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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
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    Elizabeth Bay / Oberon NSW
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    934

    Default How square is square?

    I have a veneered panel of 12 mm ply and 2.5mm of Hoop Pine measuring 1126 x 579. When laying the veneer before pressing I neglected to square it up perfectly with the plywood sheet. Lesson learned. By making a jig for the table saw which would use the edge of the veneer as a guide, I managed to get the long sides parallel but not owning a panel saw, found it impossible to square up the shorter ends accurately.

    Veneered Hoop Pine panel.jpg

    The diagonals revealed I was off 5mm. After a lot of hand planing and checking for square and straight edges, I've now arrived at a 2mm difference. 1263 versus 1265.

    The panel is destined to be a desk top, framed by 10mm of Toona and then 50mm of Silky Oak all with mitred corners.

    Is this good enough? Or should I go for perfect? Not simply for perfection's sake but will I have problems later with the joinery?

    mick

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    NSW
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    643

    Default

    It'll be plenty good enough Mick. 1mm across the diagonals of the top will amount to 9/10 of #*!^ all in you frame mitres.
    Cheers John

  4. #3
    rrich Guest

    Default

    I had asked the same question and Rob Johnstone offered a brilliant suggestion.

    Lets get our good friend Pythagoras involved. And then a router. Actually brilliant when you think about it.

    Remember the numbers 3, 4, 5 or any multiples. 30, 40, 50 ; 60, 80, 100

    Put a straight bit in your router. Measure from the bit to the edge of the router. To that measurement add a skosh. Whatever number that you come up with, put a mark that far from the short edge on the long edge. On the long edge, measure (assuming 60, 80, 100) 80 Cm from the first mark and put a mark.

    Take a compass, expanded to 60 Cm, and from the first mark, swing an arc in an area that would be approximately 90° from the mark on the long edge. Expand the compass to 100 Cm and from the other mark on the long edge and swing an arc crossing the first arc. You now have two points of a line that is at a right angle to the long edge. From the first mark through the crossing of the two arcs. Clamp a fence along that line as a router guide. Use your router and straight bit to square up the large sheet.

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