Furniture

Three Methods to Glue Up Miters

May 5, 2025 Our Editors 0 Comments

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Miters could also be among the many easiest of joints, however making them completely is an train in endurance and care from starting to finish. Chopping the miters is simply a part of the duty. Gluing them up cleanly is its personal hurdle, because the joint is liable to slipping and sliding underneath clamps, and getting clamping stress sq. throughout the joint isn’t so simple as simply tightening a clamp.

The important thing to success in gluing up the joint is to use stress instantly throughout the miter with out letting it transfer misplaced. I glue up mitered containers and casework utilizing three approaches: tape, band clamps, or glued-on clamping blocks. Which one I decide will depend on the dimensions of the workpiece and on whether or not there are 4 miter joints, as in a field, or fewer, as on a waterfall desk.

Tape for small elements

**Blue tape for small containers.** For light-duty work, tape is all you could align and clamp miter joints with aplomb.

Let’s begin with tape, the best methodology. I favor blue tape; others use packing tape. Each work superbly on small containers. I begin by lining up all 4 sides of the field, exterior face up, alongside a straightedge. Working from one finish to the opposite, I apply blue tape to 3 of the miter joints. I exploit two fingers to tug the joint collectively whereas stretching tape throughout the seam. I can then flip the complete meeting over and run a bead of glue close to the tip of every of the miters.

**Tape three of the miters.** Orient the workpieces with their exterior faces up. Then maintain the items towards a straightedge for alignment whereas stretching tape throughout three of the 4 miters.

**Add glue, then shut the hinge.** After flipping the elements, apply a bead of glue on the base of every miter. Fold the elements closed to distribute the glue evenly throughout the joint.

**Add somewhat extra glue**. Layer on a bit extra glue on the base of the miters so the tip grain doesn’t fully take in the glue and depart the joint starved.

The blue tape acts as a hinge and a clamp when gluing up. Once I fold the field up and pull tape throughout the final nook, all of the miters keep closed because the glue dries. I attempt to apply sufficient clamping stress to get a little bit of glue squeeze-out. This ensures a pleasant, tight joint.

Band clamps

The one difficulty with blue tape is that it is probably not sturdy sufficient by itself for midsize and enormous functions, like cabinetwork. For heavier materials at a bigger scale, extra clamping stress is required. That is the place band clamps are helpful. A band clamp acts as an enormous rubber band that places equal stress on all 4 corners. Its metal or plastic corners distribute stress evenly across the case and shut bigger miters.

I arrange my miters utilizing the identical blue tape methodology, this time to align the elements and maintain them in place whereas I apply the band clamps. As soon as the band clamps are in place, I ratchet them sufficient to see glue squeeze-out. You could possibly get away with utilizing one band clamp for slender containers, however I discover that if a mission is sufficiently big to require band clamps, I normally want multiple.

**Tighten the clamps with handles at completely different corners.** As a substitute of stacking the handles, place them aside so you possibly can tighten them freely. Examine the corners for 90º, and search for squeeze-out.

Clamping blocks

A clamping block is nothing greater than a chunk of wooden quickly glued onto the workpiece that enables me to get perpendicular clamping stress throughout the miter joint. The inventory for the block is ripped with the blade at 45º, complementary to the miter’s 45º, to permit for sq. clamping stress. Dimension the blocks to present your clamps sufficient room to seize.

I glue a chunk of paper between the clamping block and the workpiece. This paper joint supplies the shear energy mandatory for tightening the clamps, however it can break away with a couple of gentle faucets of a chisel. The paper left on the workpiece is well eliminated afterward.


Tape the joint. Use strips of blue tape to align the miter for clamping. Apply glue and shut the joint to unfold it. It’s the identical methodology as with smaller miters, simply with extra glue.

Useful L-bracket

For bigger mitered assemblies the place making certain squareness is troublesome, I make L-shaped brackets out of MDF to carry elements at 90º. These helpful brackets will be clamped on as soon as the joints are closed and left on till the glue is dry. I create somewhat reduction on the exterior nook of the L to keep away from gluing it to my piece.

**Shut the miter by clamping throughout the angled cauls.** Take note of the joint as you tighten the clamps. You wish to affirm there’s squeeze-out on the within and the surface of the miter.


Take away the cauls and paper. A few gentle faucets with a chisel must be sufficient to pry unfastened and break up away the clamping caul. After that, you possibly can rapidly airplane, scrape, or sand away the paper.

—FWW ambassador Erik Curtis makes furnishings in Philadelphia.

Grasp the Miter

Tips on how to trim, glue up and reinforce this multipurpose joint

Not all miters want reinforcement

Be taught why the miter joints on small containers do not have to be bolstered. Should you make and glue them collectively correctly, they’re lots sturdy on their very own.