Can we talk about how easy it is to mess up a simple butt joint?

I was building a set of shelves for my garage in Phoenix last weekend, nothing fancy, just some pine boards. I thought I had my mitre saw dialed in perfect, but I was rushing to beat the heat and skipped checking the angle with a square. Cut all four pieces, went to assemble them, and the gaps were so bad I could see daylight through every joint. I had to scrap two of the boards and drive to Home Depot for replacements. That wasted hour taught me to never trust the saw's preset marks, always verify with your own square. So now I keep a cheap speed square clipped to my apron and check every cut before I make it. Has anyone else gotten burned by a saw being slightly off and learned a hard lesson?

2 comments

2 Comments

william_taylor1mo ago

Wait you actually saw daylight through the joints? Dude that's brutal. I've had some gaps but never that bad.

the_riley1mo ago

Was it a house or a giant colander?