How to cut mitres using a bench hook to hold the wood?

27th February 2020


	How to cut mitres using a bench hook to hold the wood?


	Shop for Bench Hooks


			To cut mitres using a bench hook, you will need to use a bench hook that has mitre guide slots cut into its stop.

			It’s best if the stop is higher than the workpiece you are going to cut. Otherwise, as seen here, you may have to hold the saw at an acute angle to fit it into the mitre slot when starting the cut, which can affect accuracy.

			On the stop of the bench hook, there will be two 45 degree guide slots, one angled to the left and one to the right, to allow for the mitre being cut either way. Be sure to cut your angles the right way to ensure the mitre joint fits together correctly. The direction of the cuts depends on your particular project and requires some forethought to ensure the cuts are made correctly.

			Using the guides cut into a bench hook’s stop, quite accurate mitre cuts can be made, although probably not as accurate as the cuts made by an electrically-powered mitre saw which can be adjusted to cut any angle perfectly each time.



			Step 1 – Mark cut With a pencil, mark the mitre cut to be made on the workpiece.

			Step 2 – Align mark with guide Push the workpiece up against the stop, with the mark on the workpiece aligned precisely with the start of the appropriate 45 degree guide in the bench hook stop.

			Step 3 – Start cut Place the saw in the guide and saw carefully to avoid wayward movement which might result in the saw cutting into the stop instead of following the guide.

			Step 4 – Continue right through Continue sawing until the workpiece has been cut all the way through.

			Mitre box stops
			Some mitre bench hooks have stops that are like mitre boxes.

			A mitre box, like this one, has its guide slots cut into two sides, with a space in between where workpieces of different widths can be placed while being sawn. This will work for workpieces of any thickness or diameter that will fit into the slot. Having a guide both sides of the workpiece improves accuracy.

			Help with straight cuts, too
			A mitre-cutting bench hook usually has a 90 degree guide cut into the stop as well. This can be an excellent aid to making normal right-angle cuts across the grain.