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Angle Divider for Perfect Miters

by Phil B on January 21, 2016

Table of Contents

Angle Divider for Perfect Miters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro: Angle Divider for Perfect Miters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1: Cut hardwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 2: Glue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 3: Drill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 4: Shape the end . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 5: Cut aluminum, then drill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Step 6: Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Step 7: Countersink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Step 8: Countersink again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Step 9: Insert the carriage bolt and use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Step 10: Capturing and transferring the angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

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http://www.instructables.com/id/Angle-Divider-for-Perfect-Miters/
 Author:Phil B
I miss the days when magazines like Popular Mechanics had all sorts of DIY projects for making and repairing just about everything. I am enjoying posting
things I have learned and done since I got my first tools. I enjoy studying the Bible and recently retired after 40 years as a Lutheran pastor. I like to dabble
with some electronics projects. I have a lathe, a radial arm saw, a router, and both a 220 volt stick welder and a flux core wire feed welder. I appreciate
Instructables from others that are practical and address real problems with useful solutions. These are the type of Instructables I try to write and publish.

Intro: Angle Divider for Perfect Miters

In 1903 Stanley Tools patented their No. 30 Angle Divider. It accurately divides an inside corner* angle for transferring the correct miter angle to your saw. This is
especially useful for installing baseboard molding where corners in homes are seldom an exact 90 degrees.

The photo shows my facsimile for a Stanley No. 30 Angle Divider. These can be found on eBay and range in price from around $40 to $200, depending on condition and
the inclusion of original packaging. This Instructable will show how you can make your own copy of a Stanley No. 30.

For the sake of full disclosure, various versions of an angle divider are available at Amazon and other places for less than $20 up to nearly $100, depending on the
design. And, Harbor Freight has a plastic version that will do the job for around $5. It all depends on how committed you are to making your own.

Materials

3/4 inch hardwood

1/8 x 3/4 inch aluminum bar
10-32 machine screws and nylon locking nuts
1/4 inch carriage bolt, wing nut, and flat washer

Tools

Table saw
3/16 inch drill
Drill guide or drill press
Vise-Grip Pliers
Countersink
File
Sandpaper
Pliers
Screwdriver

*At the end of this Instructable I will show how to use this angle divider to get the proper angle to cut on an outside angle.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Angle-Divider-for-Perfect-Miters/
Step 1: Cut hardwood
I ripped two pieces of straight and dry hardwood (oak) to make two pieces 1/2 x 3/4 x 10 inches. Rip a third piece 1/4 x 3/4 x 10 inches. Cut two pieces from this and set
the rest aside. One piece will be 4 inches long. The other will be 1 inch long.

Lightly sand saw marks smooth, even if they do not fully disappear.

Step 2: Glue
Glue the pieces as shown so there is a slot 1/4 inch wide. This slot will allow a 1/4 inch machine screw to slide smoothly, but without looseness. It may be necessary to
use a few gentle strokes with a file on both sides of the slot if the screw sticks. Clean and sand where there is dried glue or uneven edges.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Angle-Divider-for-Perfect-Miters/
Step 3: Drill
(I made a mistake and initially drilled on the wrong end. Follow the text rather than the photo for guidance.)

On the end of the wooden assembly where the 4 inch piece was glued between the larger pieces measure in from the end 1/2 inch and drill a hole through the wooden
assembly 3/16 inch in diameter.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Angle-Divider-for-Perfect-Miters/
Step 4: Shape the end
As I mentioned in the last step, I actually made a mistake and drilled my 3/16 inch hole on the wrong end, but this photo still illustrates how I narrowed the end near the
pivot screw. After I had sawn the corners away, I used a sander to round the end a bit.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Angle-Divider-for-Perfect-Miters/
Step 5: Cut aluminum, then drill
See the text boxes in the first photo for help in the size and placement of the holes shown, as well as the length of each piece of aluminum. Be sure to follow those
specific dimensions as closely as you can. (I actually made an earlier version of this from steel. It worked well. I took dimensions from it for this version.)

See the second photo. I clamped each pair of pieces together with a Vise-Grip pliers and drilled holes through both pieces at the same time to insure precisely spaced
holes on each pair of aluminum pieces.

Image Notes
1. Make these holes 1/4 inch in diameter. All other holes are 3/16 inch in diameter.
2. This piece is 6 inches long. The holes are 5 inches apart on center.
3. This piece is 6 inches long. The holes are 5 inches apart on center.
4. This piece is 8 inches long. The holes are 3 3/8 inches apart on center. Notice
that they are nearer to one edge than the other.
5. This piece is 8 inches long. The holes are 3 3/8 inches apart on center. Notice
that they are nearer to one edge than the other.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Angle-Divider-for-Perfect-Miters/
Step 6: Assembly
I used a countersink in an electric hand drill to remove burrs around the holes I drilled. I also sanded the surfaces of the aluminum bar to remove marks and make its
appearance more pleasing. And, I filed the corners to round them.

Place a 10-32 machine screw 1 1/2 inches long through the hole in the wooden assembly. Place the end holes in the longer aluminum pieces over this screw. Add a
nylon locking nut. Tighten, but allow the arms to move smoothly.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Angle-Divider-for-Perfect-Miters/
Step 7: Countersink
Countersink the hole in the bar that slides over the wooden assembly. (The view is from the back of the angle divider.) Add a bevel head 10-32 machine screw 3/4 inch
long and a nylon locking nut to fasten one of the shorter aluminum pieces to the longer aluminum piece. See the orientation of the pieces in Step 5 if you need to refresh
how the pieces are to be arranged. Pay special attention to the placement of the holes. The angle divider will not work correctly if any pieces are turned over or turned
end for end. Tighten, but not so tight that the pieces do not move smoothly and easily.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Angle-Divider-for-Perfect-Miters/
Step 8: Countersink again
Drill another countersink, but make it in the shorter piece of aluminum bar that will slide directly over the wooden assembly. Add a bevel head 10-32 machine screw and a
nylon locking nut. Tighten, but not too tight.

Step 9: Insert the carriage bolt and use

The 1/4 inch carriage bolt goes through the slot in the wooden assembly and through both 1/4 inch holes in the shorter pieces of aluminum. Add a washer and a wing nut.
(If the square portion of the bolt head is too large for the slot, file or grind on it until it fits smoothly.)

To use--

Push the angle divider into a corner and spread the two longer aluminum pieces until they meet the sides of the corner as well as possible. (It may be that your angle
divider is more precise than the walls of your home.) Tighten the wingnut so nothing moves while transferring the angle. The sides of the wooden assembly define the
angle that bisects the angle of the corner.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Angle-Divider-for-Perfect-Miters/
Step 10: Capturing and transferring the angle
Use a sliding bevel finder to measure the angle from one leg of the angle divider to one side of the wooden assembly. To check accuracy, flip the angle divider over and
see if your results are the same.

Gently move the settings on your electric miter saw until one leg of the bevel finder is against the fence and the other is parallel to the blade's cut.

This is a link to original instructions for the Stanley No. 30.

Some of the Stanley Angle Dividers came with a mahogany handle between the two wings. Later that changed to nickel plated steel. The steel version also had a
crossbar at the bottom end that allowed the angle divider to be used as a try square when the wings were folded in.

For an outside corner, record the actual angle of the corner with the bevel finder and lock it securely. Then fit the angle divider to the bevel finder without moving the
bevel finder's setting. Loosen the bevel finder and use it as before to record one-half of the angle of the corner.

Finishing touches--

I could stain and varnish the wood. I could also trim and smooth the ends of the machine screws.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Angle-Divider-for-Perfect-Miters/
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Comments
1 comments Add Comment

seamster says: Jan 21, 2016. 2:17 PM REPLY

This is excellent Phil. I love your posts, and I always pick up a so many good ideas from you. Thank you sir!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Angle-Divider-for-Perfect-Miters/