Improving Consistency with Stop Blocks
This weekend I was making three identical planter boxes for a client. I have an upcoming post about the build process to give you all the details. These boxes a lot of boards of the same length. Each side had 5 boards, multiplied by 2 sides (these were rectangles so all 4 sides were not the same length), multiplied by 3 boxes equals 30 identical boards. I could have measured, marked, lined up, and cut every one of those 30 boards and had most of them close in size but I wanted them all the exact same size, so I setup a stop block.
If you aren’t familiar, a stop block is simply a physical reference point used to stop your work piece a certain distance away from the saw blade. In my case I was setting this up on my miter saw, but the same principle can be applied to a table saw. A stop block allows for quick and easy reference for repeated cuts. If you go on YouTube you’ll find 100 videos with all sorts of fancy stop blocks with micro-adjustments and other fancy doodads. Mine is less fancy, it’s an offcut I had laying on my bench paired with a hold down in a t-track in my miter station. This isn’t the only way to setup a stop block. Prior to my miter station I used to have my miter saw on saw horses and I would clamp or screw a board where I wanted it, but my new setup allows for faster adjustment.
I could install a permanent reference tape measure on my work surface to make this process faster, but until then this is my method. The way I setup my stop block is I lock my miter saw in the down position. Most saws have the ability to do this, there’s usually a locking pin somewhere on the side of the saw. Then I hook my tape in the throat plate and stretch it out following my t-track so I know the tape is straight and stopping beyond where I want the stop block. Then I lock down the tape so it won’t retract.
Now, the most important part is to next push the tape all the way up against the blade. That way you are getting an accurate measurement. If you don’t you’ll be off by around 3/16 of an inch due to the gap between the edge of your throat plate and your blade.
Next, simply lock down the stop where you need it. I like to take extra care at this phase to make sure I get it right, erring on cutting the board slightly oversized and adjusting after making a test cut. Once set I’ll make a cut by butting the board up to the stop block and making the cut. Sometimes, particularly when working with expensive wood, this first board is nothing more than an offcut to make a test cut so I can fine tune to reach the exact dimension I want.
If this sounds like a lot of work, it is. I wouldn’t do it if I was cutting one or two boards. But when it’s important to cut many boards the same length, or in the case of a picture frame, cutting each parallel side exactly the same, that’s where a stop block excels. It removes human error by getting rid of measuring and marking. One of the keys to improving the appearance of your work is to remove human error whenever possible. In this case it took me a couple of minutes to setup and fine tune my stop block. Then I could cut all 30 subsequent boards all the same length without having to measure or think. Plus I made up the setup time by cutting all boards in the matter of minutes saving me time in the long run.
Here are the planters in a nearly complete state, but still in need of framing to cover up the screw heads. See my work - Planter Boxes for the final product.
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