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" 1. Be on the Mark Measured twice yet your cut came out slightly off? Maybe it&amp;#039;s because you used two different tape measures. For best results, use one tape measure throughout the job. Tapes can vary. 2. Do Some Tape Measure Math Your eye may not be good at estimating the halfway point on a long board, but it&amp;#039;s surprisingly good at dividing small lengths\u2014about 1/2 in. or less. The next time you need to find a midpoint, simply measure the overall length, then divide it roughly in half. Mark the equal distances from each end and eyeball the remainder. 3. Learn the Plane Truth If you need to plane the edge of a smallish workpiece so it&amp;#039;s straight and square, don&amp;#039;t put it in a vise. Instead, lay it on top of a second spacer piece on your bench. Then, lay your plane on its side and slide it along the bench while planing the workpiece edge. Provided your plane&amp;#039;s square, you&amp;#039;ll get a uniform square edge. 4. Check For Square A trysquare is the shop standard for making cuts and fitting joints. But if yours isn&amp;#039;t perfectly square, nothing will fit right. Here&amp;#039;s how to check: Hold it against a perfectly straight board edge and mark a square line across the board face, then flip the square over and slide the blade up to your mark. If it doesn&amp;#039;t line up, it&amp;#039;s time to go tool shopping. \u2014Tom Klenck "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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