"All I need is a reindeer."
The Grinch looked around.
But since reindeer are scarce,
there were none to be found.
Did that stop the old Grinch?
No, the Grinch simply said
"If I can't
find a reindeer,
I'll
make one, instead." Dr. Seuss "How the Grinch Stole Christmas".
Reading ahead in the instruction book, looking at the blueprint, and watching the aforementioned video series, I realized I need to find a way to cut some rather precise angles in some beams. I know Micro-Mark sells the Dobson miter box, but I really don't want to wait for one to come (nor spend the money for one). The angles in question are 92.3, 95.5, and 109 degrees. These are not standard angles you will find in a miter box. So I decided to make one using my 7-1/4" compound sliding miter saw. This is a Menards Tool Shop brand saw, so not real high quality, but it does the job...... provided the cable that works the blade guard doesn't snap..... for the second time. That cable broke on me once, so I ordered some barrel fittings and 1.5 mm steel cable and made another one. It's a real pain to get the saw apart and replace that cable, so when it snapped again yesterday afternoon as I was making some practice cuts I decided "Nope. Not doing that again. This saw has made it's last cut. Next time I go to the landfill, it's going to the metal pile."
I did some online shopping, particularly for the stores we have here in Lincoln, and decided on a Delta Shopmaster 10" compound sliding miter saw. Menards had it for $179.99, and with their 11% off everything in the store rebate deal going on right now, the final cost will be about $160. I know, the rebate is an in-store merchandise credit, but I do a lot of shopping there, so I can live with it.
Here's my new toy:
I also bought a 10" 200 tooth plywood cutting blade, which is on the saw. I've made a couple of cuts with it, that's why it has a brownish ring around the edge. I chose a plywood cutting blade for the thinner kerf (can you believe Chrome's dictionary did not contain that word?!) it will cut.
Now some of you are thinking "Wait a minute, the saw will only cut a 45 degree miter on each side. You can't cut those angle with that saw!"
You should have paid more attention in geometry and wood shop classes! Oh, yes you can cut those angles! As my English teacher when I was a senior in high school used to say "Now, all you little kiddies may not know nothin', but I's a gonna learn ya!"
When a straight piece of stock is cut into two pieces, the sum of the angles will always equal 180 degrees. If a 90 degree cut is made, there will be a 90 degree angle on both pieces. 90 + 90 = 180. If a 45 degree cut is made, both pieces will not have a 45 degree angle. One will have a 45, one will have a 135 degree angle. 45 + 135 = 180. If one angle is 109 degrees, the other will be 71 degrees, for a total of 180. But, you say, you still can't cut either of those angles on a miter saw! Yes, you can! Something my shop teacher taught us: To cut an angle larger than what your miter saw will cut, subtract the desired result from 180. In this case the desired angle is 109 degrees. 180 - 109 = 71. Now, subtract 71 from 90. The result is 19. Set the miter saw for a 19 degree miter, and make the cut. Now, if you measure with a protractor
across the material, the angle will be 19 degrees. But if you measure along
the length of the material, the angle will be 109 degrees. So yes, you can cut an angle of 109 degrees with a miter saw that will only cut a 45 degree miter. Ya just gots too know how ta done it!
So I glued and screwed 3 pieces of 1 x 4 together making sure the middle piece was 5/8" lower than the outer two pieces. This left a place for the material being cut to sit.
I set the depth stop on the saw to cut just below the top of the middle piece. This ensures a cut all the way through the girders. One by one I set the needed angles on the miter saw, clamped the soon-to-be miter box in place on both sides of the saw fence, and made the cut. Here is the result:
Not too bad for an amateur. Since the middle section sits 5/8" lower than the sides, I can clamp this in a vise to use it. The kerf left by the saw blade is .090" wide, the blade of the razor saw I'm using is .010" wide. That would leave an awful lot of play in that miter slot. So what I'm going to do is use a piece of .080" styrene to take up the slop.
I cut a piece of 1/4" square hardwood. Did I come close? You be the judge.
I also finished up gluing the stringers to the splice joiners. I also glued the end caps in place on each end. There is a locating rib on the inside of the end cap. This has to go inside the stringers. The bottom of the end cap has to sit flush with the bottom of the stringer, so these are glued in place while sitting on a shim piece.
There is a slight bow in the floor assembly, but this will be remedied during the next step. Trust me.
The saga continues.....