the right.

[@_just_looking_thank_you]

And perhaps use a piece of double faced tape either side of the blade’s path rather than gumming up the teeth.

[@TheMakyato]

@@_just_looking_thank_you i do not think nasa is in woodworking

[@Gladness2023]

A few mistakes you figure this ‘reverse psychology’ out ! 😂

[@lk-music]

Yeah, it might not be necessary to mark the 2nd piece of wood, but marking it anyway would help to orientate it correctly when setting it up.

[@glennfelpel9785]

Outstanding. It is a pleasure to watch you explain the techniques you developed. No drama, no goofy music and not trying to be witty or a comedian, just good ideas. Thank you!

[@Ljcouture]

It amazes me how you always seem to come up with these great tricks that are so simple yet i never see them anywhere else

[@hamb7260]

It may sound easy, but as someone with decent experience; I did not know how to make a perfect 90 angle on two different width. Well done, thank you sir!

[@caseydurrans521]

Dude, the stuff you come up with is amazing. I have wanted to know how to miter two different width pieces to 90° for years, but never really spent the time to figure it out. Thank you for showing this!

[@Charlie4pants]

Are you seriously saying that you've never seen this done before?

[@elephantgrass631]

@@Charlie4pantsExactly. Or at least try to look it up? The internet is abundant and the search tools are very intelligent and intuitive. I took a class in “internet search Boolean” back in the day and is now irrelevant because search tools are incredibly developed.

[@desertodavid]

@@Charlie4pants you're the reason I rarely read comments to comments.

[@KenFullman]

@@desertodavid You're the reason I sometimes read comments to comments to comments.

[@desertodavid]

@@KenFullman of course you do. Follow the crowd.

[@donhill1825]

I don't know how you do it, but you consistently show the most clever woodworking tricks I've ever seen. You are excellent at this. Thank you.

[@edithbannerman4]

@Hello there, how are you doing this blessed day?

[@myhdcycle]

40 year carpenter here. Love your presentation style and the short to the point explanation. Although I was already aware of this trick I was impressed with your knowledge at so young. Gives me hope for the future generations where previously I had none. Subscribed.

[@matth245]

Subscribed just from this one video. Simple, clear, no waffling on, no clever jigs 👍👍

[@fredbosco6104]

Brilliant! Thanks man! Now who wants a bucket full of my "Previously attempted" scraps from trying this my way first!!??

[@richpeggyfranks490]

Haha. I have a bucket labeled "Fireplace". I hope you find someone who can use your scraps. My bucket seems to stay pretty full !! Thx.

[@berndheiden7630]

I am 75 and I have never seen that before! Congratulation, you solved a mystery and let us know about it. Keep up the good work.

[@buyamerican3191]

It's great to see the upcoming generation with skills! As an old timer in the business I usually have to assume that the young guys don't know anything useful but you have proven me wrong. Well done! Also, great video. No unnecessary chatter, no comedy and most importantly no annoying music.

[@BOBMAN1980]

I feel you, but from the opposite end. Even though I made A's in wood and metal shop, I unfortunately didn't keep up with studying the industrial arts, and am constantly fumbling around with trying to fix and make stuff of modest quality. I.e. they last and are pretty rigid--I'm pretty happy with the reading table I made for my back yard that even hurricane Ida couldn't scathe--but they're not pretty. And it's every project is a frustrating learning curve in-progress. I make sure, though, to have my son with me when I make most of these things, so he can see the process and (hopefully) learn from it. But, man, what I wouldn't give to get some apprenticing from one of you 'old timers'--the truly skilled artisans whose work--the progress you make in it--be almost meditative, and the final product something beautiful AND enduring. Lots of generations need it these days!

[@BOBMAN1980]

Edit: After thinking about it, I'm more encouraged at knowing what I've done, than I am dismayed at what I don't know. I've built my own desk, a small living room table, a bookshelf out of an old bread box, the table I was talking about outside, a pot & pan holder, helped my son with a birdbox, all out of literally scrap pieces of wood, with crappy power tools with hardly any torque. A storm came by the other day and knocked down a fence, and my son and I had it up and repaired, stronger than before--with the help of friend, because it was a BIG section of fence that needed to be pulled up. I'm not putting this to brag. Only, I was thinking I was good for not much, and it'd be impossible for me to try and more projects, except that I've already made some stuff that's lasted.

[@SeamlessFab]

Ah yes.. The generation who couldn’t even think up a properly functioning riving knife for a tablesaw in the 50’s LMAO. We refined all of the Trades to their true potential.

[@BOBMAN1980]

@@SeamlessFab Why do you have to try and diss someone who's concerned about their craft, and the fact that people are forgetting the factor of HUMAN skill, passion, and knowledge? Enjoy your microwaved dinner, since it's the most 'efficient' meal you can get, and free of as many human hands as possible. In the meantime, some of us will appreciate those who ply their knowledge, passion, and dedication into doing something that says, "A Human Made This."

[@adrianajdelectricals2290]

Great advice . No nonsense, straight to the point . Thanks.

[@cthulhugamete]

Double stick tape is a woodworker's best friend. Great trick!

[@fredtheilig2710]

Black magic.

[@andrebartels1690]

Voodoo.

[@dougpetersen7285]

Witchcraft

[@invictu4488]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@isthatu555]

😂😂

[@stephenwagener349]

White mans magic

[@brentjenkinsdesigns]

Wow! Simplistic genius! That was awesome brother! Thank you so much. Can I just take a moment to say? Your content never fails to offer simple and concise education in the vast realm of woodworking and I sincerely appreciate your efforts. So, Thank You.

[@doc145]

I’ve always marked both boards then set the angles with the angle gauge. Never had to go beyond 50 degrees so no issues. Your method eliminates the 45 degree jig if the angle was beyond 50 D. Now that is a timesaver! Thanks for the tip. This is why I love YT.

[@TheMakyato]

how this is working with long pices or when not all sides are straight ?! from my point of view this is good just for training your brain i always knew it , is natural for me but i never think about to use it.

[@chrisengland5523]

Cutting angles greater than 50 degrees on a mitre saw is easy. You need a set-square, preferably made of wood, with an accurate 90 degree angle. (A 1 foot square piece of plywood would do). Clamp this to the mitre saw with the back edge up against the fence and the adjacent edge against or near the blade when the blade is in the normal 0 degrees position. Then swing the table away from 0 degrees to the desired angle and cut the workpiece using the set-square or plywood as a fence. The only complication is that when the mitre saw table says 0 degrees, it really means 90 degrees (to the fence), so you have to subtract the desired angle from 90 when setting the table. For example, if you want to cut something at 70 degrees, which is more than the 50 degrees most saws can handle, proceed as above with the final table set to 90-70 = 20 degrees.

[@ianholderness5773]

I've been a joiner for 48 years, and this is a bastard mitre used frequently in the joinery trade explained very well 👏

[@splinters_66]

Love these simple solutions to what seem tricky tasks

[@ideaseeds01]

Thats really a tricky situation to people who failed in elementary school geometry.

[@soujrnr]

Simply outstanding!! I'm a rank amateur, and now I can add this wonderful idea to my quiver for later use!! Thank you so much!!

[@jaimecastells4283]

@InspiredWoodcraft I'd like to underline a detail in your presentation. At 3:05 you mentioned that the second piece of tape will hold the off-cut, preventing it from kicking into the blade. This is a very important safety precaution and a valuable aspect of your approach. I have seen a miter saw turn a small off-cut into a violent projectile and also destroy expensive blades by jamming them in the saw. This is an excellent suggestion!

[@Rick-the-Swift]

I always just make my employee hold down that little piece with his finger, Haven't lost a saw blade yet😂

[@gordon-1]

I installed molding on an arched doorway. I first secured a piece of cardboard onto the wall, and individually traced the outlines of the arch and vertical pieces of molding. I then drew a line across the intersecting points for my angle. Placing each piece again on the cardboard, I was then able to transfer the intersection points onto the wood and draw a line between them. The molding intersections were perfect.

[@glendagobstoppa3033]

Yep, and you get the correct lengths at the same time 👍

[@Tooltip]

This is a super nice, simple, practical way of making these miters! A few years ago I had to figure this out and resorted to basic trig. If you draw a triangle where side "a" (up and down) & "b" (left right) are equal, then the angle between "a" and the hypotenuse is 45 degrees which is what you normally want. In cases where the widths are not the same, make the triangle reflect that by making side "a" the width of one board and side "b" the width of the other, then just find the angle (I used an app). Then of course you need to cut the reciprocal (in this case 90 - that angle) for the other board. Like I said, your way is much more elegant. :D

[@bphenry]

"More elegant" unless you need to cut 12 of them and don't want to screw around with double stick tape every time. Then maybe paying attention in maths would have been useful. 😂

[@InspireWoodcraft]

@Bruce Henry Some folks just don’t get it, I suppose. The tape is there for safety, so you don’t have to hold your workpiece with your hand so close to the blade. It also allows you to create your acute angle jig AND make your first cut at the same time AND at the correct angle, thus saving more time while also improving safety and accuracy. It’s not screwing around. Knowing the math is great, but time consuming and easy to mess up, and in most cases completely unnecessary.

[@CSUnger]

Excellent. Simply excellent. All the way around. Great content delivered strait forward

[@jpsimon2670]

I want to know more about the rubber dust collection you set up on your saw! Looks to be working very well!

[@fredparsons5134]

I noticed that too, looks like it works very good.

[@InspireWoodcraft]

@jp simon I just released a video covering this, if you're interested! kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXmsdWmPocqJqck

[@timh7156]

1 of the most useful miter saw tips I’ve seen in a long time!

[@richardpogue4959]

That’s definitely it one of the tricks of the trade that I’ve not seen before. Old dog can learn new tricks, thanks for sharing.

[@johntaglia9378]

This old dog just learned something new.

[@skigglystars9525]

That's exactly what I needed to see because I was racking my brain trying to make it happen in real life. Amazingly perfect timing!! Great tip

[@jodilea144]

I needed this trick awhile back! I’ll know now - thanks, Jody! Great stuff, as always. 🙂

[@Ryan-td3td]

Really good video. As an amateur wood worker, I hadn't even thought of mitering two different sized boards.

[@DarrenOverby]

Nice trick. I'd like to see how you make the other 2 boards on a face frame so that all four boards have the correct angle **AND** length.

[@vicksurname7840]

This is brill. Great video. I never knew this could be done.

[@SeattlePaulie]

Starting with the wider piece allows you to cut a sub-45 angle for the first cut.

[@InspireWoodcraft]

@Paul Borgen Ha! Thank you for adding this. That is EXACTLY why.

[@RYwoodview]

@@InspireWoodcraft You might add this point to your notes (or your pinned comment). Thanks for the excellent tip & demonstration!

[@snudge9626]

I am keen aged woodworker. I simply would not have entertained the idea of mitreing different width material before. Brilliant no fuss video my friend, thank you.

[@jek4_XD]

nice tip but you could also make it a lot easier by using the same method you used for the big piece, for the smaller piece as well 👍

[@glenthemann]

Yeah screw all the fuss with the tape. Seems more like this was just a promo for the tape

[@MovieViking]

This should have a million likes just for clear and precise explanations and the absence of music - just brilliant!

[@AlAmantea]

HOWEVER, If you are using this trick for trim or baseboard with a profile on it, you have to reverse the second cut because this method cuts the skinny piece from the back side.

[@incub8]

@Al Amantea - Yes! I was going to say something similar: It's important to note the "good" side and back side and be sure to flip the second piece when cutting it. If you are making something like a picture frame (or mirror frame), practice it with some paper and scissors first to make sure you do things in the correct sequence.

[@rb67mustang]

OMG!!! That's Great!!!! This is the first time I've seen this simple and easy trick that's been forgotten. I'm going to save this video for future use.

[@t.c.2776]

Sweet... but that's just one of 4 corners... cutting all 4 sides to the proper length must have a "trick" also...

[@1notgilty]

This is a great tip. Thanks for posting it. I'm sure you have saved lots of frustration and miles of wasted wood.

[@cdb989]

Sorcery before my very eyes

[@monikasaringer1152]

Love to see this done with a hand saw, for those of us that don't have the expensive tools as yet

[@wallacegrommet9343]

I knew and used this method as a window shutter installer 25 years ago, but I definitely needed the refresher course!

[@gilbertguzman4798]

DAMM ...I'M TELLING YOU EVERYTIME I WATCHED ONE OF HIS VIDEOS I'M ALWAYS LEARNING SOMETHING NEW...THANKS 4 THE GREAT TIPS..

[@jodilea144]

Indeed! 🙂

[@plthwaites]

OK. All I'll say is WOW!! Very Nice Indeed!! I will be sure to use this. So simple it's GENIUS. Thanks for this Great Tip.

[@pazmaniaoh6341]

Your new approach to your videos is perfect!

[@FrancisRounding]

My father taught me this bit of sorcery 60 years ago. Handy to have in your bag of tricks.

[@trentcecrle73]

I am amazed yet again. I agree with earlier comments that you don't see this anywhere else. Fantastic job

[@TheWoodworkingCorner]

Awesome video! No second guessing angles. I love the use of the double-sided tape. I actually used double sided tape to tape a small piece of molding to a piece scrap so I could keep my fingers out of the way. Wasn't sure it was going to work so went nice and easy. Sure enough, I got the piece cut with no worries of losing a digit. Nice job.

[@garyolsen3409]

You've got to give people credit. I figured that out the 1st time i was faced with it 45 yrs ago.

[@MrSthomas423]

Great video, concise, shows the end result first. Creators take note!!

[@Tomc8030]

Very nice! I don’t do a lot of woodwork but I’ll almost bet this will work with metal Fabrications

[@davidlan5698]

Thank goodness you took the time to show me this. This really really helps

[@robira1313]

Why, what are you making?

[@radicalrick9587]

*I'm impressed.* *As a gifted prolific inventor, simple things tend to be the best.* *You got yourself a new subscriber here.*

[@AprilAllYear]

Brilliant! I needed to see this. *EVERYONE* need to see this. Thank you.

[@markhedquist9597]

I remembered this video while on the jobsite the other day while installing exterior mounding on a complicated (for me) porch roof addition. Worked like a charm! Thanks!

[@edithbannerman4]

@Hello there, how are you doing this blessed day?

[@traukian]

This is what I call a usefull video, one you can learn from. Thank you.

[@JohnColgan.]

Brilliant and simple to implement.... The magic was you discovering 8t for us !!

[@SpinCreationDesign]

I can’t like this enough. Thanks so much!

[@jthepickle7]

Long ago, way before I became a carpenter, playing with my grandfather's square, I became enthralled at how a 90* square answered opposite lines drawn with it! (I was about 5 and easily entertained)

[@robertdewar1752]

Very nice. Straight to the point, and as others have said, no distracting music etc.

[@gillgetter3004]

Forty years carpenter, and I used that less times than I have fingers. An old timer showed me that when I was apprentice. He also taught me to scribe, and many other things. Which I in turn passed down👍

[@raymonddicker5177]

Thanks for that tip. I have just bought myself a miter saw, and I really appreciate it!

[@patrickarchuleta9594]

Your work is second to none may God continue to bless you and your family outstanding job great attitude.

[@3frogltd987]

Brilliantly simple and effective. You are truly a master teacher. Looking forward to your next lesson.

[@Earthstein]

Holy Woodworker Batman! Seriously, this is such a helpful presentation. Can't wait to buy that double-sided tape! ---- To use making these cuts. Thank you.

[@garylawrence7547]

What I liked better then the miter trick was your dust collection thing on your saw. Thanks.

[@paulipuhakka8788]

Me being a tile guy, I tried it, it worked very well 👍 Thanks for the tip 👍😎

[@MrErViLi]

Good tip. I use a table saw sled and lay the thinner piece on top of the wider piece at 90, clamp it down, and cut them both at the same time. No measuring needed.

[@Teukel-gy7gy]

Simple, slow enough to not get left hehind, and straight to the point. Thank you.

[@srae40]

Amazing, again you make it look so easy, thanks I've been through this issue before. Now I know the straight forward way to have good result.

[@freebornjohn2687]

This is why joinery is so much fun. Thanks

[@Sandroludwig]

Super Nice technique!!! Also like Andy Scott said, nice , no no-sense video. Thanks.

[@bexaminer1]

Good video. That is a great trick. I've got some pretty nice trim I'm using for door casings. There are a couple of doors where one side had to be about an inch less than the rest of the casing. This will let me do the cut the way I want to. I don't know how I was doing it before, but it wasn't as easy as your way.

[@fisher-of-men1547]

Thanks for this revolutionary miter trick ! I'll be adding this to my shop notes for the future. David WoodWorking Made Simpler Ada, MI

[@normanworthy4237]

That is briliant!! I knew where you were going with the geometry, But I have never used double sided tape like that, (I use double sided tape for utter thing,mostly non-woodworking). Even just to stop the cut off going where I don't want it was worth the time to watch it.

[@ApexWoodworks]

I really like how you've done this, as it's faster than the method I use - which is to measure the required angles of both pieces separately. Great video.

[@scottilewis3753]

A great addition would be to show the angle of the first cut (as the improvised fence angle) as well as the natural lying angle of the second piece. As they add up to 90 degrees. Conformation before a final cut of potentially expensive or limited material. Sweet trick.

[@actionjksn]

This is an excellent trick, I will definitely use it. I have needed to do an oddball miter while running trim down some stairs and didn't want to try and figure out the math. What i did was take two small pieces of scrap and placed them in position but had them crossing each other. I then hit them with a couple of small brad nails to hold them together. Then I took a straight edge and made a mark at an angle that met up where it needed to where the outside and inside corners meet up. I put the assembly on my miter saw and cut through the line, making sure the nails were not where the saw blade would hit them. Then I separated the pieces and use those as templates. I did check my work before committing to it and sometimes I have to adjust the angle slightly but not much. It's a kind of crude way to figure out some weird miters but it works accurately and it is fast.

[@kaackster]

great tip using the first piece as an auxiliary fence. I've seen where people mark both pieces and cut lines on boths. I really like this method better.

[@darrylwood1220]

Brilliant! As a carpenter I make a really good bricklayer so learning all the time, thanks

[@JoseAndrade-ic7er]

Great video. One day I know I’ll need this trick and I’ll know to come back here to quickly relearn it.

[@TheYellowDartt]

Very impressed. Love the use of the terminology “Complimentary Angle”. Appropriately done. Instantly subscribed.

[@paulbradford8240]

That was good. I did carpentry at school for a couple of years and loved it, then had to switch to Technical Drawing. I wish someone had told me to become a Carpentry apprenticeship I left school!

[@septimuspretorius250]

Nice Job!!! Great instructions, great demonstration, great presentation. I learned from your video, my friend!!!

[@anthonynagle]

Brilliant ! You are a natural. I have subscribed and hit the bell. Look forward to jumping into your videos as I am about to build a new kitchen. Thank you

[@steponacracker3865]

I can see how this can be used for many different applications (for instance - using scraps to make a table top and the pieces don't all have to be the same width!) This is an awesome video, explained very well, and you now have a new subscriber!

[@fcschoenthal]

That was a genius tip, thanks - Chris

[@gsilcoful]

Thanks!

[@andyaim4764]

Miter? Color? Neighbor? What have done to the English language? It’s MITRE!!

[@demonicsquid7217]

Miter is predominantly used in 🇺🇸 American (US) English ( en-US ) while mitre is predominantly used in 🇬🇧 British English (used in UK/AU/NZ) ( en-GB ). In the United States, there is a preference for "miter" over "mitre" (78 to 22). In the United Kingdom, there is a 91 to 9 preference for "mitre" over "miter".

[@klmbuilders5385]

Excellent tip! I really like the double-sided tape trick. I occasionally place a 3/4 board on my miter saw table and cut two opposing 45° cuts to facilitate cutting steeper miter degrees than the saw is capable of. Up until today I had been gluing the boards on the saw table with CA glue but the tape looks like the way to go! Thanks.

[@edithbannerman4]

@Hello there, how are you doing this blessed day?

[@esrAsnataS]

I don't even do woodwork but love this channel.

[@williamstewart2602]

That was AWESOME! Thank you.

[@SFFXd]

Brilliant technique. I learned something new today , thank you

[@timothyweiss619]

Great technique , i never would have thought of that. Thanks

[@bentonbain2916]

Excellent way. Another way is to put wider board on the bottom the other board on top of the other at 90* ( with a sacrificial board supporting the upper board) and clamp them so they can not move, then line up the miter saw to connect the 2 corners and when you cut you have a perfect match that are 90*

[@andrewbrown8148]

Wow, that's a great technique~! Thanks much~!