Cross-cutting consistent 90 degrees

[RogerS]

I'm laying some oak floorboards - T&G but not book-ended. I'm using my DW707 cross-cut mitre saw but I'm having some problems maintaining an accurate and consistent 90 degree cut such that there is no gap when the two ends of adjacent boards are butted up against one another.

I've set the saw up as accurately as I can. But if there is some minor error then my theory is that if I turn over one of the boards before cutting then any inaccuracy should balance out?

I push the boards hard up against the fence every time.

As far as I can feel, there is no play in the sliders on the saw but...

..if I'm not careful I end up with a 1 / 1.5 mm gap sometimes at one edge of the butt.

Scratching head time.

 

[Shultzy]

Roger, if you cut one board placed at the left side of the saw and the second board at the right side of the saw this will take out any inaccuracies in the saw angle.

 

[filsgreen]

Don't know whether it's the same Roger but because I'm only 5 foot 4 inches I always get a slight bias. As i pull down on the saw the arm flexes and i never get a 90 degree cut.

Phil

 

[RogerS]

Thanks guys.

I also had one thought. If some of the boards have a slight bow to them then that would explain it. Not sure I fancy the solution, though! Tailoring each cut to fit. Think I'll go with...after all, they are what's called 'character' oak floorboards and range from 5" widths up to 10" width.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Roger
I've not tried this, but see no reason why it wouldn't give you the best possible fit.

Can you cut both ends at the same time? It would mean overlapping the two boards, clamping up as necessary and then cutting through the pair.

Just a thought.
S

 

[Shultzy]

Steve, Isn't this the same as my suggestion, apologies if not.

 

[hpl]

Rodger,
When I did mine I had the same problem, some I trimmed as they were too far out, but most I left. I deliberately put them in straight from the wood yard as I wanted them to move after I had installed them. The gaps look great with the rest of the floor, and mine were all the same width boards. Once they were stained up I rub them back a little so it didn't look too new, and then over the last few months the kids have distressed them nicely
IMHO you will be fine with the small gaps. I put it down to the bow in the boards and the nearly impossible job of getting them to sit straight on the saw. I'm pretty sure it wasn't the saw, a nearly new Kapex with a brand new blade!

Johnny B

 

[Steve Maskery]

Steve, Isn't this the same as my suggestion, apologies if not.

Ah, yes I suppose it is. Except I was really thinking of compensating for any wander in the individual cut rather than any error in the saw setting. But yes, it's the same idea, sorry.
S

 

[Shultzy]

Steve, Isn't this the same as my suggestion, apologies if not.

Ah, yes I suppose it is. Except I was really thinking of compensating for any wander in the individual cut rather than any error in the saw setting. But yes, it's the same idea, sorry.
S

No need to apologize Steve, I just thought I'd missed something, and my idea might not compensate for the wander.

 

[Benchwayze]

I'm laying some oak floorboards - T&G but not book-ended. I'm using my DW707 cross-cut mitre saw but I'm having some problems maintaining an accurate and consistent 90 degree cut such that there is no gap when the two ends of adjacent boards are butted up against one another.

I've set the saw up as accurately as I can. But if there is some minor error then my theory is that if I turn over one of the boards before cutting then any inaccuracy should balance out?

I push the boards hard up against the fence every time.

As far as I can feel, there is no play in the sliders on the saw but...

..if I'm not careful I end up with a 1 / 1.5 mm gap sometimes at one edge of the butt.

Scratching head time.

Roger,

Do you have a guillotine Mitre-trimmer? That's what I would use. To avoid 'spelching' of the T&G use a small off-cut as a 'waste' piece against the fence. Test cut some scrap pieces until the angle is spot on 90 and away you go.

Regards
John

 

[Derek Willis.]

You could do what I had to do with some very old floors some years ago, after sanding there were many gaps, due to age, I mixed the sanding dust with wallpaper paste and sqeegeed it over the whole floor, then sanded again, no gaps.
Derek.

 

[bugbear]

I'm laying some oak floorboards - T&G but not book-ended. I'm using my DW707 cross-cut mitre saw but I'm having some problems maintaining an accurate and consistent 90 degree cut such that there is no gap when the two ends of adjacent boards are butted up against one another.

Are the edges of the boards straight and parallel?

BugBear