Miter Clamping Tip

Instead of purchasing a special clamp for assembling miter joints, here's a trick that will allow you to use ordinary shop clamps to make the joint.

Start by making a couple of angle blocks (cut at 45°) out of scrap wood. Then glue and screw the blocks to a strip of hardboard, see Fig.1 drawing below.

When you're ready to glue your project, clamp the hardboard strip and block to the outer edges of each workpiece. Then place another clamp across the two blocks to draw the joint together tightly, see Fig.2 below.

If the blocks slip as you tighten the clamp, you can attach some adhesive-backed sandpaper to the hardboard strips to hold the block in place.