Cutting strip wood for templates

[gfoyle01]

I know this is a very basic question but it seems to be a continual concern for me.  I use a Chopper for duplicate cutting strip wood to length and I always have issues with uneven (not square) cuts. No matter how I fixture the strip wood, the blade seems to wander a little through the cut.  This is especially true on angled cuts. What am I missing?  Do most people cut parts directly on the template ? (currently working on some trestle bents) I don't know why this is such a problem for me.  Anybody willing to share techniques for building strip wood forms (esp maintaining true cuts and getting correct angles) from templates would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Roy

[deemery]

The Chopper III is slightly better than the original Chopper, but you'll pretty much always get an off-square cut in anything larger than 1/16" thick. 


Consider either a small chop saw (Harbor Freight has a cheap one, but the gold standard is the Proxxon saw) or a modeler's table saw (Micro-Mark or Proxxon) if you really want accuracy & square cuts.


dave

[darrylhuffman]

I have a Shay Wood Mitre that works for me.

But you can't buy those anymore.

MicroMark makes a nice little sanding block that allows for true and accurate sanding.

As I scratchbuild everything, I don't use any templates.

My methods are very easy for building board by board which is how I build everything.

For you I recommend cutting the pieces a little too long and then sanding them to the exact size needed.

[ak-milw]

Also when using the chopper don't cut through in one cut, go part way and turn the wood, it helps.

[SteveCuster]

Turn the wood as you are cutting. Split the cut between each side.

-Steve

[gfoyle01]

Thanks to all for all the good info.
Roy