Cross-cutting a 50 degree angle

[Jerome Ranch]

Okay Saturday morning mental workout..I know you guys have done this before.

I'm building some dog agility equipment..an aframe now, and I need, at the apex, a 2x4 xcut to 50 degrees. My miter box only goes to 45, and the taper jig on my table saw only does much more acute angles. How do I "safely" cut the 50 angle?

The only thought I have is to do it "manually" with my portable power saw and use a guide. I assume that someone has a designed a jig to do this task on miter boxes and table saws.

Thanks Jerry

[Stoutman]

Make a 5 degree wedge that you can put on your miter gauge (set to 45) and make the cut.

[Morris Dovey]

Or you could make a 90-degree wedge (any rectangle of appropriate size would work) and set your TS miter gauge to 40 degrees.

-- Morris Dovey DeSoto Solar DeSoto, Iowa USA

[B A R R Y]

What he said, except make it 30 to 45 degrees and make it more useful in the future. Write the angle on the wedge for quick identification.

Be aware that you'll have to pre-trim the ends, as the cutoff end won't have a place to go. You can do this quickly with a circular saw, as the angle doesn't need to be perfect. You'll also need a helper or adjustable height workstand to hold the work, as it will no longer sit on the table.

[Doug Miller]

Protractor. Pencil. Portable circular saw.

It doesn't have to be precise; you're not making a piano, after all. Use a speed square for a guide, if you can't follow a pencil mark cleanly with the circular saw.

[Just Wondering]

Set your miter gauge at 45 degrees, then turn your thermostat up another

5 degrees.

[bridgerfafc]

All of the other responses you've gotten are wrong ; )

the ONLY way to do this is with a tablesaw sled.

[Lee Gordon]

Maybe I'm missing something here, but if you want to cut a 50 degree angle on the end of a 2x4, just set your miter gauge to 40 degrees and put the board in upside down, make the cut, flip the board back over, and -- Bob's your uncle -- there's your 50 degree cut.

Lee

[B A R R Y]

I think you're absolutely right!

I always remember my wedges, 'cause my blade only tilts one way. If the blade will remain 90 degrees to the table, there's no need for the wedge!

At least somebody around here can see the forest through the trees...

[Lowell Holmes]

I've been biting my tongue. Eight responses and no one has mentioned "Mark it with a bevel gauge and cut it with a handsaw". Several years back, I took some hand tool classes because I couldn't make a simple cut with hand tools. I still use my power tools for most things, but for this one I would either cut it with my "skill saw" or with my daddy's (r.i.p.) crosscut Disston. If the joint needed to be true, a belt sander or handplane with a shooting board will finish it just fine. I also might use my bandsaw for the cut.

Just couldn't resist :-)

[B A R R Y]

Maybe he dosen't have a bevel gauge (including a way to set it) and handsaw?

It sounded like a person who had a specific task, making dog thingies, and possibly one tool available. My brother, father, and brother-in-law, have been in exactly the same situation. They can care less if they ever see another piece of wood, so they borrow or rent a miter saw to complete the task.

Also, I'll bet most of us would find that it's actually a lot easier to find a miter saw to borrow than a decent hand saw, bevel gauge, and some sort of device to set the bevel gauge. Think about your average "handy" neighbors, and what they actually own for tools.

[Lowell Holmes]

Point well taken, but you can buy them all at Lowes or HD for not much money. As far as a device to set the bevel gage, a cheap plastic protractor will suffice. A little highschool trig and a ruler will do also. A speed square will provide the angle as well.

It's just more fun to fire up the power tools to do the job. I have a shop full of power tools and they are good ones with Forrest blades. It's just that some things are done more efficiently and quickly by hand.

[Toller]

Can you change the mating piece to make 45 fit? Haven't seen your design, but it ought to be possible.

[B A R R Y]

You've never seen my brother or father with a hand saw.

[Jerome Ranch]

Thanks for the great ideas to solve my problem. I do have lots of tools..but as we all know..frequently its not the tools that make the project, its how you plan and execute. I was overthinking this one..looking for a "power" solution, when a simple fix was what I was after. This is NOT a furniture grade project..so I measured the angle with a protractor, and hand cut with my portable saw...perfect.

Sometimes I get to thinking inside the table saw/miter saw box and see those tools as the only fix

Thanks Jerry