Two builds at a glance
| Build | Difficulty | Time | Stock | Saw settings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitred picture frame | Beginner | About 3 hours plus glue time | One 3/4 × 1-1/2 × 48 in hardwood strip | 45° miter, 0° bevel |
| Splayed sleeve | Intermediate | About 3 hours plus glue time | One 1/2 × 5 × 48 in board | 14.5° miter, 43.1° bevel |
Times are estimates for someone who has used a miter saw before. The sleeve's bevel is within the range of the DEWALT DWS779 (49°) and Makita LS1019 (48°); check your own saw's.
Before you start
- Square the saw. Check the blade against the fence and table before cutting parts that must close; the miter saw guide describes the check.
- Cut long, then trim. Small pieces are hard to hold safely: cut parts from the long strip, keeping hands at least 4 in (100 mm) from the blade or clamping the work, as both manuals require.
- Make test pieces. Four scrap pieces show whether a frame closes before the good stock is cut.
Build 1: a mitred picture frame
| Part | Qty | Stock | Finished size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long side | 2 | 3/4 × 1-1/2 in hardwood, rabbeted | 9-3/8 in long point to long point |
| Short side | 2 | 3/4 × 1-1/2 in hardwood, rabbeted | 7-3/8 in long point to long point |
| Backing | 1 | 1/8 in hardboard | 5-1/8 × 7-1/8 in |
| Glass | 1 | Picture-frame glass | 5 × 7 in |
Making the frame
Rabbet the strip first
Cut a 3/8 in wide, 3/8 in deep rabbet along one back edge of the whole strip, on the router table or the table saw, while it is long and easy to hold. See the router table guide.
Set 45° and test
Lock the saw at a 45° miter and 0° bevel, cut four short scrap pieces, and hold them together: gaps at the outside or inside of the corners mean the angle needs adjusting.
Cut one end of each piece
Miter one end of the strip with the rabbet toward you or away, the same way for every cut.
Cut to length
Mark each long point from the cut end — 9-3/8 in twice and 7-3/8 in twice — and miter the other end the opposite way, with a stop if your saw has one so pairs match.
Glue and clamp
Glue the four miters and pull them together with a corner or band clamp, checking the diagonals are equal; corner clamps and the glue to use are covered elsewhere (wood glue).
Fit glass, picture and back
Sand and finish the frame, then drop in the glass, the picture and the backing, held with glazier's points or small turn buttons.
Build 2: a splayed sleeve
| Part | Qty | Stock | Finished size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Side | 4 | 1/2 × 5 in hardwood | 10 in at the top, 7-13/32 in at the bottom, measured on the outer face |
With 5 in sides leaning 15° out, each end draws in by 5 × cos 75° ≈ 1.29 in, so the bottom is 10 − 2 × 1.29 ≈ 7.41 in. The sleeve stands 5 × sin 75° ≈ 4.83 in tall and slips over a pot; it has no bottom.
Making the sleeve
Set the compound angle
Set the saw to a 14.5° miter and a 43.1° bevel, the settings the miter angle calculator gives for four sides at a 75° slope. Lock both and make a dry run with the power off.
Test with four scrap pieces
Cut four short pieces from scrap of the same thickness and tape them into a box. The corners should close with the sides leaning evenly; adjust the bevel a little at a time if they do not.
Cut the sides
Mark the 10 in top edge on the board for each side, then cut every end with the same settings, turning the board so each end slopes inward toward the bottom edge as on the test pieces. Measure the top edge of the first side before cutting the rest.
Tape and glue
Lay the four sides outer face up, edges touching, and tape across the joints. Turn them over, glue the bevels, roll them up into the sleeve and tape the last joint closed.
Level the edges
The top and bottom edges lean 15°. Leave them, or sand or plane them level once the glue has cured.
Before cutting the good stock
- Saw squared to fence and table
- Angles locked and checked on four scrap pieces
- Long strip cut into parts, not tiny offcuts held by hand
- Hands 4 in from the blade or the work clamped
- Each part's top edge or long point marked
Other compound angles, for six- or eight-sided versions, come from the miter angle calculator; crown molding has its own calculator.
Sources
Both builds are BenchRoot designs; dimensions are worked from the drawings and the compound angles from the formulas on the miter angle calculator. Saw handling follows the DEWALT and Makita manuals cited.
- 1.
Used for: Cutting with the work clamped or the hand at least 4 in (100 mm) from the blade, the blade at full speed before the cut, the head held down until the blade stops; not cutting pieces too small to hold; miter and bevel scales of 50°/60° and 49°; trial cuts on scrap before compound cuts.
- 2.
LS1019/LS1019L Slide Compound Miter Saw instruction manual, Mexico edition (Spanish section reviewed). Makita, 2025.
Used for: A 48° bevel each way on the LS1019, and the same rules on clamping and hand distance.
About this guide
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