# My new fancy router bevel/miter jig



## Viktor (Jan 15, 2009)

Making mitered corners on large casework is not a simple task. Especially if you don't have a sliding table saw or a high quality track saw. Long and wide boards are hard to maneuver or hold pressed against the saw table. They are also always cupped, twisted, etc. (I know, it just keeps happening to me!) which causes curved cut line. This is a jig that I made for such situations:










It is a plywood 45 deg. wedge with guide rail. First, I cut miter using table saw (or by hand) slightly oversized (~1 mm) and clamp the jig to the board like this:










I hold the router slightly turned with one handle closer to me and one extended for better tipping control.
The jig is very rigid and will straighten up the board if the latter is slightly cupped. I use spiral bit for smoother operation. Since a relatively large area of end grain is cut you will be able to remove small amount of material at a time and several passes will be required until router base glides along the guide rail. An added benefit is that your final cut will be exactly along the edge of the jig. You can literally split a thin pencil line. The surface of the cut is perfectly flat, straight and smooth. I usually scribe a line on the left edge of the board where router bit exits the cut (left side) to prevent tearouts. This is how the finished miter looks:










A more perfectest miter can not be made by any craft known to man 

And even if you own one of those fancy Euro sliders you can find this jig useful for feeding your cattle:










… or sheltering your dog:


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## Viking (Aug 26, 2009)

Viktor;

This is a great idea for a difficult miter cut.

Thanks for sharing.

Good Luck!


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Good idea!! That is a sheep, of course its not a dog;-)


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## ScottN (Jan 24, 2011)

Great idea on the jig/ feed manger…


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## KnickKnack (Aug 20, 2008)

That's an interesting alternative to the jig I posted here.
This one is obviously going to be better for long boards.


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## dkirtley (Mar 11, 2010)

Looks really nice and effective but I do have one question: Wouldn't it be a lot easier just to use an angled bit?

But you wouldn't have props for such cool pics, so pretend I didn't say anything.


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## bubinga (Feb 5, 2011)

There's more than one way to do every thing,Nice Jig
I do that on ,Table saw ,on a sled


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## bb71 (Jan 22, 2010)

Great jig. I love it and I'm going to try it. Are you repositioning the jig to control how much material you take off or just freehanding the router (away from the fence) to hog off most of the material before the final pass? I think using shims between the router base and the fence may be a good method of controlling this. I need to build one. Thanks for passing this along.


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## Viktor (Jan 15, 2009)

David, I actually tried angled bits, but
1) They don't make bits this large. For a 20 mm (3/4") stock it would have to be ~40 mm (1.6") diameter V-bit. 
2) What is sold as 90 deg. V-bits are not always 90 deg. by as much as 3-5 deg. It is not noticeable when cutting a groove, but in a miter it is very obvious. Don't ask how I know.


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## Viktor (Jan 15, 2009)

bb71,
No, I don't reposition the jig. I just freehand it untill I hit the fence making sure I don't tip the router.


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## kapanen (Oct 13, 2010)

love it …thanks for sharing


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## KenHMT (Nov 16, 2012)

Great solution for a frequently challenging cut.

Added to the database at homemadetools.net: http://www.homemadetools.net/mitering-jig

Ken


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## Carpenterdon (Feb 15, 2013)

So to make various angles I'd need to make and store 45 of these…. I don't have that sort of space…

Not to mention if I can make angle cuts accurate enough to make a jig (which by the nature of jigs need to be dead on perfect) why would I need a jig?


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## Viktor (Jan 15, 2009)

Carpenterdon,
Actually you'd need to make infinite number of these jigs for every angle. However, I only have 1, because furniture that I make tends to be rectangular.
The angle on the jig is defined by little triangle brackets that hold two surfaces together. Those can be cut very accurately on a bench top saw. On the other hand it is nearly impossible to cut accurate 45 degree bevel across 6 feet long 1.5 feet wide board on a little saw, because the board is too heavy and unwieldy. Besides, the bevel made on this jig comes out perfect every time and this fits into my overall approach of doing more with less.
Hope this answers your question.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

Cool! I will make one of these (with your permission) for some large in-place work I can foresee in my future.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Victor, I know this is an old thread but I had to comment and tell you what a GREAT idea this is. I'm thinking a smaller version would work on a router table to make perfect miters for boxes.


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## tefinn (Sep 23, 2011)

Better keep an eye on Tooonyg! He's probably going to steal this idea for Ted!

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/46771


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## Viktor (Jan 15, 2009)

gfadvm,
KnickKnack above provides link to his jig for router table. In his case the router is stationary and the jig/stock is movable. For large stock, as in my case, it is the other way around.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Victor/Knickknack, Thanks for the link and the good tips!


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## RogerInColorado (Jan 18, 2013)

A really, really great jig. or fixture. great no matter what it's called.


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