It doesn't seem like this should be that hard, but I am a beginner. I am installing toe kicks on cabinets. Toe kick wood is 4.5" H and 1/2" thick. The toe kicks are plain flat wood (no fancy molding). I have several angles which I need to deal with. For example, the first angle is around 130 degrees. How do I calculate what angles I need to cut the 2 toe kicks at? Do I need only mitre cuts or bevel and mitre cuts? I am using a compound mitre saw.
Here is a rendition of the first angle (approx 130 degrees):
I'd set a miter saw to the angle between cabinets. Next, I'd clamp a fence to hold the stock at the angle above (the lean angle), except upside down and backwards. I'd test the cut angle on scrap before I cut the actual product.
I won't calculate anything I don't have to, and in this case I'd use two bevel gauges to measure the angles.
Google on "cutting crown molding" and pay special attention to sites that mention cutting the molding at the angle you're installing it, as opposed to flat on the saw table.
Tilted toe kicks are essentially crown molding at your feet.
If you stand the stock up against the fence on your saw, you'll need to miter cut the piece. If you lay the stock flat on the table, you'll need to bevel cut the piece. For the sake of simplifying things, and if you saw has the clearance, cut the piece standing up against the fence and use miter cuts. If you have pretty standard kitchen cabinet bases, most of your cuts are probably consist of cutting your toekick pieces at either 45* (to make
90* angle), 30* (to make 60*angle), 22.5* (to make 45*angle), and 15* (to make 30*angle). I would recommend using a butt joint by just square cutting the pieces (0* on the miter saw) for making your inside 90* corners. Also, butt joints can be made on other inside corners with the corresponding angles. (see below) I would STRONGLY recommend getting some pieces of scrap comparable to the size of your finished toe kick and test cut the angles before you make the final cut. There are tools out there you can buy to help you calculate angles, like this one,
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i've never found a use for something like this enough to warrant its price.
Angled butt joints in a nutshell.......
If you think the angle of you cabinets is 130* as mentioned, you will be real confused when you get to the saw and find you can't cut 65* (half of
130*) with the saw. What you will want to do in this case is take a piece of scrap and cut -say a 22.5* angle on it with the LONG point of the angle on the FINISHED side of the piece. Check it against the cabinets and adjust the angle until it fits (try the other angles mentioned above, 30*, 45* etc.) Then cut your next piece at the same angle LONG point on the FINISHED side and butt it into the first piece. Hope this helps! Keep us posted on your progress. --dave.
Dave, I think you are only confusing him. Suppose the angle was 180, That means you have to cut each board at 90 degrees right? How can you do that when your saw only goes to 45 degrees?!
Oh, well, the answer is that it is simple to do it as most saws are marked 0 degrees for a 90 degree cut.
So to cut something at 65 degrees you need to cut with the saw set at 25 degrees. Just remember that 90 - the saw marking is the actual angle that you are creating when you cut (assuming that the material you are cutting is parallel to the fence.
22.5 degrees is close, but if the angle IS 130 instead of 135 it is wrong. I'd bet you are right that the angle is 135 though.
Yea, after re-reading my post, i can see how it could confuse someone new to woodworking. The point I was trying to make was that this needs to be an angled butt joint, and not a mitered joint. I should have expained more detail on how to determine what angle to make the cut at. I've been a carpenter all my life and i don't see things as being an angle like 130* (or whatever), I see things as some part of a right triangle, because that is usually what you are creating in some form, and what you can use at the miter saw easily. Thanks for filling in the info i overlooked. --dave
Well, I did it. Since I only had 3 angles and they are on the floor, I cheated. I cut sharp angles (the same angle of 45 degrees) on the ends of all the pieces cut to length. The angle was sharp enough that I could make the front end of the boards butt with a lot of room to adjust. Since they are not flush against anything (there are 2 "legs" that the toe kicks attach to, nothing else solid under there), it worked perfect. I got joints and you can't even see any gaps. Of course, if you looked at it from behind, it looks bad and you don't have the strength you would have if you properly mitred them.
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