How to Cut Angles With a Miter Box
- 1). Clamp the miter box to a work bench or saw horse with a C-clamp or vice to hold it in place. Put the wood to be cut inside the miter box and align the pencil mark with the saw blade slots in the fences.
- 2). Measure the wood to the desired length at both corners of the 45-degree angle to be cut. Baseboard and moulding only needs to be measured at the outside corner, or longer length of the finished side.
- 3). Mark the cutting angle with a pencil. Scribe the pencil mark along the edge that will be facing up when the board is placed in the miter box.
- 4). Put on goggles or shielded safety glasses. Slip the blade of a backsaw teeth down into the slots of the miter box that align with the 45-degree angle to be cut in the wood. Hold the wood firmly against the back edge or floor of the box. Lift the back end of the saw and cut with a forward motion and a slightly downward angle.
- 5). Blow sawdust away to prevent it from hiding the pencil mark as you make the cut. Slow down the sawing motion for the final portion of the cut to avoid splintering the wood.
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