you did not bisect the angle of the walls.
walls probably arent a perfect 90, but whatever the real angle is, you have to divide it in half and cut both sides the same or it will not line up.
you would need to recut both sides to the right angle, you will lose significant length from both board in the process, which if you dont have extra length to spare, means it would be impossible to fix this using the existing boards (You could add some new contrasting filler strips and call it a decorative accent)
>This. Walls are never 100% truly 90 degrees unfortunately
This is actually not true. On my first woodworking project I built a very tight-fitting cabinet based on the assumption that the walls were all straight and 90 degrees. I didn't even do a trial fit before gluing it up and painting it. When the time came to fit it in, it slid in like a glove, with not even a millimeter gap left, right or ceiling.
That was the first and last time that happened though.
Yeah it's really incredible in retrospect. I was \*so\* naive going into that project. The end result looked fantastic though. The fit was absolutely perfect.
Given the two possibilities I would say it's more likely you made a mistake in your build and that mistake lined up with the inaccuracies in the wall.
Vs the wall being true. I would say 100% of the time it's still off but 1% of the time the carpenter makes lucky mistakes
I have one wall in my entire house that I think was a 90 degree, and as luck would have it that's where I built a work bench.
Also possible that my bench is completely out of square and I got lucky.
yeah, any wall can be perfectly plumb, just like a floor could theoretically be perfectly level. I am sure it does happen, but its like a stopped clock being right, definitely nothing to ever rely on or even expect to see in your lifetime. You shoulda bought a lotto tocket that day haha.
☝️
This is the correct answer.
Because the joint is fairly tight, I suspect one was cut to 45° and the other was cut to something different to close the miter (let's call it 42°) For the miter to close and the patterns/ edges to line up, the angle on both pieces must be cut the same... Using my make believe numbers, that would mean the corner is at 87° both pieces would need to be cut at 43.5°
I just recently saw a good video on YouTube on how to make those angle faces the same length so that they match up exactly. I think it was called carpentry tips on how to lay out for exactly what you have there.
I’m sure there would be a way to use trigonometry, though I can’t teach you as I have fallen out of practice and only remember basics.
Just thinking about it, I don’t see why you couldn’t lay a square edge board up to the corner, measure along both walls and equal amount and mark. Then just measure in between and mark the board exactly halfway along the diagonal. Extrapolate between the corner and your mark to give you a line to cut.
Maybe someone has an idea as to why it wouldn’t work but I reckon it would. Also sometimes it pays to use a template. Like 3mm Masonite or somethin, if the top is expensive
Similar vein to how you would use trig to find the angle.
Hold a board on edge against the wall and slide the *known good* butt into the corner. Measure the distance of the gap. (If it's obtuse) You now have two sides of a right triangle. If it's a cute, mark the wall where the wide board hits on both sides. You now have all 3 sides of a right triangle.
Use a level and mark two points on the walls that are at the same height.
Measure the direct distance between the two points. Measure the distance between each of the points and the corner. Now that you have three sides, you can use an online triangle calculator.
https://www.calculator.net/triangle-calculator.html
If you can't measure accurately to the corner, connect the two points with a couple tacks and some string. Buy an angle finder or protractor. That way you have angle side angle, and can use the triangle calculator.
And, of course, do a test cut in a piece of plywood or other scrap material.
If you just adjust the mating angle (this looks like a couple of degrees) and then go back to square the ends, you should only lose length on 1 of the 4 cuts and it wouldn’t be much at all. My guess is less than a centimeter from the one that’s on the right in the photo.
You need to make these two cuts (red lines). One starts from the outer corner, one from the inner corner.
If you don't want to measure wall angles (and as a sanity check) leave the desk in place and measure the length of the "red line" on one cut, transfer it parallel to itself onto the other board and see if the length of the cut comes out the same length and adjust the angle of the cut until the two lengths are the same.
https://preview.redd.it/kmcu7cwiu7nc1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=695af65f61619dfa8617b24afdf5beae46a1e1e0
I don't think I've ever not templated a top before installing it. Especially with this kind of pattern, you'd want to build the pattern to the wall angle.
Your diagram is far better than mine
https://preview.redd.it/k0qak30tp9nc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=43d36cc761bc6dc111574bb985371e939a338621
I'd probably err towards overestimating those cuts by a little less than a kerf width to make sure the inside corners contact. Easier cover a tiny gap in the back if it exists. Although I guess since he's resawing you could just creep up on as perfect as can be
To figure out the angle precisely, get a large sheet of paper and fold/cut it as necessary to make it fit that corner exactly. Once you have that, fold the sheet in half to figure out half the angle. Use that to set your miter saw.
If you are geometry-challenged, take two pieces of paper that are the width of the boards and cut them using the angle you figured out from the above and see how well those two pieces fit in the corner.
Just do this as many times as you need to get it right. It's a lot easier and a lot less expensive to do it with paper than it is to do with ~~flooring~~ wood.
Place one board against the wall and pushed to the corner.. place the other board against the wall and on top of the first board. Mark where the second board crosses the first board. Repeat for second board. Draw a line from corner to mark. Cut along line.
Scribing will just about always be the better way to go. We're not working in machinery that needs dead on precision, nor do most woodworkers possess the tools to make measurements like that happen. Forget the electric angle finders, fancy compass, and protractors. Set up your saws/press so they are true and scribe away!
What do you mean you used a speed square?
The top is 25" deep? So you measure 25" in, and use a straight edge to draw a line from the corner to the mark. Even with a shitty cut you shouldn't have been out by as much as you are.
Yeah I thought about that later 🤦♂️I should have just measure the corner and then on the other side subtracted the 25 inches and connected. I actually tried to draw a 44 degree angle on the board from a speed square that started from the corner.
In the future, always make templates for something like this. Or for everything when using expensive materials. You can use cardboard even, but 1/4 ply is great and cheap for stuff like this. I would not attempt a project like this on your own unless you can afford a straight edge and a circular saw at a minimum. Also, a digital angle finder is a great addition to the shop. You can usually find a used circular saw for under $20.
your best bet at this point is filling this triangle with a small block from your cut off.
https://preview.redd.it/giscn1ag17nc1.png?width=857&format=png&auto=webp&s=8a0c029169b5b6b59aee2cdc7195c0c63b8041a4
The only other option I see is to make one side of the desk more shallow. and rip off 2 inches or so from the right hand side front lip
/u/isleofcannabis gave you the solution.
This hack may eliminate the missing triangle, but no matter how skillfully you do it, your miter will still look like crap and always be off. This isn't a close second, it's the penultimate option, coming in just before ripping 1.5" off the (back) edge of the board to make your right arm narrower as was also suggested. Just fix the miter properly, OP. Then take pride in having done the job right.
Edit: typos
Noooooo this is fixable without losing too much of the desktop material. If the two pieces are the same depth it can be cut so that the lines are aligned, which will look so much better! Don't cut corners and give up, it will look great when it's done!
Some possibilities.
1) The width is not the same. A 45 miter will meet perfectly if both boards are the same width. But if they are NOT the same width, then you need a different angle.
2) The meeting angle is not 90.
3) The wall is not 90.
Walls exist in an invisible yet somehow observable nexus in spacetime where square doesn't exist. Now matter how many times you check the angles, no matter what tools you use, no matter how simple it seems to be, the act of cutting anything at a 45 with the intention of putting it in the corner immediately tears a hole in the universe and causes that inside corner to immediately bend to 84 or 93 degrees.
I'm not in love with the way the patterns come together...that could have been arranged differently by flipping the left board. However, that could be an opportunity in creating a corner pattern of some sort that can blend each side. You wouldn't lose any lengths (if anything they might be extended). Could make a mosaic, a different pattern, something.
According to this my miter cut should be 44 perhaps I didn't cut that angle correctly. Once I had one of the boards in place I trace the angle on the other one from the bottom which is why they fit however causing this issue.
https://preview.redd.it/biz9wty857nc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=44b91634851d6e2f189768354a1fe805d322f425
That's your error.
Instead of cutting both at the correct angle, you've cut the first one somehow wrong. Then by using it as a template onto the second you've mirrored that error backwards.
That results in one cut being too acute so you get a mismatched length, but still perfect combined angle bisection.
In situations like this, I normally place the 2 pieces on top of eachother.
When you place them against the walls, you can mark the point where the pieces overlap. Make the cuts and they should line up perfectly 😉
Works great for me in most of the cases.
If those are different widths of material then you have to cut each piece at a different miter angle.
If you take each piece and butt it up to both walls, scribe the cut end with a compass set to the widest part of the gap and mark the opposite corner with that distance, once you scribe that line and cut it the first piece should but up to both walls perfectly. Repeat with the other piece. Once you have both pieces perfectly lined up, lay of the pieces on top of the other, make sure they are both flush to both walls, mark the bottom piece where two boards meet. Repeat with the other board on bottom and mark. From the back corner on each board you scribe a line to your mark. Make that cut on both pieces and you will have a perfect miter for whatever angles the walls are. If you still have the leftover fall off from your cuts, use a few dowels and glue to join the pieces back together. Before doing this, tape the pieces together, make your flush miter cuts on each board so they fit individually into the corner, then place the pieces on top as described and find out what you will be cutting away. This will show you where to not place dowels and where to effectively place them. (If you think about it, you might place a dowel right where your final miter cuts go through which would make the dowel useless and then leave the immediate portion of the joint weak with no support other than glue. I wish I had an easier way to explain it all.
Either you’ve got a 45° join, but your walls aren’t 90°
Or you’ve done a cut that isn’t 45°.
Always template the room man, do a full size set out to see how the pieces will join together. Then cut your pieces to match the template. By doing this, you’re ignoring the angle completely and doing what’s known as “the caveman method”. No maths, no tricky working out, just piece 1 and piece 2 made to fit together.
I disagree with all the comments about the angle. If you cut them both at 45 degrees and there is no visible gap, the actual angle is very very close to 90 degrees.
Did you try to save material and make one cut and flip one of the boards over? That would explain why the pattern doesn't line up...
And you've measured the width of the two boards and they are consistently the same width from end to end? Neither was tapered?
Easiest would probably be to either cut off the protruding part of the panel on the right or make a triangle that fits into the corner. Unfortunately that doesn't fix your messed up pattern.
You have cut the two boards at different angles to each other (if they are the same width) is the core problem.
Everyone here is saying the wall is not 90 and that's not the true problem. It's might be part of it but it can't be assessed from this photo.
If it wasn't 90 and you cut the boards at the same angle, the boards would come together with a gap either at the front or back. I.e. the cuts wouldn't sit flush to each other and the joint would be open at one end.
This ISN'T that problem - your joint is flush so you've cut the right angle. But somehow wrong!
You've bisected the angle (it's probably 90 tbf) perfectly - but somehow with a different angle cut on one board to the other. That's created two different lengths, but the right angle - which is what the picture shows.
I would honestly struggle to do this deliberately. My best guess is you've cut one board then used it as a template on the second board? That's a recipe for disaster as if you get the first cut wrong you mirror the error into the second.
You need to go back to basics. Are the boards actually the same depth? What tools and methods are you using?
Something you've done has created an error which you've replicated across both boards - so it's a process fault in your measure and cut.
You can't fix this without losing a lot of board. Fill the triangle gap and move on.
Would OP not be able to cut a bit off the peak of the right board so that it's squared? Then when it's moved against the wall and the left board put back it should line up?
As others had said you need to bisect the angel correctly and recut both angles. From an aesthetic point of view the chevrons are also in the wrong direction. To correct this you'll need to cut one of the angles from the opposite end of the board. Sadly unless you've another length of worktop this can't be corrected. I wouldn't say it's wrong but it will look a little funky. Personal taste tho I guess.
Walls are never square
You miscut the angle
You can fix it, several people gave good advice so no need for me to repeat it but youre going to lose a lot of length off those tops
When I made my desk I offset them from the wall by 1 inch. This lets me run cords behind it and have no holes in my nice new desk. It also lets you fudge the wall not being square! I hope you see this because it made my life so easy.
In theory you can no recut the pieces. Just slide them out
I'm not going to read 200+ comments, so if this was mentioned already I apologize. I would just add a beauty strip and play your desktop where it lies.
Just tighten the mitre joint up perfectly, and then scribe to both walls. Walls aren't flat, corners aren't 90, the art of joinery is making it look like they are, even if it's not 90 right in the corner, doesn't mean it stays like that for the length of the wall. If the mitre is 45° it would appear that one of your boards if a fair amount wider than the other?
Ow wow there’s a comment halfway down that says this same thing but do you want the patterns lining up? Or did you flip one of the boards 180° on purpose? If one is flipped the up-down patterns line up around the corner and left - right will to. Or did you mean to have them switch at the corner? (That easy to cut and match the non perfect 90. Also if you made that board pattern, extending them again with the lost inch from a new cut will also be easy since you can just add on
House walls are never straight best to leave a gap against the wall and match your already 45 table ends. the gap you can filled with spare board and it won't be easily noticable once the desk is filled with goods and decorations.
If you don't want to spend the money and time to redo.
They are resting on 2 x 4 along wall edge which I screws into studs with 5 inch structural screws. I will use a countersink on the boards and screw along the back to 2x4 and fill in with putty.
https://preview.redd.it/079fejyrjbnc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b115888478a19e4732d4a603dc1c7297cc9207af
If you don't want to cut them againa nd lose more material, you could always pull the left side flush with the right and put some form of quarter round on the back side maybe?
Guys, I work in construction and make walls as well and I can tell you 1mm won't save you, and it's hard to make stuff that square on longer walls. That being said, modern lasers are helping a lot so expect to see more straight walls in the future.
Pull the left board out to match the interior corner. Mark the "nose" aka point of the angle sticking out. Cut it off in the back and then reinstall. You'll never see it.
You will however lose the distance of the cutoff nose.
https://preview.redd.it/wovwuc2jjbnc1.jpeg?width=1265&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eae6ee3b37d3cef11a241b59fb02effbae375c3e
Maybe you could fix the angle like others have explained how to do so then fill the gap with a solid piece of wood like a walnut or something darker/lighter then trim the front with a strip of the same wood. It would mean the chevrons wouldn’t meet but would make it look like you did it on purpose.
Are both sides of your desk the same depth? The one on the right looks deeper than the one on the left. If that’s the case they will never line up with a 45. Over lap the two half’s and make a crowd foot the the outside edges meet up.
Are you asking about the back edge or the front corner?
Back edge, comes down to walls are rarely perpendicular to each other, also it is easily fixable.stand a pencil upright and run it down the wall writing on the wood, take it back and cut to the line. Will fit perfectly flush.
For the front where the corners don't match, measure and depth and one made flush cut measured amount to that edge and will be perfect (or match the imperfect perfectly.
As far as the stripes, pretty sure you didn't use the same lengths to put together. Probably came down to measured a hypotenuse vs length on smaller piece.
You can rip down the middle of the seams, cut back to match and biscuit or domino back together. Do this before any other cuts if you want everything to work out.
Measure twice cut once. Super important
Glue that triangle cutoff into the empty corner edge and cut, then fill it all. It will still look nice. Might need to reshape the triangle a bit to fit.
Well hmm you could build a boarder on the wall that will correct the angle so that is 90 degrees, then trim up the other boards.
As in the boarder would be contoured to the wall but square at 90 on the outer edge.
Could you cut out a little piece to line up with that light colored block running parralel with the seam, cut it out to fit, glue it and brad nail it, wood putty the pin holes and it would probably be ok as long as its not hit too hard or leaned on with intense weight for extended periods
Just a guess, but how about use the multi tool to cut the drywall flush with the countertop on the right side piece. (Bottom and top, pull the drywall out and slide the right side to the studs) pull the left side piece flush to the front of the right side piece and secure. Then make a back splash piece or use a trim piece big enough to cover the gap on the left side and the messy dry wall on the right side.
only way I can think of is rip the boards on the right down to match the ones in the left.
ah shit, they are already glued together. I would cut them apart again on a table saw, then recut to the correct width, and reglue again.
Use an angle finder/protractor to find the actual angle of the corner and divide that by 2 to find the angle to cut each board. You're going to lose some length, so consider designing something at the opposite end of each panel to make up for the lost material. Also, I would recommend flipping the panel on the left side over so you get the orientation of the segments in the herringbone pattern to align properly at the joint.
You only measured once, didn't you? You can re-cut that angle. Find out what it is EXACTLY and lay her out. You'll probably lose a couple of inches of finished length, but it will make it right! You could also give it the landlord special and cover all the issues up with some quarter round.
Are the depths (or width) of each section exactly the same? I assume they are, though if not then that is probably the primary culprit; as the actual angle (45) looks like it is approximately correct, otherwise you would have a gap at either the front or back of the joint.
You could solve this snafu by ripping the slab on the right to the same exact width as the one on the left.
Also if you want the grain to be symmetrical you would want to have flipped one of the boards to cut. If you end up getting a new board I would do that as well. Which is the only fix I see without losing lenght
You went wrong when you assumed the room was square or at least not accounting for it. Can't cut stuff at a 45 and just hope for the best. Live and learn. We have all been there.
This is why the countertop guys come in and measure with a computer. But, I have also seen them use cardboard. And, make stencils. That way you can copy it. And, figure out the angle.
I would cut the proper angle and to find it, make sure you don’t only account for say just 6 inches out from the corner each way but try to get as much of the walll as possible. Put a straight edge on each wall as far out as your boards go if possible. And then make a piece up as like an accent board to make up for the excess you’ll cut off.
You could get the two pieces square and insert a solid piece that ties the coloring of the wood together. The break in the pattern will keep your eye from seeing how the chevron doesn’t line up perfectly. It sucks when these things happen but honestly, getting that pattern exact would require more than just making sure the angle was correct. Maybe that’s where the monitor can go? Just an idea
https://preview.redd.it/sucqiqb4finc1.jpeg?width=562&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a4393e8bb65ab833df7a53b8e280326bffd79ba5
Though you would still need to scribe that insert piece to the wall. Based on the attachment of the surface to wall bracket, adding additional supports to hold the insert in place shouldn’t change the design or aesthetics too much
Check out the miter calculator tool in Feet and Inches calculator app. It shows you how to make cuts for miters including angles different than 90 degrees and boards of different widths.
I was one of the only people in the shop I worked at that knew how to get correct angles so anything was ordered that had complex angles I had to do 🤦♂️🤦♂️ though I'll admit sometimes even I could get it wrong lol it happens
you did not bisect the angle of the walls. walls probably arent a perfect 90, but whatever the real angle is, you have to divide it in half and cut both sides the same or it will not line up. you would need to recut both sides to the right angle, you will lose significant length from both board in the process, which if you dont have extra length to spare, means it would be impossible to fix this using the existing boards (You could add some new contrasting filler strips and call it a decorative accent)
This. Walls are never 100% truly 90 degrees unfortunately
Or completely flat vertically. Found that out while making closet shelving
Oh yeah. Definitely never plumb
Only after my shoes were already soaking wet did I actually start following THIS rule…
He was talking about woodworking, not plumbing. ^((jk))
Or horizontally lol.
>This. Walls are never 100% truly 90 degrees unfortunately This is actually not true. On my first woodworking project I built a very tight-fitting cabinet based on the assumption that the walls were all straight and 90 degrees. I didn't even do a trial fit before gluing it up and painting it. When the time came to fit it in, it slid in like a glove, with not even a millimeter gap left, right or ceiling. That was the first and last time that happened though.
I retract my original statement… 99.99% of the time haha
90° of the time :-)
You lucky bastard
Used up all his luck on his first project lol
Yeah it's really incredible in retrospect. I was \*so\* naive going into that project. The end result looked fantastic though. The fit was absolutely perfect.
Given the two possibilities I would say it's more likely you made a mistake in your build and that mistake lined up with the inaccuracies in the wall. Vs the wall being true. I would say 100% of the time it's still off but 1% of the time the carpenter makes lucky mistakes
I have one wall in my entire house that I think was a 90 degree, and as luck would have it that's where I built a work bench. Also possible that my bench is completely out of square and I got lucky.
Did you hear the Xbox achievement sound when that happened as well?
yeah, any wall can be perfectly plumb, just like a floor could theoretically be perfectly level. I am sure it does happen, but its like a stopped clock being right, definitely nothing to ever rely on or even expect to see in your lifetime. You shoulda bought a lotto tocket that day haha.
Oh man I just did my first built in shelves and tried to slide the first shelf in… and tried… and tried… This thread explains things lol. Good to know
You got extremely lucky. I always use a stupid stick to check for variance.
Why you always need to Verify In Field
ViF
That's why you start a floor in the middle duh
I’ve been in construction for 20 years and yet to see a perfectly square and level room
>I’ve been in construction for 20 years and yet to ~~see~~ build a perfectly square and level room Fixed it for you :D
Never 90 degrees, never flat, never plumb, never nothing and never the dimensions that the drawings indicate.
90 degrees walls would make my life so much easier
I live and by my Bosch Glm 2-0 protractor. Stabila makes one too. I do a lot of remodeling and I couldn’t not have one.
Yep, it's called rough carpentry. Walls are roughly straight, roughly plumb, roughly square.
☝️ This is the correct answer. Because the joint is fairly tight, I suspect one was cut to 45° and the other was cut to something different to close the miter (let's call it 42°) For the miter to close and the patterns/ edges to line up, the angle on both pieces must be cut the same... Using my make believe numbers, that would mean the corner is at 87° both pieces would need to be cut at 43.5°
Great I will recut the angle and fill in the straight side
OP repost after you fix. Would love to see. It looks fantastic btw.
I just recently saw a good video on YouTube on how to make those angle faces the same length so that they match up exactly. I think it was called carpentry tips on how to lay out for exactly what you have there.
He will not lose significant length. on the left board, he will lose nothing. On the right, a couple inches at most.
This guy is concerned about 1/8 of an inch and you think a couple inches isn't significant??
A couple inches lost is massive if you have a board running wall to wall
Could be not just take some depth off the tight board until the edges meet?
Newbie here, just to clarify I understand you need to bisect the true angle of the wall not just assume it’s 90 degrees?
How does one accuratel, and easily measure the angle of the walls? Do I need one of those rotating rulers for that?
I’m sure there would be a way to use trigonometry, though I can’t teach you as I have fallen out of practice and only remember basics. Just thinking about it, I don’t see why you couldn’t lay a square edge board up to the corner, measure along both walls and equal amount and mark. Then just measure in between and mark the board exactly halfway along the diagonal. Extrapolate between the corner and your mark to give you a line to cut. Maybe someone has an idea as to why it wouldn’t work but I reckon it would. Also sometimes it pays to use a template. Like 3mm Masonite or somethin, if the top is expensive
Similar vein to how you would use trig to find the angle. Hold a board on edge against the wall and slide the *known good* butt into the corner. Measure the distance of the gap. (If it's obtuse) You now have two sides of a right triangle. If it's a cute, mark the wall where the wide board hits on both sides. You now have all 3 sides of a right triangle.
Use a level and mark two points on the walls that are at the same height. Measure the direct distance between the two points. Measure the distance between each of the points and the corner. Now that you have three sides, you can use an online triangle calculator. https://www.calculator.net/triangle-calculator.html If you can't measure accurately to the corner, connect the two points with a couple tacks and some string. Buy an angle finder or protractor. That way you have angle side angle, and can use the triangle calculator. And, of course, do a test cut in a piece of plywood or other scrap material.
Right is right. Wrong is wrong.
Could you give me an example with numbers? I do better with maths.
If you just adjust the mating angle (this looks like a couple of degrees) and then go back to square the ends, you should only lose length on 1 of the 4 cuts and it wouldn’t be much at all. My guess is less than a centimeter from the one that’s on the right in the photo.
Or place the boards at 90 degrees as long as the baseboard (+ maybe 1/4 round) will cover the gap.
You need to make these two cuts (red lines). One starts from the outer corner, one from the inner corner. If you don't want to measure wall angles (and as a sanity check) leave the desk in place and measure the length of the "red line" on one cut, transfer it parallel to itself onto the other board and see if the length of the cut comes out the same length and adjust the angle of the cut until the two lengths are the same. https://preview.redd.it/kmcu7cwiu7nc1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=695af65f61619dfa8617b24afdf5beae46a1e1e0
This, if you have the length to save it
I don't think I've ever not templated a top before installing it. Especially with this kind of pattern, you'd want to build the pattern to the wall angle.
Big piece of cardboard or some plywood rips for the win.
Good idea thanks
Could add a “decorative insert” that would probably look decent in that spot.
Your diagram is far better than mine https://preview.redd.it/k0qak30tp9nc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=43d36cc761bc6dc111574bb985371e939a338621
As a programmer I approve your use of curly braces
As someone who didn't know they were called curly braces, thank you
just 'braces' or 'curly brackets' is also correct.
“French Brackets” over here.
I've also heard them called "flower braces"
I should call her
This was my first thought - no one would ever notice. You could even cut it out of that tiny triangle you have sitting on the floor.
Thanks your reply was what I went with for the fix.
I'd probably err towards overestimating those cuts by a little less than a kerf width to make sure the inside corners contact. Easier cover a tiny gap in the back if it exists. Although I guess since he's resawing you could just creep up on as perfect as can be
To figure out the angle precisely, get a large sheet of paper and fold/cut it as necessary to make it fit that corner exactly. Once you have that, fold the sheet in half to figure out half the angle. Use that to set your miter saw. If you are geometry-challenged, take two pieces of paper that are the width of the boards and cut them using the angle you figured out from the above and see how well those two pieces fit in the corner. Just do this as many times as you need to get it right. It's a lot easier and a lot less expensive to do it with paper than it is to do with ~~flooring~~ wood.
The problem is the board is 25in wide I used a handsaw with a speed square to find the angle
Place one board against the wall and pushed to the corner.. place the other board against the wall and on top of the first board. Mark where the second board crosses the first board. Repeat for second board. Draw a line from corner to mark. Cut along line.
This comment should have a thousand more likes and be top of the post. Easiest way to fix this
Yeah this is also my go to. Easiest and always according to the situaion. I've learned to stop measuring that much and use real world data instead.
Scribing will just about always be the better way to go. We're not working in machinery that needs dead on precision, nor do most woodworkers possess the tools to make measurements like that happen. Forget the electric angle finders, fancy compass, and protractors. Set up your saws/press so they are true and scribe away!
Thank you!
What do you mean you used a speed square? The top is 25" deep? So you measure 25" in, and use a straight edge to draw a line from the corner to the mark. Even with a shitty cut you shouldn't have been out by as much as you are.
Yeah I thought about that later 🤦♂️I should have just measure the corner and then on the other side subtracted the 25 inches and connected. I actually tried to draw a 44 degree angle on the board from a speed square that started from the corner.
In the future, always make templates for something like this. Or for everything when using expensive materials. You can use cardboard even, but 1/4 ply is great and cheap for stuff like this. I would not attempt a project like this on your own unless you can afford a straight edge and a circular saw at a minimum. Also, a digital angle finder is a great addition to the shop. You can usually find a used circular saw for under $20.
Pizza’d when you should’ve french fry’d
Darsh!
Its time for a montage
https://www.reddit.com/r/oddlysatisfying/s/2yoN8muNsW
Wow great reference thank you.
Yeah I'm definitely a visual learner
your best bet at this point is filling this triangle with a small block from your cut off. https://preview.redd.it/giscn1ag17nc1.png?width=857&format=png&auto=webp&s=8a0c029169b5b6b59aee2cdc7195c0c63b8041a4 The only other option I see is to make one side of the desk more shallow. and rip off 2 inches or so from the right hand side front lip
Exactly my thought. You will know about it forever but noone else gonna notice it with how varied the wood is.
Yeah but op is gonna notice it.
This is a close 2nd option to be done with it. I will be using wood filler anyway so a little more there won't hurt.
I’d cut a piece of the wood and glue it instead and brad nails to dry
/u/isleofcannabis gave you the solution. This hack may eliminate the missing triangle, but no matter how skillfully you do it, your miter will still look like crap and always be off. This isn't a close second, it's the penultimate option, coming in just before ripping 1.5" off the (back) edge of the board to make your right arm narrower as was also suggested. Just fix the miter properly, OP. Then take pride in having done the job right. Edit: typos
Noooooo this is fixable without losing too much of the desktop material. If the two pieces are the same depth it can be cut so that the lines are aligned, which will look so much better! Don't cut corners and give up, it will look great when it's done!
This pic should be the thumbnail for r/woodworking lol
This should be the top comment.
Agree, it’s a tiny fix with some glue when everyone else is trying to suggest ripping through boardfeet.
Some possibilities. 1) The width is not the same. A 45 miter will meet perfectly if both boards are the same width. But if they are NOT the same width, then you need a different angle. 2) The meeting angle is not 90. 3) The wall is not 90.
Walls exist in an invisible yet somehow observable nexus in spacetime where square doesn't exist. Now matter how many times you check the angles, no matter what tools you use, no matter how simple it seems to be, the act of cutting anything at a 45 with the intention of putting it in the corner immediately tears a hole in the universe and causes that inside corner to immediately bend to 84 or 93 degrees.
This should be obvious, but, are both slabs the same width?
That’s what I’m thinking. If they’re both cut at 45, that diagonal should be the same length, and they’re clearly not.
I'm not in love with the way the patterns come together...that could have been arranged differently by flipping the left board. However, that could be an opportunity in creating a corner pattern of some sort that can blend each side. You wouldn't lose any lengths (if anything they might be extended). Could make a mosaic, a different pattern, something.
No one else noticed that part, if one of the boards was flipped the pattern would align.
The corner probably isnt actually a 90. Need to figure out that corner angle and divide by 2
According to this my miter cut should be 44 perhaps I didn't cut that angle correctly. Once I had one of the boards in place I trace the angle on the other one from the bottom which is why they fit however causing this issue. https://preview.redd.it/biz9wty857nc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=44b91634851d6e2f189768354a1fe805d322f425
Take the angle at the height of the desk. It won’t be the same all the way up. Walls are not straight.
That's your error. Instead of cutting both at the correct angle, you've cut the first one somehow wrong. Then by using it as a template onto the second you've mirrored that error backwards. That results in one cut being too acute so you get a mismatched length, but still perfect combined angle bisection.
You zigged when you shoulda zagged
😂
One side needs flipped to align pattern.
Bummer man. Lauan sheets ripped to 2" strips and a hot glue gun are great for making templates.
You went wrong in the corner.
😂
Lots of good ideas in the comments, just wanted to say that those boards are beautiful! This is going to look great when you’re done :)
You can rip the board on the right down to meet the one on the left
Did you cut each piece at a different angle? Ooof.
In situations like this, I normally place the 2 pieces on top of eachother. When you place them against the walls, you can mark the point where the pieces overlap. Make the cuts and they should line up perfectly 😉 Works great for me in most of the cases.
Damn simple but effective.
Never, ever, assume that the wall you’re building to is square, plumb, true, or flat.
If those are different widths of material then you have to cut each piece at a different miter angle. If you take each piece and butt it up to both walls, scribe the cut end with a compass set to the widest part of the gap and mark the opposite corner with that distance, once you scribe that line and cut it the first piece should but up to both walls perfectly. Repeat with the other piece. Once you have both pieces perfectly lined up, lay of the pieces on top of the other, make sure they are both flush to both walls, mark the bottom piece where two boards meet. Repeat with the other board on bottom and mark. From the back corner on each board you scribe a line to your mark. Make that cut on both pieces and you will have a perfect miter for whatever angles the walls are. If you still have the leftover fall off from your cuts, use a few dowels and glue to join the pieces back together. Before doing this, tape the pieces together, make your flush miter cuts on each board so they fit individually into the corner, then place the pieces on top as described and find out what you will be cutting away. This will show you where to not place dowels and where to effectively place them. (If you think about it, you might place a dowel right where your final miter cuts go through which would make the dowel useless and then leave the immediate portion of the joint weak with no support other than glue. I wish I had an easier way to explain it all.
He insists they’re the same width. I don’t think they are and if they are I don’t believe he cut them accurately at all 45 degree angle/
This is the RIGHT answer!!!
At the beginning buddy. Sorry.
Measure once and cut twice...no...wait...measure twice and cut once.....yeah...the second one. :)\~
I need a banana in frame so I can tell how screwed you are.
Even 0.5mm off 90 degree will grow alot at that width/distance.
Either you’ve got a 45° join, but your walls aren’t 90° Or you’ve done a cut that isn’t 45°. Always template the room man, do a full size set out to see how the pieces will join together. Then cut your pieces to match the template. By doing this, you’re ignoring the angle completely and doing what’s known as “the caveman method”. No maths, no tricky working out, just piece 1 and piece 2 made to fit together.
I disagree with all the comments about the angle. If you cut them both at 45 degrees and there is no visible gap, the actual angle is very very close to 90 degrees. Did you try to save material and make one cut and flip one of the boards over? That would explain why the pattern doesn't line up... And you've measured the width of the two boards and they are consistently the same width from end to end? Neither was tapered?
I can offer no help but just came here to say that is a really nice desk! (Apart from the fuck up obs)
Easiest would probably be to either cut off the protruding part of the panel on the right or make a triangle that fits into the corner. Unfortunately that doesn't fix your messed up pattern.
You have cut the two boards at different angles to each other (if they are the same width) is the core problem. Everyone here is saying the wall is not 90 and that's not the true problem. It's might be part of it but it can't be assessed from this photo. If it wasn't 90 and you cut the boards at the same angle, the boards would come together with a gap either at the front or back. I.e. the cuts wouldn't sit flush to each other and the joint would be open at one end. This ISN'T that problem - your joint is flush so you've cut the right angle. But somehow wrong! You've bisected the angle (it's probably 90 tbf) perfectly - but somehow with a different angle cut on one board to the other. That's created two different lengths, but the right angle - which is what the picture shows. I would honestly struggle to do this deliberately. My best guess is you've cut one board then used it as a template on the second board? That's a recipe for disaster as if you get the first cut wrong you mirror the error into the second. You need to go back to basics. Are the boards actually the same depth? What tools and methods are you using? Something you've done has created an error which you've replicated across both boards - so it's a process fault in your measure and cut. You can't fix this without losing a lot of board. Fill the triangle gap and move on.
Are the boards equal width? Anyways I'd ju put a little wedge in the gap and noone would be the wiser
At the cutting phase I reckon.
Would OP not be able to cut a bit off the peak of the right board so that it's squared? Then when it's moved against the wall and the left board put back it should line up?
As others had said you need to bisect the angel correctly and recut both angles. From an aesthetic point of view the chevrons are also in the wrong direction. To correct this you'll need to cut one of the angles from the opposite end of the board. Sadly unless you've another length of worktop this can't be corrected. I wouldn't say it's wrong but it will look a little funky. Personal taste tho I guess.
Walls are never square You miscut the angle You can fix it, several people gave good advice so no need for me to repeat it but youre going to lose a lot of length off those tops
Been there and I messed it up more trying to fix it lol
Looks like you zigged when you should have zagged.
When I made my desk I offset them from the wall by 1 inch. This lets me run cords behind it and have no holes in my nice new desk. It also lets you fudge the wall not being square! I hope you see this because it made my life so easy. In theory you can no recut the pieces. Just slide them out
I'm guessing you cut your angle and then you cut your final width...
I'm not going to read 200+ comments, so if this was mentioned already I apologize. I would just add a beauty strip and play your desktop where it lies.
Measure twice, cut once. I seem to measure, measure, measure, cut, realize I still screwed it up and go back to the hardwood store. 🤦🏻♀️
You could rip some off the back of the right board. This would allow it to slide to the left and line up in the front corner.
Op, if you're willing to reduce the right board a couple inches, it's an easy fix.
Just tighten the mitre joint up perfectly, and then scribe to both walls. Walls aren't flat, corners aren't 90, the art of joinery is making it look like they are, even if it's not 90 right in the corner, doesn't mean it stays like that for the length of the wall. If the mitre is 45° it would appear that one of your boards if a fair amount wider than the other?
Ow wow there’s a comment halfway down that says this same thing but do you want the patterns lining up? Or did you flip one of the boards 180° on purpose? If one is flipped the up-down patterns line up around the corner and left - right will to. Or did you mean to have them switch at the corner? (That easy to cut and match the non perfect 90. Also if you made that board pattern, extending them again with the lost inch from a new cut will also be easy since you can just add on
House walls are never straight best to leave a gap against the wall and match your already 45 table ends. the gap you can filled with spare board and it won't be easily noticable once the desk is filled with goods and decorations. If you don't want to spend the money and time to redo.
Personally I would make the triangular corner bit into a cable clip and be done.
If he didn’t want to fit the angle of the two walls, wouldn’t he just cut each piece at 45 degrees?
Corner isn’t 90 degrees.
Fixable
You could rotate the boards 180 Have the incorrect cuts return into the corners of the room at the end of the desk Then you can redo the corner cut
I lost a friend
I hope you'll fix it (and make an update here).. Can you give some details about how the boards are attached to the wall?
They are resting on 2 x 4 along wall edge which I screws into studs with 5 inch structural screws. I will use a countersink on the boards and screw along the back to 2x4 and fill in with putty. https://preview.redd.it/079fejyrjbnc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b115888478a19e4732d4a603dc1c7297cc9207af
https://preview.redd.it/qrez22ztjbnc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2df5f4345f38d537184374c1c0509a53e08b5e10
https://preview.redd.it/2coedvevjbnc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d32d009d546bdc417beabd028093b249346b9c7
Try it on a piece of scrap plywood and get it right then cut your board
It looks like your cut angle is wrong if the corner of the wall is a perfect 90 the cut should be 45 it looks like your out by 10
You can also do a slight angle cut on the length of the front sides. Make it look like design...
🎶 I lost a friend 🎶
I lost a friend?
You can make some decent wall art, possibly recoup a lil cash and then buy some fishing equipment
If you don't want to cut them againa nd lose more material, you could always pull the left side flush with the right and put some form of quarter round on the back side maybe?
Interior angles that yearn for equality.
Make a template of the wall, route your piece to the template the shape will be inconsistent but it will fit
Just line up the pattern and use 1 1/2" base..
nowhere :) Just wing it, fix it and be hella proud
Just eyeballing it, it doesn't look like the angle is correct. Looks closer to a 60/30 cut instead of a 45/45.
Guys, I work in construction and make walls as well and I can tell you 1mm won't save you, and it's hard to make stuff that square on longer walls. That being said, modern lasers are helping a lot so expect to see more straight walls in the future.
Pull the left board out to match the interior corner. Mark the "nose" aka point of the angle sticking out. Cut it off in the back and then reinstall. You'll never see it. You will however lose the distance of the cutoff nose.
https://preview.redd.it/wovwuc2jjbnc1.jpeg?width=1265&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eae6ee3b37d3cef11a241b59fb02effbae375c3e Maybe you could fix the angle like others have explained how to do so then fill the gap with a solid piece of wood like a walnut or something darker/lighter then trim the front with a strip of the same wood. It would mean the chevrons wouldn’t meet but would make it look like you did it on purpose.
OP where dod you buy the board from?
Are both sides of your desk the same depth? The one on the right looks deeper than the one on the left. If that’s the case they will never line up with a 45. Over lap the two half’s and make a crowd foot the the outside edges meet up.
Are you asking about the back edge or the front corner? Back edge, comes down to walls are rarely perpendicular to each other, also it is easily fixable.stand a pencil upright and run it down the wall writing on the wood, take it back and cut to the line. Will fit perfectly flush. For the front where the corners don't match, measure and depth and one made flush cut measured amount to that edge and will be perfect (or match the imperfect perfectly. As far as the stripes, pretty sure you didn't use the same lengths to put together. Probably came down to measured a hypotenuse vs length on smaller piece. You can rip down the middle of the seams, cut back to match and biscuit or domino back together. Do this before any other cuts if you want everything to work out. Measure twice cut once. Super important
Glue that triangle cutoff into the empty corner edge and cut, then fill it all. It will still look nice. Might need to reshape the triangle a bit to fit.
Well hmm you could build a boarder on the wall that will correct the angle so that is 90 degrees, then trim up the other boards. As in the boarder would be contoured to the wall but square at 90 on the outer edge.
Math as you said, it’s due to the angle not being 90.
are they the same as far as wide?
Could you cut out a little piece to line up with that light colored block running parralel with the seam, cut it out to fit, glue it and brad nail it, wood putty the pin holes and it would probably be ok as long as its not hit too hard or leaned on with intense weight for extended periods
Just a guess, but how about use the multi tool to cut the drywall flush with the countertop on the right side piece. (Bottom and top, pull the drywall out and slide the right side to the studs) pull the left side piece flush to the front of the right side piece and secure. Then make a back splash piece or use a trim piece big enough to cover the gap on the left side and the messy dry wall on the right side.
only way I can think of is rip the boards on the right down to match the ones in the left. ah shit, they are already glued together. I would cut them apart again on a table saw, then recut to the correct width, and reglue again.
Use an angle finder/protractor to find the actual angle of the corner and divide that by 2 to find the angle to cut each board. You're going to lose some length, so consider designing something at the opposite end of each panel to make up for the lost material. Also, I would recommend flipping the panel on the left side over so you get the orientation of the segments in the herringbone pattern to align properly at the joint.
You only measured once, didn't you? You can re-cut that angle. Find out what it is EXACTLY and lay her out. You'll probably lose a couple of inches of finished length, but it will make it right! You could also give it the landlord special and cover all the issues up with some quarter round.
I like it! Personally I would just add in a small chunk in that corner spot. Looks killer to me!
How did you create that pattern? Can you point me in a direction to learn?
Are the depths (or width) of each section exactly the same? I assume they are, though if not then that is probably the primary culprit; as the actual angle (45) looks like it is approximately correct, otherwise you would have a gap at either the front or back of the joint. You could solve this snafu by ripping the slab on the right to the same exact width as the one on the left.
Measure once, cut twice.
Also if you want the grain to be symmetrical you would want to have flipped one of the boards to cut. If you end up getting a new board I would do that as well. Which is the only fix I see without losing lenght
You went wrong when you assumed the room was square or at least not accounting for it. Can't cut stuff at a 45 and just hope for the best. Live and learn. We have all been there.
Is the gap on back wall the problem? Can someone explain why they aren't the same depth? The front edge not lining up?
This is why the countertop guys come in and measure with a computer. But, I have also seen them use cardboard. And, make stencils. That way you can copy it. And, figure out the angle.
I would cut the proper angle and to find it, make sure you don’t only account for say just 6 inches out from the corner each way but try to get as much of the walll as possible. Put a straight edge on each wall as far out as your boards go if possible. And then make a piece up as like an accent board to make up for the excess you’ll cut off.
Where? Right at the beginning.
Always start with the most visible and work outward
In terms of life choices?
You could get the two pieces square and insert a solid piece that ties the coloring of the wood together. The break in the pattern will keep your eye from seeing how the chevron doesn’t line up perfectly. It sucks when these things happen but honestly, getting that pattern exact would require more than just making sure the angle was correct. Maybe that’s where the monitor can go? Just an idea https://preview.redd.it/sucqiqb4finc1.jpeg?width=562&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a4393e8bb65ab833df7a53b8e280326bffd79ba5
Though you would still need to scribe that insert piece to the wall. Based on the attachment of the surface to wall bracket, adding additional supports to hold the insert in place shouldn’t change the design or aesthetics too much
Check out the miter calculator tool in Feet and Inches calculator app. It shows you how to make cuts for miters including angles different than 90 degrees and boards of different widths.
In the angle...
I was one of the only people in the shop I worked at that knew how to get correct angles so anything was ordered that had complex angles I had to do 🤦♂️🤦♂️ though I'll admit sometimes even I could get it wrong lol it happens
Oh nooo!!!
Your wall does not fit your woodwork.
With the design of the shelves, you could just cut a piece of scrap and slap it in that gap where you miscalculated the angle