/diy/ - Do It Yourself

Jesus H Mother-Fucking CHRIST.

So I'm doing pretty well with finger joints, butt joints and even dovetails.
Surely, I can just do a simple miter joint, right?????
Nope. Apparently I suffer from a learning disability.
The first problem is, I have to cut a 45 degree angle.
OK, on you-tube, people with NASA-grade equipment just turn the dial to 45, or maybe use a $500 electronic level.
I'm working in my driveway with a Ryobi table saw, there's no way in hell I can possibly get the same angle twice, let alone guarantee and accurate 45 deg.
I'd much rather trust my Dewalt chop saw with the angle. But wait, I can't cut through the whole board if I stand it up and rotate the saw to the accurate stop. Instead, I'll have to tilt the blade to 45 degrees, but now I've got the same problem as before. HOW THE HELL do I get the angle to exactly 45 degrees????
I know, I'll just rotate the saw to the machined 45 degree stop, cut most of the way through the on-edge board, then flip it over, rotate the saw the other way, and cut the other half!
Neat idea, huh?
HELL NO, the fucking cut comes out as in pic related.
This saw can't get through a 6" cut without drifting 1/16th" out of square...
What the hell am I doing wrong????
Am I going to have to buy a $1000 saw to cut a miter joint????
Why does God hate me so much???