How To Cut Perfect Long Miters on the Table Saw – Woodworking

How To Cut Perfect Long Miters on the Table Saw – Woodworking

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Three key factors to successfully cutting clean miters:
1 – Well tuned saw. Doesn’t matter how expensive your saw is, as long as it’s aligned properly
2 – SHARP blade. This is critical. If the blade isn’t sharp, it’ll overheat and deflect and ruin the cut. I made a video on how I sharpen my own blades: https://youtu.be/zHtVT-phN5I
3 – Zero clearance insert, mostly for safety sake. The offcuts from a bevel cut are wedge shaped and if one gets jammed in an open gap next to the blade, kickback can result.
I like to recut my miters even if they fit well on the first pass. That reduces the stress on the saw and results in a cleaner cut when using a sharp blade. Start with parts that are slightly oversized and fine tune the fit as shown in the video.
On September 26th, with a Master of Architecture Degree from Harvard University, Frank Howarth from The Makers Mob will be launching a new woodworking design series. In this 4 week woodworking series Frank will cover everything that you need to know to understand the fundamentals of woodworking design.

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50 Comments

  1. pierrette peyrat on March 17, 2022 at 5:27 pm

    F



  2. Fresno Glass on March 17, 2022 at 5:28 pm

    Are you able to make a cut like that with a 2×4? To get a big slanted piece?



  3. HotSnow50 on March 17, 2022 at 5:29 pm

    Hello, Sir. I new to woodworking and am still getting used to my new table saw. In your video here, I noticed you don’t use the Riving Knife on your saw. As you are making tutorial videos, I wanted to ask you, is there a point in a woodworkers progress where he will naturally stop using the Riving Knife?



  4. Adriano Como on March 17, 2022 at 5:30 pm

    Sei un grande!!! Il mio miglior aiuto per i miei lavori. Complimenti.



  5. 20Zuzulec on March 17, 2022 at 5:31 pm

    Sir please, use some stick to push wood forward on table saw. Even if you have 30y experience you probably still can cut off your fingers only once, but you can brake as many sticks as you want to.



  6. Bmilk on March 17, 2022 at 5:32 pm

    Thanks guru ❤️



  7. rob bacon on March 17, 2022 at 5:32 pm

    Im going to be building a couple newel posts, i planned on finish nailing the corners. Should i wait until the glue dries?



  8. Gregg B on March 17, 2022 at 5:32 pm

    Hahaha…
    sir that taping of your joints (as a mocking up of sorts) is nothing short of “freaking genius”…

    I am by no means anything close to a “master wood woodworker”, and most likely that little trick is not a secret…,
    I am a 58yrs young intermittent wood worker, (yes if I have seen the “strap clamp” devices used to glue up a box or picture frame…,
    but this is the first time I have ever seen this taping trick.

    Great video,
    Thank you sir.



  9. Kevin Brandt on March 17, 2022 at 5:33 pm

    Thanks for that tip with using a screwdriver to close the seam on the joint. I don’t always get as tight a joint as I want, so I think this will make it’s way into my arsenal of "ways to conceal my mistakes" lol



  10. sclSolitarium on March 17, 2022 at 5:34 pm

    Outstanding tutorial. You just confirmed how I need to upgrade from my current, cheap table saw.

    Total gangster how you confidently run those cuts through with your hand. I’ve been around cabinetry all my life but still have a serious fear of slipping on the pass



  11. WoodBeard on March 17, 2022 at 5:35 pm

    If u put tape on the inside edges u will not have glue on the wood inside the box..
    Nice vid! Thanks



  12. AK Adventurer on March 17, 2022 at 5:36 pm

    Your definition of long and mine are two different animals. I’d call what yoh did an average length for boxes. I’m getting ready to do 7′ and 8′ joints and figuring out how to keep it all straight and true is driving me nuts!

    But thanks for the video anyway, any refresher on concept and practice is Always nice!



  13. Homer’s Customs on March 17, 2022 at 5:36 pm

    No you have plans showing how you made your table saw?



  14. Bill Dodson on March 17, 2022 at 5:39 pm

    Great step by step– thank you. How much will tabletop flatness affect this cut? I guess I’ll find out soon haha



  15. Paul Farr on March 17, 2022 at 5:40 pm

    Great video! I need a zero clearance for my saw now.



  16. yousif ben on March 17, 2022 at 5:41 pm

    great job



  17. Tempest on March 17, 2022 at 5:41 pm

    As I said to a girl I once knew: "that’s a nice box"



  18. itorIamop on March 17, 2022 at 5:42 pm

    Better idea now of the miters’s world! Will help for my current project. Thanks for those tips!



  19. Denise Wascavage on March 17, 2022 at 5:42 pm

    Thank you ,Thank You,Thank You! I finally did it I’ve watched video after video and I just watched your video and I followed everything you did and it worked! I can’t believe it.
    I went so far as to make a box inside a box inside a box and they look great!!
    Now if you could just teach me Dovetail’s.
    Thanks Denise



  20. sarbjeet bakshi on March 17, 2022 at 5:45 pm

    Thank you so much



  21. Jawell Nofine on March 17, 2022 at 5:45 pm

    Thanks a mil, I always struggled with cutting perfect 45 degree joints.



  22. optimus on March 17, 2022 at 5:45 pm

    Watching this sample box come together was one of the best wood working vids ive been in a long time



  23. John Clyde on March 17, 2022 at 5:45 pm

    I recently bought my first table saw and have taken up woodwork as a COVID hobby. I have been watching dozens of good videos to learn how to use it and I want to thank you for your excellent ‘how to videos’. I enjoy your presentation style, the things you have learnt from experience and the information you gave learners like me.



  24. chrisfn david on March 17, 2022 at 5:46 pm

    This would wind up costing me about two bucks, and about three weekends to get this same result.



  25. Mark Macauley on March 17, 2022 at 5:48 pm

    Thanks for the great video John. I learned a lot and enjoyed hanging out with you.



  26. Yehuda Goldberg on March 17, 2022 at 5:48 pm

    I’ve always had problems making miter cuts on the table saw. Primarily, the joints are not tight in the middle. I could never figure out why that is.



  27. John Heisz - I Build It on March 17, 2022 at 5:48 pm

    Join the Makers Mob! https://rlnk.cc/frankhowarthanjohnheizs
    Three key factors to successfully cutting clean miters:
    1 – Well tuned saw. Doesn’t matter how expensive your saw is, as long as it’s aligned properly
    2 – SHARP blade. This is critical. If the blade isn’t sharp, it’ll overheat and deflect and ruin the cut. I made a video on how I sharpen my own blades: https://youtu.be/zHtVT-phN5I
    3 – Zero clearance insert, mostly for safety sake. The offcuts from a bevel cut are wedge shaped and if one gets jammed in an open gap next to the blade, kickback can result.
    I like to recut my miters even if they fit well on the first pass. That reduces the stress on the saw and results in a cleaner cut when using a sharp blade. Start with parts that are slightly oversized and fine tune the fit as shown in the video.
    On September 26th, with a Master of Architecture Degree from Harvard University, Frank Howarth from The Makers Mob will be launching a new woodworking design series. In this 4 week woodworking series Frank will cover everything that you need to know to understand the fundamentals of woodworking design.



  28. Adam on March 17, 2022 at 5:49 pm

    This works up to 45*. What about when you need more than that? I have a jig where I hold my board up vertically. 45* becomes 45*+x. Anyway, I think it would be worth covering how you measure the pieces out. I think that’s my main weakness. If I am trying to create perfect miters, on correctly cut boards I often somehow screw it up after adding the miter cut.



  29. Ted Cavanaugh on March 17, 2022 at 5:52 pm

    Thank you for this!! Exactly what I needed to learn for an upcoming project!!



  30. David Buchan on March 17, 2022 at 5:53 pm

    I would say that was perfect too John – well done. Excellent tutorial. Can you come to London and calibrate my tools… one day they’re good, next day they’re not… driving me nuts.



  31. Salty Dawg on March 17, 2022 at 5:53 pm

    im joining two 1×4 along their length to make a " T " post and i want to cut the top of the post at an angle but my miter cant make that deep of a cut.. it will only go about half way through.. how do i cut an angle at the top of my post?
    love your videos and watching you make your projects



  32. colin oreilly on March 17, 2022 at 5:55 pm

    just brilliant thank you for sharing.



  33. raquel mazzetti2000 on March 17, 2022 at 5:55 pm

    you talk a lot about the other special



  34. Bob Sitchenko on March 17, 2022 at 5:55 pm

    Hello my friend would you consider using several boards against your fence? You are correct, must have 90 degrees on all edges. Trial and error you cut your 45 degree into your fence. Trial and error and adjustments to your fence and blade height and your rate of speed may give you a no tear out since the blade is inside your fence …. Note: you must be at a minus 45 degree (1-2 degree). I had to make several cubes for a NYCity designer and I also burnished my edges using a screwdriver, lightly. I’ll be 71 yrs old this week, Dec 6,2020…My very best to you and whoever reads this…Bob



  35. Ben Winchester on March 17, 2022 at 5:55 pm

    I like the screwdriver trick! Does it work on solid wood that has crosscut miters?



  36. Tinmania on March 17, 2022 at 5:59 pm

    I don’t remember if this issue was addressed in the video so I’m just going to add it anyways.
    Along with e sharp tools, tuning saws and so forth, if you want truly perfect results, whether it miters or strait cuts, you have to start with perfectly flat and square material. They are all links in the same chain.
    A good jointer and planer, very helpful.



  37. chad leimgruber on March 17, 2022 at 5:59 pm

    I loved that video I love wood working and audio



  38. CrustyCurmudgeon on March 17, 2022 at 5:59 pm

    Clear Cut TS Stock Guides from JessEm are a big help in keeping cuts like this secure against the fence and flush to the table, while keeping your fingers away from the blade. They’ve become invaluable to me since I’ve installed them.



  39. heyRalph on March 17, 2022 at 6:01 pm

    Don’t want to get glue in here and find out it won’t go together!!
    Let us not be hasty…..



  40. Charles Reicks on March 17, 2022 at 6:02 pm

    Good tips Thanks



  41. Erwin Miñano on March 17, 2022 at 6:03 pm

    What model of work benchsaw



  42. ThibautVDP on March 17, 2022 at 6:03 pm

    this is so smooth i can barely believe it! beautiful to watch and listen to.



  43. Ankit Kul. on March 17, 2022 at 6:04 pm

    Where is your riving knife?



  44. Tatu Gatere on March 17, 2022 at 6:08 pm

    Thank you!



  45. LDB84 on March 17, 2022 at 6:12 pm

    Greetings John, I’ve watched a lot of your videos and I always wonder what the hell is that mechanism on top of your table saw fence? If you have a vid of it please share. By the way HUGE thumbs up for all of your creativity and the way you get things done by making it yourself, amazing to watch.



  46. Paul Fasse on March 17, 2022 at 6:12 pm

    You are a true professional. With that said it scares the hell out of me, as you guide those pieces past that blade.



  47. MIDHUN SOMAN MIDHUN SOMAN on March 17, 2022 at 6:14 pm

    Sir how to make it



  48. Paul Ruud on March 17, 2022 at 6:18 pm

    This is a great example of John’s particular strengths. Cutting long miters _does_ require skill and most people don’t even attempt them, or give up and move on. John figured out, long ago, a reliable method and then remembers today that it would be useful to break this down for others. What an excellent contribution to woodworking education.



  49. JeffBullTech on March 17, 2022 at 6:26 pm

    Super helpful!! Thank you. I have a beautiful piece of dark walnut I bought a while back hoping for it to inspire me. I have a couple additional tools as Christmas gifts (Tablesaw, etc.) i’ve been wanting to make a pretty box as a starting point for my journey into more complex joinery and woodworking in general. Really appreciate you showing how to set up a tablesaw for these sort of miter cuts.

    I’ll look through your other videos to to get a better idea of how to cut that rabbit, because that’s something I don’t have a lot of experience with



  50. Greg Veit on March 17, 2022 at 6:26 pm

    This is good. I wonder if your table saw sound is turned down or if there are really saws that are that quiet? (doubt it)