Calculate slanted angle of stud

[Mjärn]

I am a complete beginner at carpentry. One thing I would like to learn how to do quickly and easily is to calculate angles so that you can fit a beam at an angle between two other beams.

I am watching a video where a guy is building a bench, and as you can see in the picture, he has cut a beam that is angled to fit nicely there. How does he know at what angle to cut the angled beam? Is there a simple way to do this?

 

[Karrock]

If you studied natural sciences or technology in high school, you'll likely solve it with trigonometry. Otherwise, angle measurers are very useful.

A "speedsquare" https://www.proffsmagasinet.se/mati...PMLmhSXSydN56kzQKHvg0chHnAJGsAFMaAvUoEALw_wcB

or an angle finder solves it smoothly
https://www.proffsmagasinet.se/mati...bosch-gam-220-mf-vinkelmatare-digital-nb17030

https://www.proffsmagasinet.se/mati...bosch-gim-60-l-lutningsmatare-digital-ne17005

There are also quite good calculator apps for (at least American) carpenters, which are essentially trigonometry but with carpentry terms.

One should not underestimate the effectiveness of holding a piece of timber where it needs to be, tracing the contours of adjacent pieces, and cutting accordingly.

 

[Mjärn]

[link]

Damn, that would be great if it works! Thanks for the tip!

 

[fribygg]

If you studied natural sciences or technology in high school, you can probably solve it with trigonometry.

One should not underestimate the effectiveness of holding a piece of lumber where it should be, tracing the outlines of adjacent pieces, and sawing accordingly.

If the original poster could work it out, the thread probably wouldn't have been created; holding the piece of lumber and tracing is the simplest solution. Some handsaws even have fixed markers/angles for 45 and 90 degrees, making it easy to trace on the piece to be sawed without buying special tools.

 

[Mjärn]

If the original poster could figure it out, the thread probably wouldn't have been created. Holding the rule and tracing is the simplest way, and some hand saws even have fixed markings/angles for 45 and 90 degrees, making it easy to trace onto the piece that needs to be cut without buying special tools.

I don't get that stuff. I guess it's best if I buy an expensive angle measurer to calculate it for me

 

[Mjärn]

If you have studied natural science or technology in high school, you can probably solve it with trigonometry. Otherwise, an angle finder is very useful.

A speedsquare [link]

or an angle gauge solves it smoothly
[link]

[link]

There are also pretty good calculation apps for (at least American) carpenters, which are basically trigonometry but with carpenter terms.

One should not underestimate the effectiveness of holding a piece of wood where it needs to be and tracing the contours of adjacent pieces and then cutting accordingly.

But I don't quite understand how the angle finder can calculate the angle depending on how far in/out I want the slanted piece to sit between the straight pieces.

 

[sinuslinus]

Don't understand that kind of stuff. It's probably best that I buy an expensive angle meter that calculates for me

There is a free tool in the Swedish Wood app "Lathunden".

 

[Mjärn]

There is a free tool in the Svenskt trä app "Lathunden".

Thank you! Also a great tip!

 

[fribygg]

I don't understand that. I should probably buy an expensive angle measurer that calculates for me

Are the studs similar to the ones in the picture that you need to fit? It's not exactly fine carpentry, so sufficient precision is achieved by holding up the stud and tracing it before you saw with the handsaw. If you have a miter saw, you can use the scale on it and cut 45 degrees at both ends.

 

[fribygg]

But don't quite understand how the angle meter is supposed to calculate the angle depending on how far in/out I want the slanted beam to sit between the straight beams.

Does the angle really matter that much that it needs to be calculated or measured (electronically) or is the function what's important?

 

[Mjärn]

Are they studs like the ones in the picture you're fitting? It's not exactly fine carpentry, sufficient precision is achieved by holding up the stud and tracing before you saw with the hand saw. If you have a miter saw, you can use the scale on it and cut 45 degrees at both ends.

But if I hold up the stud, I can't trace because the board is uncut.

 

[Mjärn]

Does the angle really matter so much that it needs to be calculated or measured (electronically) or is the function what's important?

Ideally, I would like to calculate it in a simple way and then cut the board at the right angle. Then it's done. It's good if it doesn't look like crap, but yes, the function is what's important.

 

[fribygg]

Hey, did you know that the circle is 360° and a right angle is 90° so a protractor, speed square, or something similar works great for fixing the angles even if you don't want exactly 45/90 degree angles that a handsaw usually can provide without special measurements or investments in equipment.

 

[Mjärn]

Well, you know that the circle is 360° and a right angle is 90°, a protractor, speed square or similar works excellent for fixing the angles even if you do not want exactly 45/90-degree angles that a handsaw can usually give without special measurements or investments in equipment.

If two studs are at 90 degrees and I want to place a board like the one in the picture I uploaded at the beginning. How do I calculate the number of degrees I need to cut the stud in order to place it diagonally between the studs (as in the picture)?

I can guess it's 45 degrees, but how do you calculate it without guessing? How should a protractor do it?

 

[olofh]

If two beams are at 90 degrees and I want to place a board as in the picture I uploaded at the beginning. How do I calculate the angle to cut the beam to place it diagonally between the beams (as in the picture)?

I can guess it's 45 degrees, but how do you calculate it without guessing? How would a protractor do it?

refresh some middle school math to get the theory. There are good videos on YouTube, but otherwise here for example: https://eddler.se/lektioner/pythagoras-sats/

protractor:

https://eddler.se/lektioner/gradskiva/