Saturday 11 April 2015

Mitre Joint

The mitre joint is another one of those woodwork joints that is almost as easy to construct and make as a butt joint. Even though it is similar to a butt joint this joint is marginally stronger and has much greater aesthetics.

The reason why this type of joint is stronger and more appealing than a butt joint is because the ends are cut at a 45° angle and then glued together, this creates better surface area for adhesive to be applied while also concealing the end grain giving it a nice flush look.

The best results for these joints are achieved by cutting the angle of the joint with a drop saw instead of a hand saw, this creates very straight and neat edges.

The mitre joint is very common on picture frames because there is no end grain showing and they don't require much holding strength. Sometimes a frame made from this type of joint is used to attach or cover the edges of wood panelling.

Step 1: The first thing you do is draw 45° line where you want your mitre joints to be.  If you have a drop saw or sawing block you should not need to draw the lines.

Step 2: Now either cut along the lines with a hand saw or drop saw but remember if using a drop saw you can usually adjust it to a 45° angle and if using a sawing block it should have a 45°  slot for mitre joints.

Step 3: After the joints have been cut check them to see if they are accurate and then join the joint together with an adhesive and leave it to dry.  If the joint is not reasonably accurate or if ti is cut at the wrong angle the ends will not fit together properly.


No comments:

Post a Comment