Projects - Working with Wood

[Kitsune]

I can't build anything out of wood to save my life, but I'm determined to figure this out. I mean, I couldn't even build a simple birdhouse if I wanted to -- none of the cuts I make ever turn out straight enough to permit proper assembly. I'm working with small pieces of wood, 1/2" dowels and such, and nothing I try works. I've gone through a number of saws, miter boxes, and techniques with no success. I thought I had it with a recent find -- an X-Acto saw and miter set. There's no way I could get anything but a straight, exact cut with this thing, right?



Even on the very first attempt, the saw drifts, chews right through the miter box, and the cut ends up off enough that everything ends up crooked. It doesn't look like much in the above picture, but repeated over and over again, the miter box ends up in a really bad way -- I've destroyed two of the things to date. What am I doing wrong, here?

[glatt]

That miter box is obviously a hunk of junk. And dowels are hard to work because they are round. It's hard to support them properly.

My only suggestion is to practice having your shoulder and elbow and hand and saw all in exactly the same plane so that when you move the saw it's going in a straight line and isn't being moved to the side at all. You really need to stand to the side of your cut line so that your shoulder lines up with the cut.

Also Jorgenson makes a nice hand powered miter saw. It's a little expensive compared to that Xacto thing, but you will have an easier time with it.

Edit: If you get the Jorgensen saw, you'll need a clamp to hold it on the table.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Xacto saws aren't made for cutting anything thicker than small pieces of balsa.