AboutStuart Mawle Expertise Now been a carpenter & joiner for the past ten years in the UK. I can give avice / help on carpentry & joinery, health & safety, woodworking machinery, power tools and suppliers. I have served an indentured carpentry apprenticeship with a medium sized building contractor doing a wide range of domestic and commercial work. This has included office buildings, barn conversions, building extensions and renovations. During my career, I spent over three years as a wood trades technician at a college. My job involved joinery work, wood maching and helping CITB carpentry & joinery students` pratical projects. I am a member of Institute of Carpenters
Question I am making a pagoda bird house. Each level is a trapezoid. The directions say "Mark a 55 degree line from each bottom corner of all roof panels to form the trapezoids. Set your table saw blade at 52 1/2 degree, and cut along each of these lines." I am a newbie in woodworking and do not have a say that goes past a 45 degree angle/bevel. I have wasted a lot of wood trying to find the exact angles. Please help!!!!
Answer When you talking of mitres and bevels you really trying to do a compound cut. All saws cant from a vertical position to 45 degree...so I am wondering; the vertical position is refer to 0 degrees or 90 degrees..so when they say 52.5 degres they may actually mean 37.5 degree in reality. I would draw the roof angle (a plan view) on to paper or plywood; it would be representation of 2 sides of the roof. Next I would bisect the angle...you do this by using a compass, mark the same distance from the point, down the line. From these marks, open the compass up and draw an arc, mark sure they cross. From the point, align a ruler to the point at which arc line cris-cross and draw a straight line. Next use a sliding bevel position the stock on the angle line and move the blade to 'bisect line'. It should be just the case of setting the blade up to the sliding bevel...just make sure the sliding bevel's blade is flat against the blade and not on a tooth. Hope this helps you. stuart
