I have a five-tail joint underway and it's going pretty well, partly. So far all the tails are square to the face of the tail board –– thanks to using a sawing guide, I confess!
The pin board is a little different. I cut them freehand. Of the ten cuts, six ended up square to the end, but four are noticeably not square. I haven't cleared the waste yet, but I suspect I'll be paring the sides of some pins if I stay with this set of cuts.
pin board 1:23:21.jpg
Writing this up has helped me think it through. Of note is that the four skewed cuts are all going left to right across the end, and I'm right-handed. So I'll try to pick up on that next time. The fact is I just haven't cut enough L-to-R pins yet! All five of the R-to-L cuts are nice and square, so I should call that a victory and take it from there.
This is just for a single joint to make David Barron's alignment jig, so part length doesn't matter. I might crosscut off the pins and start over –– after cutting 40 or 50 L-to-R pin sides first! This is the only QSWO I have, so the practice will have to be in poplar or mahogany or birch. The oak is demanding to get through.