Daft question but is this the right way to cut mitres.

[Corset]

I have been cutting homemade strips of veneer 2mm by 10mm and upto 300mm long, to form a mitred border around a door for decoration.
I originally started cutting the mitres with a saw and then paring them to exactly to fit. However after 2hours of precision it occured to cut the knifed line with a sharp chisel and a big tap from a mallet works very well.
As i have not done this before and the latter mathod seems to so well i am wondering if i am starting down the dark path of incorrect technique??
So is that ok or very bad :twisted: ?
Owen

 

[PowerTool]

If it works,then it must be good.
Same principle as the mitre trimmers that picture-framers use,isn't it ?

Andrew

 

[engineer one]

normal practice that i was taught was to overlap the corner, and then cut through both with a knife to ensure a smooth joint. a bit wasteful, but none the less easy and accurate.

paul :wink:

 

[Corset]

That sounds likes its worth trying as well. Many thanks.
Owen

 

[Gill]

I used the same method as Paul when I was cutting veneers to make mitred joints for the frame of marquetry pictures. It is very accurate indeed, especially if you use a craft knife or (even better) a surgeon's scalpel running along a steel rule. Take your time and make the cut in several passes, cutting a little deeper with each pass. This will give you a perfect fit.

Gill

 

[woodbloke]

normal practice that i was taught was to overlap the corner, and then cut through both with a knife to ensure a smooth joint. a bit wasteful, but none the less easy and accurate.

paul :wink:

Paul - this is the time honoured way of cutting them, however the thickness of the knife blade used and the bevel on it produces a cut which is not square so the mitres don't pull up. Better I think to cut them individually with a single bevel blade where the flat side is held dead upright against a thick straight edge - Rob

 

[Gill]

Dead right, Rob. That's the advantage of using a very thin knife such as a craft knife or scalpel when you use the method Paul outlined. A chisel or Stanley-type knife won't do a decent job.

Gill

 

[engineer one]

rob, i agree about the double bevel, but also feel that if you use a scalpel, or one of those razor blades that you can still buy for paint clear up, it is better than the after effects of cutting the pieces too small.

you could always call it a shadow line :lol: :twisted:

i agree that after practice, maybe creeping up on the joint will work, but when you start out, you want to finish things, and thus maybe work more quickly and make more slight errors.

but like all these things, practice is the only thing which helps

paul :wink:

 

[woodbloke]

rob, i agree about the double bevel, but also feel that if you use a scalpel, or one of those razor blades that you can still buy for paint clear up, it is better than the after effects of cutting the pieces too small.

you could always call it a shadow line :lol: :twisted:

i agree that after practice, maybe creeping up on the joint will work, but when you start out, you want to finish things, and thus maybe work more quickly and make more slight errors.

but like all these things, practice is the only thing which helps

paul :wink:

Paul - when I did a bit of work in a professional 'shop I happened to mention this way of cutting thru' both at the same time (as it was the way I had always done it) and I received a very long, sideways, derogatory look from my then boss, who obviously thought ....'muppet' . I was told to buy one of these squares and had to cut them individually with a single bevelled knife. Even a very thin bladed scalpel which I thought might be acceptable was met with a derisory shake of the head ....one lives and one certainly learns - Rob

 

[engineer one]

i agree rob that we live and learn, i think however one of the major problems is getting your head round the correct lengths.

rather like cutting skirting for external joints, rather than scribing it for the inner corners. the first joint is easy, but you have to make each piece longer than is required and kind of creep up on it from the second cut onward.

as i said before practice

also i remember that one of the fixes for many boxes is not having the corners at exactly 45 degrees each, so using an accurate mitre square may not be the answer either. :?

i think the idea is get used to working the old fashioned way, and then when confident try other techniques. but then i have never done this in a pro shop.

it's rather like using one of those card cutting kits with the mitred blades etc for mounting photos and posters etc. the first time you wonder how it is all going to work, but after a couple of wasted lengths of card you seem to get it until the next time. :roll:

paul :wink:

 

[CarlC]

Sorry to go a little bit off topic, but can someone show me what a veneer looks like please?

Thanks

CarlC

 

[engineer one]

haven't got a link, but in most cases we are i think talking about the iron on edging that you can buy in 25 mm or so widths and various lengths.

as well as woods like oak, cherry etc, you can also buy it in white to edge mfc boards.

veneers however are generally sheets of wood which are peeled by a special machine off of tree logs. they need gluing on using normally scotch glue etc.

someone will be along to give you a link.

paul :wink:

 

[Colin C]

Sorry to go a little bit off topic, but can someone show me what a veneer looks like please?

Thanks

CarlC

Hi Carl

Try Here for some veneer ( that is cherry )

 

[promhandicam]

I would have thought that if you cut the veneer from the back it wouldn't really matter if the knife blade had a bevel as the two front faces would meet perfectly. In fact I would have thought that this would be easier to get a good clean joint.

Steve

 

[Joe90]

The best link for veneers is
http://winwood-products.com/eng/Timber- ... panels.htm

They have over 230 species and some very decorative cuts... loads of nice ones there...

Cheers
Joe

 

[woodbloke]

I would have thought that if you cut the veneer from the back it wouldn't really matter if the knife blade had a bevel as the two front faces would meet perfectly. In fact I would have thought that this would be easier to get a good clean joint.

Steve

......until you start to sand the joint it and you gradually see it becoming wider and wider . IMO, they need to be cut square and then there's no problem either way - Rob

 

[promhandicam]

I would have thought that if you cut the veneer from the back it wouldn't really matter if the knife blade had a bevel as the two front faces would meet perfectly. In fact I would have thought that this would be easier to get a good clean joint.

Steve

......until you start to sand the joint it and you gradually see it becoming wider and wider . IMO, they need to be cut square and then there's no problem either way - Rob

Good point Rob - I didn't think of that. Oh well, back to the drawing board :?

Steve

 

[Colin C]

Paul - when I did a bit of work in a professional 'shop I happened to mention this way of cutting thru' both at the same time (as it was the way I had always done it) and I received a very long, sideways, derogatory look from my then boss, who obviously thought ....'muppet' . I was told to buy one of these squares and had to cut them individually with a single bevelled knife. Even a very thin bladed scalpel which I thought might be acceptable was met with a derisory shake of the head ....one lives and one certainly learns - Rob

Hi Rob

I used to use ( and still do ) your first way of doing my joints on veneer plus for bookmatch tops.

I have seen all of my work mates do it this way but I guess that some people see that they is just one way of doing some jobs :?

By the way I also use a veneer saw that I made myself for alot of my cutting