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elisabetk_gw

How to cut 60 deg bevel?

ElisabetK
18 years ago

I'm replacing one of those triangular under-eave brackets on my house - it is just three pieces of 2x4 and looked like a simple job, even for a total beginner like myself. Then I got stuck:

The ends of the straight pieces are beveled - just the last half inch or so. The angle is about 60 degrees from the end of the piece (i.e. 30 deg from the long edge), and I've figured out that the only way my mitre saw could cut that angle is if I hold the piece perpendicular to the fence. However, I can't hold the 2x4 steady enough to get a good cut (I tried several times on scrap). Part of the problem is that of course there is a gap in the fence for the saw blade, which gives me even less to hold the board against. I've tried placing another board along the fence to help steady things but no luck.

Is there a trick I'm missing? What is the right tool for this job? I looked for a miter box at the hardware store but none had a way to cut that sharp an angle from the end of a long piece of wood.

By the way, I did try just doing a 45 deg bevel but it is noticably different from the other trim on the house - this piece is just above eye level next to the front porch, so I want it to look right.

Any ideas appreciated! I figure there must be an easy way to do this since similar brackets, all with ends beveled like mine, are all over my post-WWII neighborhood.

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