Elementary Mitre Box

by Martin Balák

34K19017

Intro: Elementary Mitre Box

A mitre box is a wood working tool used to guide a hand saw to make precise and fast mitre cuts in a board. The mitrebox is lightweight and portable. It's a good tool for smaller mitring jobs.

STEP 1: Tools and Materials

A miter box could hardly be simpler, consisting as it does of only three pieces – front, back, and bottom.

You will need:
- about 1 meter wooden board
- hand saw
- square angle tool
- nails or bolts

Cut wooden board into three equal length boards and connect the boards together using nails or bolts.

STEP 2: Marking

Measure the outer width of the mitre box and take the first mark

Apply the measured width to the length of one edge and make a second mark.

Create 45 ° degree angle by connecting opposite marks.



STEP 3: Cutting

Make a cut along the three marks using your hand saw. Try to be as precise as possible. To make your mitre box pretty sand it or paint it as you wish.

STEP 4: Use

Now we can use it to create frame images or canvas frame and a lot of other things. Here's an example of creating frame for a canvas.

I hope your new mitre box will be of a good service in lots of creative projects.

STEP 5: Use in the Kitchen.

For example, you can slice of bread with a miter box, or almost any other sliceable food that'll fit into it.
More on the https://www.instructables.com/id/Bread-and-mitre-box/

15 Comments

eyerobot 8 years ago

I don't mean to be a buzz kill. But there is literally no mention of the measurements used. What distance between the marks creates a 45 degree angle?

JoshuaB64 8 years ago

Easy and quick! I made a few more miter box add ons and its great!

JoeI2 8 years ago

This is what I was looking for. I looked for "simple" Miter box. I too am concerned about how to free hand the 'precise as possible' cuts.

R.JStorey (Rodders) 8 years ago

older 'ible , I know, but I agree that cutting carefully to make the box (from scrap wood, for example) , would allow you to cut with relative impunity, and ease if you had a large number of mitred cuts to make .

RoeyLeon 9 years ago

Great Instructable dude! I'm trying to build it now, and all your work helped me a lot
Thanks!

lime3D 10 years ago

How do you keep the saw perpendicular when making the cuts? You say "try to be precise as possible". The whole point of a miter box is to create precise cuts, so your box has to be perfect, or all the wood you cut with it will be off.

I understand the whole "maker" thing, but there are companies with factories that offer precise tools cheap enough that you don't need to make them yourself. Here's one that includes the saw!

modelove 10 years ago

... but the real "essence" of the instructables is "do it yourself". To be honest I prefer a home-made wood miter box than the plastic one... even it doesn't include the saw :-)

lime3D 10 years ago

You didn't answer the question. How do you make precise cuts in the first place?

alcurb 9 years ago

I think you are right. If you can precisely cut the miter box with a hand saw, you should be able to precisely cut a frame without using the miter. Now, had a friend's table power saw with precise angle adjustments were to be used to make the precision cuts to build the miter box, that would be another story. There is nothing new about this diy. This is something as old and common as building a birdhouse.

Martin Balák 10 years ago

You have to cut precise as possible and slowly (exactly as lines). Every handyman can do it precise as plastic miter box.

modelove 10 years ago

this afternoon i made my own miter box... thanks!

djones73 10 years ago

Reminds me of making frames and such with my dad and his wooden miter box. Thanks!

vincent7520 10 years ago

What do you mean "cheap" mitre box. It's certainly not. It basic or elementary if you wish. Definitely not cheap !!!…

I vote as you revived simple tools that are as relevant to day as before.

Martin Balák 10 years ago

It's completely true. I renamed my tutorial.

Thank you for voting.