5-Cut
Method
to
Square
Reference:
William
Ng:
http://wnwoodworkingschool.com
This
is
an
excellent
reference.
William
shows
set-‐by
step
how
the
5-‐cut
method
is
used
and
how
to
make
a
crosscut
sled
for
the
table
saw
and
to
square
the
fence.
I
highly
recommend
you
visiting
this
site.
Principles:
• All
4
sided
figures
have
4
straight
edges
and
4
angles
which
total
to
360°
• A
4-‐sided
figure
is
square
when
each
of
the
4
angles
are
exactly
90°
Some
possible
4-‐sided
figures:
Since
square
is
a
fundamental
relationship
in
woodworking,
tools
that
are
supposed
to
create
square
corners
should
be
tuned
to
do
so.
Miter
gauges,
miter
saws,
a
square,
shooting
boards,
etc.
are
just
a
few
of
the
many
items
that
need
to
be
able
to
produce
a
square
corner.
How
then
does
one
check
for
square,
and
if
necessary,
adjust
the
device
to
90°?
One
method
is
to
cut
a
board
and
then
flip
one
of
the
cut
sides
and
then
observe
and
measure
the
gap
at
the
cut
edge
when
placed
against
the
other
cut
half.
The
error
is
magnified
by
the
width
of
the
board.
Problem
is
how
much
to
adjust
the
device
to
make
the
error
zero.
Other
ways?
Using
a
known
reference
square.
But
is
that
reference
really
90°?
The
5-‐cut
method
to
square
is
an
excellent
method
to
measure
square
and
to
determine
how
to
adjust
the
device
to
make
it
square.
An
exaggerated
visual
representation
of
how
the
5-‐cut
process
improves
the
way
it
can
measure
out
of
square
is
shown
on
the
following
figure.
The
Crosscut
Sled
One
of
the
more,
if
not
the
most,
useful
jig
to
make
safe,
square
cuts
on
a
table
saw
is
the
crosscut
sled.
It
is
basically
constructed
of
a
platform,
usually
plywood,
two
fences
and
two
runners
that
fit
exactly
into
the
crosscut
grooves
in
the
table
saw
top.
The
fence
at
the
top
of
the
sled
holds
the
platform
together
after
the
saw
blade
is
raised
and
used
to
cut
through
the
platform.
The
fence
at
the
base
of
the
sled
holds
the
work
square
to
the
cut.
Here’s
a
typical
sled
The
fence
at
the
base
of
the
saw
is
last
thing
to
be
attached.
Initially
two
screws
attach
the
fence
to
the
platform,
one
placed
at
either
end
of
the
fence
and
driven
into
the
fence
from
below
the
platform.
One
of
the
screws
becomes
a
pivot
point
for
adjusting
the
fence
square
to
the
cut.
The
other
screw
is
eventually
removed
and
relocated
to
set
the
fence
in
the
square
position.
Applying
5
Cut
Method
to
the
Crosscut
Sled
Starting
with
a
4-‐sided
panel,
preferably
with
the
a
long
side
that
fits
inside
the
sled
fences,
perform
the
following
steps
(Note,
in
the
following,
the
pivot
screw
is
on
the
right
end
of
the
fence
and
the
cuts
are
made
to
the
left
of
the
blade):
1. Place
the
panel
in
the
sled
and
make
a
cut
on
one
of
the
long
sides.
Make
a
mark
on
the
panel
to
indicate
the
edge
of
the
panel
that
was
first
cut.
2. Rotate
the
panel
(clockwise)
so
that
the
cut
edge
is
against
the
fence
and
make
a
second
cut.
Usually
a
cut
of
a
1/16”
will
remove
all
of
the
edge,
unless
the
fence
is
really
out
of
square.
3. Rotate
the
second
cut
to
the
fence
and
cut
the
third
edge.
4. Rotate
the
third
cut
to
the
fence
and
cut
the
fourth
edge.
5. Rotate
the
fourth
cut
to
the
fence.
The
first
cut
side
is
back
to
the
same
position
it
was
in
the
first
cut.
Slide
the
panel
over
towards
the
saw
blade
line
and
make
a
fifth
cut
to
remove
a
narrow,
say
about
½
to
1
inch
wide,
piece
from
the
edge.
Mark
the
end
(farthest
away
from
the
fence)
as
“a”
and
the
end
of
the
strip
nearest
the
fence
as
“b”.
6. With
calipers
measure
the
width
of
the
cutoff
strip
at
“a”
and
“b”
and
record
them.
Also,
measure
the
length
of
the
fifth
cut.
Now
for
the
math
to
determine
the
error
ratio
and
how
to
adjust
the
fence:
1. Subtract
“b”
from
“a”.
Note
whether
this
is
a
positive
or
negative
number.
2. Divide
the
result
by
4
(4
cuts,
4
angles)
provides
the
error
ratio
and
then
dividing
again
by
the
length
of
the
fifth
cut
provides
the
error
ratio
per
inch.
3. Now,
note
where
the
pivot
screw
is
relative
to
the
face
of
the
fence.
Measure
from
the
pivot
point
to
a
point
at
the
opposite
end
of
the
fence
where
the
correction
to
the
angle
of
the
fence
will
be
made.
4. Take
the
result
in
step
2
and
multiply
it
by
the
length
determined
in
step
3.
The
result
determines
how
much
the
fence
should
be
moved
in
inches
to
make
it
square
to
the
cut
line.
Note,
if
the
result
in
Step
1
was
positive,
the
fence
is
too
far
forward
(toward
the
cut
line)
and
needs
to
be
moved
back,
if
negative,
the
fence
is
too
far
back
from
the
cut
line
and
needs
to
move
forward
5. Place
a
block,
shaped
like
the
following,
with
its
point
at
spot
where
the
adjustment
to
the
fence
will
be
made.
a. If
the
fence
is
too
far
forward
(positive),
place
the
block
against
the
fence
at
the
adjustment
point
and
clamp
to
the
sled
platform.
Remove
the
screw
for
the
fence
and
place
a
feeler
gauge
of
thickness
determined
in
step
4
between
the
block
and
the
fence.
Clamp
the
fence
and
then
drive
a
screw
from
underneath
the
sled
into
the
fence
in
a
different
spot
than
where
the
screw
was
removed.
b. If
the
fence
is
too
far
back
(negative),
place
the
feeler
gauge
at
the
adjustment
point
and
clamp
the
block
against
the
feeler
gauge.
Remove
the
gauge,
remove
the
screw
from
the
fence,
slide
the
fence
against
the
block,
clamp
the
fence
and
drive
a
screw
into
a
new
location
as
in
step
5a.
6. Repeat
the
5-‐step
cut
procedure
to
check
for
square
and
make
any
adjustments
as
needed.
If
the
error
ratio
is
.001”
or
less,
the
fence
is
square.
Example
of
the
process:
• Starting
panel,
24”
by
12”.
After
5th
cut,
the
strip
measures
.562”
at
“a”
and
.585”
at
“b”.
The
length
of
the
5th
cut
is
23
¾”.
The
difference
is
(.023)”.
The
error
ratio
is
-‐.023/4
or
-‐.00575.
The
distance
to
the
pivot
point
to
the
adjustment
point
on
the
fence
is
28
1/2
“.
The
adjustment
needs
to
be
(-‐.00575
/23.75)
*
28.5
or
-‐.007”.
Follow
step
5b
above
with
the
.007”
feeler
gauge.
