Slick trick for clamping corners

While making several memorial flag cases for my nephew's Marine Corps unit, I realized that gluing and clamping a 45° corner is not as easy as it seems. After a little thought, I came up with the solution you see here.

The location of the angled notches isn't critical; simply set the scrap a couple of inches above the bottom piece on the dry-assembled flag case and then mark where the sides cross. I used my radial-arm saw to make the 3"-deep, 45° notches.

When you're ready to assemble, use a standard 90° clamp on the square corner. For the bottom angles, slide the clamping jig over the sides and clamp, as shown. If you use biscuits or splines in the joints, you won't have to worry about the corners slipping.
—Ray Girard, Gainesville, Fla.