How to Make a Proper Miter Cut

When I first began working with wood I wanted to know everything (I still do).  Every technique, every aspect.  It all fascinates me.  However, when you want to grab hold of the big picture all at once, it can become overwhelming and easy to overlook the basics.

One of the first tools I purchased when we moved into our home was a Dewalt 12" Miter Saw.  I practiced on a ton of wood making sure that my cuts improved.  A lot of beginners will make an easy and often mistake of where they place the blade in regards to their marker.  This can throw off everything.  Even a 1/16 of an inch can be a mistake that costs money.

The first step to making a perfect miter cut may seem like a "duh" type of thing, however, you'd be surprised how many people don't sharpen the tip of their pencil (insert teenage giggle).  It can throw the cut off so make sure that you sharpen before making any markers.

When marking, make sure you are accurate with where you draw your line.  It should be directly above the line on the ruler.

When you place the piece of wood on the miter, you want to make sure that your blade lines up "outside" your marker.  In other words, if your dimension is 33, place the blade on the side of the marker that is greater than 33.

If you look closely at the blade, you will see smaller teeth upon the larger teeth.  This will add 1/16 of an inch to your cut.  Many beginners (and I did this too) will line the blade up directly with the marker making the cut short.

Making sure your blade is sharp is ridiculously important.  A dull blade will still cut through the wood however it can damage the wood and you will not get a clean cut.

Before you make your cut, make sure you allow your blade time to get up to full speed.  As you cut through the wood, go through slowly.  This will ensure a clean cut.

If you look closely, you can see the pencil marker that I used as the guide.

Covering Those Ugly Radiators

I remember my parents old kitchen when I was a kid... Dark red wallpaper with a white polka dot design. Little thin blacks vines encompassing the dots as they flowed to the ceiling.  Red linoleum covered the floor with a brick-like design.  It had a closed in feel at times due to the dark colors of the interior.  The one thing I remember distinctively is the wooden radiator cover.  It had a solid composition and was dressed in a very dark stain and shiny poly.  A perforated aluminum screen enclosed the front for ventilation.  When my parents redid their kitchen years after moving in, they installed baseboard heating and the radiator cover was history.

When we moved into our house last September, one of the things that was an immediate eye sore was the exposed radiators in each room - and I mean each and every room!  We had spoken to a plumber friend of ours about replacing them with baseboards and he looked at us like we were insane. He explained how much heat they retain when off and how they are the most efficient source of heat that is no longer made - so we decided to keep them and address the aesthetic issue instead.

I was noodling around Pinterest to gain some inspiration that matched our style but I was continuously striking out. A large majority of them had the aluminum grate in the front which we didn't feel would fit in well with our 85 year old home and our style.  I then saw a cover that was made entirely out of wood with these beautiful slats in the front to allow proper airflow.  I really liked the boldness of the wood than the understated grating.  The Craftsman style also meshed well with our aesthetic taste and would fit in perfectly in the living room... so I got to work.

Here is our latest and greatest! We are so happy how these came out. We used Minwax Natural stain and since these covers will be exposed to temperature changes, we applied three coats of Minwax's Helmsman Spar Urethane (in semi-gloss). I can't wait to make more of these!

BEFORE

AFTER

Below is the first cover I completed for our living room. Since we spend most of our time in this room, we wanted to be sure we tackled this cover first to protect Avery. Here is the cover unfinished - I would have left it natural since the grain was beautiful but it didn't match the room - we painted it white semi-gloss to match the molding in the room.

Check out the images below for some of our recent projects.

We are currently offering our custom radiators through Etsy. Since these are custom pieces, please email us for pricing details. Be sure to include the radiator dimensions, preferred style, stain/paint/unfinished and anything else we should be aware of.