Tool for accurately measuring Compound Mitres?

[Rhyolith]

My attempts at wooden bucket making (wooden-buckets-t110320.html) would be substantially improved if I could measure & mark the various angles for the mitres more accurately. Is there anything better than a sliding bevel and a protractor?

 

[AndyT]

Just in case you mean a semicircle of plastic from your school geometry set, search for stainless steel protractor to find the better sort, with an adjustable leg.
But coopers allegedly just did it all by eye!

 

[custard]

Is there anything better than a sliding bevel and a protractor?

This is what I use for really precise angle layouts,

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/mitutoyo-bev ... SwXkNagYz8

I think from memory it's accurate to a 1/12 of a degree.

But realistically the generations of old boys who turned out water tight buckets (and boats and barrels) by the hundredweight didn't have anything like that. I guess what they they did have though was an accurate template that they probably made using some basic geometry for the layout, then they'd plane to get a close fit to that.

 

[custard]

Incidentally, whenever I'm making a project with angles I always make a master angle template out of MDF or plywood. Then if the moving bevel gets knocked it can be reset precisely, consistently, and quickly.

The master angle template is either constructed using rise/run to angle calculations, the Mitutoyo bevel protractor I linked to previously, or it's taken directly from the rod or plan as here,

I always find with angles that if you put in the effort up front like this you generally get rewarded with much better project quality. If you tackle angled joinery seat of your pants then you usually just end up wasting timber and re-making components.

Good luck!