Squaring timber edges (edging) is making the long edge (side edge) of a board or beam straight and square. The aim is a clean, dead-straight edge that stands at right angles to the face, so it can serve as a reliable reference for further sawing and working. Timber prepared in this way is called squared or edged timber.
Why square the edge?
Rough or sawn boards often have an irregular, slightly curved, or skewed edge. If you want to work accurately, you need one perfectly straight and square edge as a starting point:
- Reference edge — from the squared edge you can mark out to size and rip the board to width
- Good fit — boards with a straight edge butt tightly against each other, for example in a floor, worktop, or glued panel
- Squareness — the edge stands perpendicular to the face, which is important for joints
How is it done?
Squaring an edge can be done in several ways:
- With a hand plane — plane the edge straight with a long jointing plane and check it for square with a try square
- With a surface planer / jointer — the edge is machined straight and square along the fence
- With a guided circular saw or table saw — the edge is cut along a straight guide
Rule of thumb
Keep checking with a try square whether the edge really stands square to the face, and with a straightedge or by eye whether it does not run convex or concave. Only once one edge is clean do you use it as the reference for the rest.
Related terms
- Squared timber
- Planing
- Smoothing plane
- Try square
- Timber joints
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