Miniature miter clamps

[mklotz]

Projects like the cubic trefoil...

Cubic trefoil

require making precise mitered joints in 1/4" square stock. They not only have to be orthogonal but coplanar as well so a good orienting and clamping system is imperative. I tried a number of the tiny clamps in my tool box but all of them seemed to interfere with the other pieces in the complex shapes of the structures.

I finally decided to make some really tiny shallow clamps that could be used in confined spaces to get the job done. This photo...



shows the mini clamps holding two pieces to be mitered. Orthogonality is guaranteed by the aluminum angle and pieces are kept coplanar by the fact that the clamps have the same thickness and are dead flat. Two other miniature clamps are shown. The one with the half dovetail is handy when gluing miniature dowels.

The second photo...



shows the clamps and three sizes of the aluminum angles. Note that the angles have a flattened edge to allow for glue squeeze-out .

The final photo...



shows another very effective clamping method for small, delicate work like this. The jeweler's universal work holder has close-fitting pins that lock the workpiece against the aluminum angle. Then a small size standard machinist's clamp is used to 'sneak in' under the overhanging part and clamp the other half of the miter to the vise to guarantee coplanarity.