[CAS14]

I am nearing the point where I must attach some 2" x 2" x 5" (?) pecan blocks by threads to the top of a stick. These will have various devices attached.

Of course, it is important to cut the ends as nearly perfectly square as possible. My cheap, plastic miter box isn't close enough. Which option do you think is better, or is there an even better option?

1) Make a shooting board for 2" square stock and use a plane, or
2) Buy a small, cheap belt sander, or
3) Your favorite method.

For me, simpler and small is better. I have been trying to reduce the amount of power tools in my garage, but this is an important task.

Thanks,

Vance

 

[CAS14]

This video of a shooting board in use illustrates my problem well.

CAS -- do you have a friend near by with an electric miter saw or a table saw? Sometimes a local high school wood shop will help out some one in the community. I use my DeWalt miter saw more than any tool in my shop -- it's worth having!

I'll check out those DeWalt miter saws.

I would have thought a miter box would have been sufficient? A new one maybe? I'll make sure I follow the thread and see what some of the other fellas chime in with.

When i took the mandantory woodworking class fifty years ago in our rural high school, it seems that the miter boxes were made of hardwood. All I can find locally are flimsy plastic ones. I think that the power tools have become nearly universal, and that there is little market for such "old-school" items today, else they would be readily available.

 

[CAS14]

Ok, I know that the price is crazy high, but has anyone used this miter saw?

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=5364&site=ROCKLER

 

[CAS14]

Rad, I'm probably nuts and I'm old enough it doesn't bother me. When I began learning stone sculpture, I opted to learn the way the Greeks and Romans did it, no power equipment. To the extent I can with my limited skills, I'd like to attempt the same and do it as my Granddad would, a WWI veteran and a cabinet maket. He had no power tools.

I will take your recommendation if I can't figure out an old-fashioned approach. But your assist is most appreciated!

 

[CAS14]

You are correct Sir! I admit that I am a Luddite! ;-)

 

[CAS14]

Hi CAS,

It seems to me that miter boxes or chopsaws may not solve your problem. These basically work well only if you put a sq. corner against the fence. This will be difficult with a live edge or natural stick. You just need a perfectly flat cut that appears sq. to the stick.

Very true.

Right now I have some very, very hard pecan from a local hardwood dealer. It is about 2" x 2" x 6', and so hard that even a new, sharp miter saw is very slow ant tries to go off track. From these sticks I will make some short screw on attachments, on which I will mount various devices that will then be interchangeable depending on the purpose of a particular hike.

I was leaning towards the shooting board option for the final squaring, but the $400+ pricetag on that long plane nixed that approach.

Eventually, I'd like a multi-piece stick completely of this pecan for airplane travel.

 

[CAS14]

Perhaps go to a framing store, and have the piece cut by a chop saw. Picture framing shops need to make very clean and precise cuts. Decent chop saws are not too terribly expensive.

They have pretty much replaced miter trimmers, but are not as good in my experience. I was lucky enough to work with a miter trimmer. Not very common any more. Older frame stores may have one. They used to a necessity for good frames.

See this:

See here for one of the few vendors. $199.

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/mitertrimmer.aspx

The cutter has settings for exact 90 and 45 degrees cuts. Can be adjusted for others. I can attest that you don't want a finger anywhere near the cutting edge. I was able to cut nearly transparent slices of 2 x 2 red oak w.one.

Thanks for the feedback! I finally configured that cheap plastic miter box so I could get close, and then just marked the edges and sanded down a bit.

It won't be long until I'm able to post a pic of the block. I also cut a nearly perfect groove for the Abney level, rasped and sanded to fit snugly. I have a little brass latch to hold it in place.

Ordered a 20-mm cartridge (no primer or powder) for the tip. Anyone remember "Puff" - could pull you out of a scrape when outnumbered and outgunned. Six pins are embedded, three to go. I think I ought to embed a polished stone, some jasper if I can find the one I had as a kid, or else some nice gangue with lots of color that our family collected on an old Spanish mine dumb south of Taos about thirty years ago. I'll need to get a lapidary hobbiest to cut and polish a few pieces if I use that one, it's mostly silica, Moh's hardness 7.