Joinery calculators — miters, dovetails and tenons
Saw settings and joint proportions worked out before the cut: crown molding miters and bevels, dovetails and box joints printed at true size, mortise and tenon sizing, segmented rings, picture frames, squaring a corner and how much a board will move.
- Crown molding angles
The miter and bevel for any corner and any spring angle, plus the single setting for cutting it nested.
- Dovetail and box joint templates
Set out the joint, print it at true 1:1 scale, and glue the paper straight onto the board.
- Wood movement
How far a panel expands and shrinks with the seasons, and what that means for the joint holding it.
- Segmented rings and columns
Miter and bevel for any number of sides, flat or flared, and how long each segment has to be.
- Hexagon and octagon calculator
Side length, across flats and across corners from any one of them, for any regular polygon, with the area, the miter and each frame piece's cut lengths.
- 3-4-5 square check
The diagonal that proves a corner square from any two leg lengths, scaled up for a full building corner.
- Mortise and tenon sizing
Tenon thickness and shoulder by the rule of thirds, and the length a blind or through mortise allows.
- Picture frame miter cuts
Cut lengths, long point to long point, for a rectangular mitered frame, and how much molding to buy.
- Cutting board calculator
Strip count, strip lengths and board feet for a long-grain or end-grain board, with the second glue-up's slices and kerfs worked out.
Charts for these jobs
Questions answered with the number
- How much does a wide board move with the seasons?
- How thick should a tenon be?
- What angle should dovetails be cut at?
- What angle do you cut segments for a turned ring?
- What angle do you cut 38° crown molding at?
- How do I find the spring angle of a piece of crown molding?
- What miter angle for a six-sided frame?
- What angle do you cut a sloped box or hopper at?
- What miter for a corner that isn't 90 degrees?
- How much molding do I need for a picture frame?
- How high should wainscoting be?
- How do you check a corner is square?
- Which wood species moves least with the seasons?