Hello,
Need help in figuring out any easy way to square boards.
I use both hand tools and power tools. My workflow to make board square is something like this:
- Use jointer to make one side of rough board flat.
- Use #7 to refine the flatness. I normally end up with 0.002-5" flatness over 2' face.
- Use planer to make other face flat.
- Use #7 lightly again for any more refinement.
- Use jointer to flatten one edge, followed by #7 to refine.
- Use a table saw (jobsite) to make other side parallel and then again #7 to refine.
Till this point everything goes good. Time to execute the steps is improving with time. Normally, I can do 3-4 24"x6" boards in an hour.
Now comes time to cut the board to length. This is what eats up all the time. Sometimes as much as an hour on a board.
On less wide boards I use miter saw to cut one end. Then check if it's square with combination square. Invariably sides are off. I have yet not figured out how to adjust the saw.
So I use a small block plane to make adjustments. It's a pain. I think it's sharp. It can shave hairs but it just struggles to cut on end grain. On wider or thicker boards it's even more difficult. BTW this is all on fir/spruce sold in Homedepot.
And after all there is another end that requires same work.
Looking for suggestions on what would be the easiest way to make ends square on 6-12" wide boards.
Beside fixing my miter saw, the only option that pops in my head is to make a shooting boards. That leads to another question, what type of plane works good for shooting boards? And another question, how much square should boards be?