Tip: Miter Clamping Dogs

Reliably clamping a miter joint can be difficult and to overcome this problem, I made these:

jig for clamping miters tight.

They clamp onto the part you want to join and allow you to get one or more clamps where you need them. The ones pictured above are cut from 3/4″ plywood and are good for narrow stock.

In this example (below, left), I made wider ones, for wider stock:

jig for clamping miters tight.
jig for clamping miters tight.

The picture on the right shows four used to clamp a 135 degree joint. Clamp pressure is exactly where it needs to be, and holds the joint together very securely.

Making a few varieties for different applications can really save time and frustration. They are easy to make from scrap wood and can be made any size, for nearly any angle:

jig for clamping miters tight.

I made a short video of the clamping dogs in use: