How do I make good miter cuts?

You're Welcome Maggie! When I was a young lad, age 5 I had a 'Little Carpenters Toolbox' which of course had a Miter Box. It lasted 30 or so years and was exemplatory of the fact: most Miter Boxes no matter how junky they are, are usually good enough to make a Much Better Miter Box out of 1 quantity 3"×48"×.75" if that is the first project you build.

However you do not need a Miter Box to make a Miter Box.

There are ways and handyman tricks online to make that Homemade Miter Box by aligning your T-Square Measures, such as:

A. aligning 3" Horizontal to 3" Vertical will always create a perfect 3" 90° Angle for Framing

Or

B. More Specifically Algebraically x marks the spots on the Horizontal and Vertical being the Height of the Board Will always Enable a Frame to make, by 4 cuts made the same on any height of any HWD measured Board.

Also x*y as 90° To 0° relies on y from 0" to Height such as y is % of 90°.

Rotating the Board rather than the °Degrees makes deducing that percentage as y alot easier for Making your Marks.

Method B is useful more than a Mitre Box ever can be, because you have a Much greater Diversity of Shapes you can make by a General rule:

360°/Sides your desired geom. Has will always be the actual degrees you need to cut.

Thus Height*y=360/Sides tells you your y% enough to get your measurement for xy.

For example: a nonagon with 9 sides needs a 40° cut but a Square needs a 90° Cut.

Thus 40° has 4/9 =y of the Height than 90° by x=90 Divisions of Board Height all the Time.

A Circle However needs a Radius and a Pencil on a String attached to a Nail will always have a String outstretched enough that the Point of the Nail to the Pencil Point will always be the Radius.

So basically Maggie, when you learn this and do it alot and enough to remember that you do not need a Miter Box atall.

And Generally, my miter box weighs nothing atall because I keep mine in my noggin'.

Thanks Cindy! I think you hit the nail on the head ... once I get the hang of using it ... I need to JUST DO IT and figure it out by actually doing it. Thanks for your feedback!!

Deanna, I love the video — it’s GOLDEN! He makes it look so easy. I like that I also saw why and how to use a coping saw. Thanks for providing this how-to video!