Making Strong Mitered Corners

If you’ve used mitered corners on any of your woodworking projects, like a picture frame, you may have been concerned about getting enough glue strength in the joint. Here’s a dirt simple trick for making sure you get all the strength you need in your miter joints.

What’s the problem?

The problem with mitered corners is the end grain. End grain in wood looks like a bunch of soda straws, and those “straws” quickly wick up glue, which affects the strength of the joint. The trick to avoiding this problem is pre-treating the end grain. No special products needed for this. Pre-treating is done with something you’ve already got in your shop.

Cutting miters

Plenty of woodworkers struggle with creating miters. It can be tricky. You’ve got to make sure your tools are set up just right, or the miters won’t come out right. The cumulative error adds up quickly, making all of your mitered corners look bad. If you’re making your miters on a miter saw, double check your miter saw setup before cutting your first miter.

Gluing and clamping

Assembling woodworking projects can be tricky. There are lots of great tricks and tips you can use, and WoodWorkers Guild of America has you covered with great info on how to glue and clamp wood together. Be sure and check out our videos and articles.

More info

For more information on Titebond Original Wood Glue visit www.titebond.com or call (800) 877-4583

2 Responses to “Making Strong Mitered Corners”

1. bill tenbroeck July 8th, 2020

   Can you let the sizing mixture dry completely? I was thinking I would like to treat all of my miters ahead of time, and then glue them up at another time. Thanks.

   Reply

   • Customer Service July 8th, 2020

     I haven’t tried doing it that way, but I think it would be fine. Just be sure to wipe off any excess glue with some firm pressure after about 5 minutes. That will give enough time for the glue to soak in. You don’t want any glue hardening on the surface, making it difficult to get a tight closing joint.

     Paul
     Woodworkers Guild of America

     Reply