Small angles

admin

Hi all,I'm scratching my head, but I can't figure out the best way to do this. I'm welding together some support braces for a 3ft high knee-wall. They're a simple triangle: The angle brace (hypoteneuse) is 2" square tube, and the verts and base are 1/4 X 2" flat stock. The vertical is 24" high and the base is 18" deep. Here's the dilemma. Doing my "gazintas", I calculated a 53 degree angle at the bottom, and 37 degree angle at the top. The larger angle is a no-brainer with my bandsaw, but the smaller angle is <45 degrees. I forgot that my saw won't cut a smaller angle.  Of course, I realize this after I made my initial cuts, so it's too late to fall back and do a 45 degree brace.  Anyone know of the best way to finagle a cut smaller than 45 degrees???
Reply:If you have a chop saw or miter saw you can make that cut.   Othewise, any  cut-off tool will do it if you mark the line and cut along it.
Reply:On those rare occasions when I need a small angle: I mark the angle on the metal, then open my saw vise as wide as possble. Insert metal at marked angle, then while holding that angle close the vise against the metal. Then cut while holding the metal.  The vise act as a fulcrum.  There is a tendency for the chop saw to slowly pull the metal away from your hand causing a slightly angled cut.  The fixed part of the vise is at 90 degrees when making the cut.I also use a hand bandsaw for small cuts.
Reply:Well, I calculated the angle as 53.13 degrees, so you're off by a bit.     You are trying to cut your approximately 30" long 2" square tube at 53 deg on one end and 37 deg on the other end, right?  With a band saw?Typical vertical bandsaw, you tilt the table down 37 deg and make your cut to get a 57 deg angle on the workpiece.  Slide the workpiece toward the throat of the saw, flip it top to bottom, and make your 37 deg cut.  Or does the workpiece not clear the column of the machine?Alternate methods:  Use miter gauge set on bandsaw at 37 deg and cut the other end, you'll be cutting side-to-side on the tube instead of the original top-to-bottom cut.  Make auxilliary table that sits on top of existing bandsaw table at fixed 37 deg 'up' angle (or adjustable 'up' angle) and make cut.  Mark desired angle on workpiece, cut with handheld cut-off wheel in grinder.  Mark desired angle on workpiece and cut with hacksaw.  Use metal-cutting blade on circular saw, and cut appropriately.  Buy plasma cutter, make jig, cut workpiece.  There are many ways to make the cut.  Let us know what and how you do the job.
Reply:What happened to the good 'ol hack saw...or hand saw? Well, the other thing you could do is make a reverse angle of the cut needed with a piece of 2x4 cut to make the difference.John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:Thanks for the suggestions everyone.I didn't think to set the bandsaw vertical, but I'll keep that idea for the future.My solution was to tack-weld a small piece of 1 1/2" angle iron to the tube to act as a shim.  This gave me an extra 15 or so degrees to play with and allowed me to clamp it into the vise securely.The only variable was having to eye up the saw with the piece in the vice. My usual pref is to set the angle first then cut the pieces. Keeps things consistent.In retrospect, I'm thinking a jig is on the list for future projects.Anyone ever build such a jig?
Reply:I have made a jaw shoe for some saws.  It might work in your case.  Can you make a 10 degree tapered piece that sits in front of your problem jaw that hooks around the jaw at one or both ends by even a quarter inch ?   That way you would be able to rotate to 45 degrees but actually cut to 55.