A hexagon is a fairly unique shape and using a miter saw to cut such a shape from wood can seem daunting at first.
However, with the right research and practice, you can cut your own hexagon for whatever project you need with a miter saw in no time.
In this post, we’ll give you a complete guide on what you need to do to cut a hexagon using a miter saw from start to finish.
What is a Hexagon?
A hexagon is a shape that consists of six sides and six corresponding angles.
Each angle is 120 degrees which sum to a total of 720 degrees.
A wooden hexagon that is constructed from six different pieces of wood will follow this rule:
If you cut a 60-degree angle on each end of all six pieces results in six pieces of wood which will all fit together to form a hexagon.
You can easily cut the six pieces and angles needed for a wooden hexagon using a miter saw fixture.
Some Safety Precautions
Before we get started, let’s talk about some safety precautions you should be taken when working with wood and a miter saw:
- Be sure to make use of protective goggles. You don’t want your eyes to be damaged by sawdust or any splinters that may go airborne during cutting.
- If you have long hair, be sure to tie it up.
- Never wear loose clothing.
- Use protective gloves to protect your fingers and hands.
- Ensure that your workspace is properly ventilated.
- If you feel the need for it, invest in an external sawdust collection system.
- Make sure that your miter saw is turned off before you place it onto any wooden surface for cutting.
- Regularly clean your work surface to ensure it does not get overwhelmed by sawdust and wood trimmings.
- Wear a respirator or mask to ensure you’re not breathing in sawdust.
Setting Up a Large-Angle Miter Saw Fixture
Follow these steps to set up a fixture with your miter saw which enables it to cut large angles:
Step 1: Place one edge of the 1×4 wooden piece against the face of the plywood flush with the edge of the plywood. Once that’s done, clamp it in place.
Step 2: Drill four 5/64-inch pilot holes that will be used for the wood screws through the plywood bottom and into the 1×4 piece.
Leave a space of 3 inches between the pilot holes and they should be 1 ½ inch from the ends.
Connect the plywood to the 1×4 by screwing the wood screws through the pilot holes and into the 1×4.
Step 3: Unclamp it and place the fixture on your miter saw workbench along with the 1×4 against the fence.
Without turning your miter saw on, lower the saw blade into the table slot and slide the fixture against the saw blade.
Hold the fixture in place with one hand and raise the saw blade with the other.
Step 4: Clamp the 1×4 onto the miter saw workbench with clamps.
The plywood edge that is perpendicular to the workbench will now act as a new fence for cutting complementary angles which are greater than 45 degrees.
For example, if you need to cut a 60-degree angle, you will set the miter saw table to 30 degrees with the adjustment handle of the table pointing away from your custom fixture.
Next, place your workpiece on the table against the custom fixture. The angle that will be cut into the workpiece will be 60 degrees.
How to Cut a Hexagon on a Miter Saw
Follow these steps to cut a hexagon using a miter saw and the custom fixture we made in the section above:
Step 1: Remove the custom fixture you made from the miter saw.
Set the power miter saw table to 90 degrees.
Use a pencil to mark the wood to cut six pieces ⅛ inches longer than what you require the final length of each piece to be.
Place the wood onto the miter saw table and use one hand to hold it firmly against the fence.
Start the saw and wait for it to reach full speed.
Once it’s at full speed, lower the saw blade slowly through the wood at the marks to make the appropriate cuts.
Step 2: Install the custom fixture you made onto the miter saw table as shown in the above section.
Set the miter saw table to 30 degrees away from the fixture.
Place one of the sides of your hexagon on the miter saw table with its edge against the fixture fence.
Align your saw blade with the end of the wood piece’s corner in order to cut the angle without altering the length of the piece.
Clamp the workpiece to the fixture.
Start the saw blade and wait for it to reach full speed.
Once it’s at full speed, lower it into the workpiece to cut the angle in the wood.
Step 3: Flip your wood piece over so that the uncut end is now facing the miter saw fence.
Align your saw blade to cut the piece as we did in step 2 without altering its length.
Clamp the wood piece to the fixture.
Start the saw blade and wait for it to reach full speed.
Once it’s at full speed, lower it onto the wood piece to make the appropriate cut.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 for all six pieces.
Step 4: Once all six pieces are appropriately cut, lay them together and check their lengths for accuracy.
You can adjust their lengths by using your miter saw to cut very small amounts off the end of whatever piece is causing you issues.
Wrapping Things Up…
While making a hexagon using a miter saw is definitely more complex than most other shapes, it’s definitely not impossible.
All it needs is a little practice and some research.
You may get it wrong the first time so it’s a good idea to do some practice on pieces of wood that you don’t intend to use for the actual project.
Once you feel you have the hang of it, you can move on to the real thing.