Whats old is new again

[cpowell]

For three days now I have been trying to make a picture frame. I have this nice new table saw. I could not cut an accurate 45 degree angle. I tried everything. I watched videos on youtube. I cut and cut and figure and figured. I tried making a sled. No good. I tried squaring the blade, no good. Finally I realized that there is slop in the miter guide. No, not in the angles but in the part that slips in the guide grooves.
Okay, go to plan B; Harbor Freight bandsaw. Stilll no good. Can't get a straight cut. Tried everything. There is too much slop in every part of it. It'll be okay for re-sawing but nothing that requires much precision.
Okay, go to plan C; The router. it's no good to me for this even though I watched videos on using a router. I'm not experienced enough to do this I guess. Who knew you could cut with a router?
Okay, go to plan D; the backup saw, my old, probably 40 year old radial arm saw. It is old, half worn out, has slop in it and is doing good to cut a straight line. I went to it and began to give it some TLC that it has been needing. It's been sitting for about five years since I bought it at a garage sale for $25. I've never cut more than a straight line with it and figured that was all it was good for. Even then there was anywhere from an eighth inch to quarter inch give in it. You just had to take your chances from day to day.
I oiled it up, tightened it up and began to cut. I adjusted the degree it cuts, when it says 45 it really means about 42 or so. After many practice cuts and adjustments I finally got a decent 45 degree angle. From my old worn out Sears Craftsman Radial Arm. It out did the newer, much, much newer, Ryobi table saw.
I'm proud of that old girl, old as she is.

[JimSawyer]

Aw,
You just gave me a warm fuzzy..

Your little buddy hung in there and waited for you give it a little TLC...

You rescued it from the junkyard and it will be more loyal to you for that...hehehe

[cpowell]

Ha ha ha yeah; gave me a warm fuzzy too! ha ha ha

[GladeFade]

I fixed the slop in mine by taking a center punch and making a series of punches down the side of the tongue of the miter gage. Then if it was too much I hit the punch spot with a file lightly. It is now nice and tight in the slot.
Bill

[Wood Dog]

Well I guess you really wanted to make that picture frame.......persistence paid off for ya. Good job.
@ Bill.........thanks for sharing that punch tip.

[cpowell]

Yeah, I really want to learn to make my own frames. I'm stilll trying to get it right. I'm almost, but not exactly there. Making lots of kindling though.
I'll give that punch tip a try. I'd really like to use the new saw but there are about 5 degrees slop in it which means it could be 5 degrees one way on one end and 5 in the other. I keep trying but boy, have I learned a bunch this past 6 months!

[tdub4ever]

A good investment for me was a dual bevel miter saw. I have yet to have any problems making frames or shadow boxes. Perfect cut every time! Don

[evilbadger]

Glad you got the radial arm saw working again. If you have 5 degrees of slop in the new saw then something has to be wrong with it. You said you made a sled did you make your own runner to fit the miter slot on the table? A sled when made properly should give you excellent results. I'm not a big fan of Ryobi tools because of all the slop they allow but 5 degrees on a table saw seems kind of excessive. I agree with Don a compound miter saw is the saw I usually go with for making frames. The router can be used also but the setup can sometimes try your patience.

The most important thing is you are trying and learning from your mistakes. Keep having fun and eventually you will get a perfect frame.

[cpowell]

The Ryobi slop is in their miter guide, not the saw itself; it cuts perfect. My complaint about it is that the runner is much thinner than the slot and allows the guide to angle. Today I'll try the idea with the center punch and see if that would help.
I know that I'll eventually have to break down and buy a miter saw but for now I can't afford it. Even at Harbor Freight. ha ha
It's also a challenge for me and keeps me busy while my wife catches up with her staining and prettying up what I have already cut.

[Rolf]

I recently bought a new Kreg miter gauge I also Have an Incra miter gauge both have adjustments for slop in the tracks. I really like the Kreg with the pins at critical angles.
You also have to make sure that your blade is parallel to the miter slot.
Kreg™ Precision Miter Gauge System - Rockler Woodworking Tools

[cpowell]

Success!!!

Perseverance pays off, I guess.

Now I can't remember who to thank but it was suggested that I use a center punch on that miter guide to spread it out a little. I remembered this morning and gave it a try. It didn't work out so well because either I wasn't hitting it hard enough or there was just too much spring in the table for it to work. I took it out and put it on the cement and gave it a few whacks. It spread right out, yes, I tried it after each whack.
Anyway now it works great and I thought I would post a couple of pics just to prove I had figured it out. Especially after all the complaining I've done on here.
Thanks everyone for their input!!!

[Stoney]

Cutting accurate miters on the best of equipment sometimes requires some

tweaking. A fraction of a degree off and the joints will not fit properly. A sharp

blade is a must. Also in the case of frame making the two parallel members have

to be exactly the same length. Making frames is one task that requires patience,

persistance, and accuracy. Good luck!!! You can do this.

[sawman101]

Miters shouldn't be hard, but even with everything as it should be, my saw cuts were not perfect. When I placed the 2 45 degree cut pieces together, there was a gap. ????? Then I realized I had a glue line rip blade mounted in my table saw. Switched to a combination blade and my frames lined up as they should. I am now sure to have the correct blade mounted before making sawdust. A rip blade will not cut true in any cross cutting angle.

[journeyman]

Old tools never die. They just lay there patiently, waitng for a helping hand to get them going again. Well done, hope the frame making goes well for you. I'm pretty useless at frame making. Maybe I ought to take a leaf outa your book and tweek my compound cut saw up a bit.
Mick

[cpowell]

I just checked and it was Glade Fade to whom I owe the thanks for the center punch idea. Thanks Glade, it didn't work exactly but it was close enough that I took another idea at it and that worked!