EZ Method to Cut Octagon Stock

Do you need to produce octagon trim pieces or small columns? Or, how about a piece of stock you are going to turn on a lathe, but you want to remove the corners first to make the lathe work less strenuous? This is an easy and foolproof way to do all those things. You only need square solid stock and a table saw with a standard fence and sharp blade.
We wish we could take credit for this method, but this DirtFarmer just ain’t that smart! Credit rightfully belongs to Tipster Pete Michelinie of Vermont, who shared this great method with Taunton’s Fine Woodworking magazine. You’ll find it in the June 2020 edition, on page 16!
It looked too good to be true, so we gave it a try. We weren’t disappointed. Pete is a genius!
By tilting the blade to exactly 45 degrees, pinching square stock against the tilted blade (after unplugging the saw of course!), and moving and setting the fence to touch the corner of the square stock, you can then plug the saw in again and run the stock through to produce beautiful octagon stock or turning blanks. It really works!
You’ll enjoy this quick and accurate approach and you’ll never need to buy octagonal stock again because now you can JUST DO IT YOURSELF!

[@madacinONE]

This is ingenious! I'm making custom spindles for a customer that have octagonal tops and bottoms. This is exactly the video I need. Thanks for posting!

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Glad it was helpful!

[@greatgrandpaswoodworking]

Simple yet perfect. Thank you.

[@spaceman8671]

That is a neat trick. Now we can all have houses full of octagons that we never knew we needed!

[@beepbeepcat]

Taking print media and translating it for the Information Age. Great video. Eagerly awaiting nonagon update.

[@brentbarnard146]

Great tip to hold the stock against the blade!

[@fontybits]

Many thanks from the west coast of Scotland for this great tip!

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Thanks for watching and commenting LochSween. We've always wanted to go to Scotland!! Hope we can some day! Best, DFJ

[@gabrieleg6384]

Sir, thanks for this delightful technique that I really like. I love to achieve good results without many complicated trigonometry! Thanks for your kind and detailed teaching methods too! Please keep posting your videos and take care!

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Thanks Gabriele G. We value the art of teaching AND learning. I am a life-long learner and am always looking for the next new thing to master. Keep watching and commenting my friend. Best, DFJ

[@4speed3pedals]

Great tip, thanks.

[@wawoodman]

Very nice. Just what I wanted!

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Glad to hear, Mike. We will be publishing another one on how to do a hexagon as well. Thanks for writing! Best, DFJ

[@larrybyers7306]

Outstanding!

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Thank you kindly! Jay

[@larrymoore6640]

Thanks for this tip and you are right, cutting wood at an angle can be dangerous if you don't use the proper setup.

[@evanmaag5527]

That is one beautiful piece of oak!

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Evan, LOL! Love those blanks you gifted me. I've been able to make several things. I look forward to catching up with you! I miss our conversations. Jay

[@clemmcguinness1087]

That is a perfect technique thanks

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Glad you like it! Fast, accurate, beautiful results. It's now my go-to for this kind of stock. Thanks for watching and writing! Best, DFJ

[@scottcates]

perfect method

[@sk13ppy]

💜💜💜 Thank you!

[@DirtFarmerJay]

You are so welcome. Best, DFJ

[@KollerKrew]

Great idea

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Thanks!

[@mohammedalsamin2299]

Thank you so much 😊

[@DirtFarmerJay]

You're welcome 😊

[@TNtoolman]

Just bought a Wixey on Amazon... $27 no shipping and no tax... thanks for the tip Jay!

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Porsche924Tim - that gauge is a great little tool - moderate price, really works and jumps up the accuracy of your cuts and set ups. Good to hear from you - DFJ

[@david9783]

Wow, thanks a lot!

[@DirtFarmerJay]

You're welcome! Best Regards, DFJ

[@glennunderwood4690]

Good job..thanks

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Glad to be of help!

[@CinemaSasquatch]

I wanted to buy an octagon hickory blank to make a walking cane. I intend to do the steaming, and bending in the crook myself. The blanks cost too much. I bet square stock blanks costs less. Thanks. I subbed and rang that bell.

[@reallybigkid7269]

Thank you for this video. I found it very helpful. Could you please explain how to safely cut away the corner, down the length of the shape?

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Sure thing! If you look at the thumbnail of the video, you can see I am using the fence of my table saw to put a flat against, while making sure the piece being cut off is on the waste side of the blade. This eliminates kickback or the piece being thrown out. Be sure to run the stock through while putting moderate pressure down on the table as well as sideways to the fence. Best, DFJ

[@jameslamm9315]

Love it

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Glad we could be of help! Best, DFJ

[@willwatlington6750]

Nice!!

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Thanks! Best to you Will Watlington! DFJ

[@newtonflaviodenadai7386]

Ótimo vídeo, parabéns

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Gracias, Newton!

[@lynnplestid2711]

Thank you

[@DirtFarmerJay]

You're welcome. Keep watching and commenting Lynn Plestid. Best, DFJ

[@skahtola]

So easy thx

[@DirtFarmerJay]

No problem!

[@TNtoolman]

YUP! Slick...

[@Jokidus]

I've been looking for how to make 1 inch hexagonal wood bars. I'm sure it's possible to angle the blade at 60 degrees and just cut the two opposite faces.

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Jo, you are correct - almost. We will be doing a video on this in the future. Because you can't set your table saw to cut 60°, you need to use the complimentary angle to equal the sum of 90°. So, you need to set your saw precisely to 30°. I don't have any further advice on this yet for you, as I am working out the ratio of the flat to flat distance on the hexagon to the distance you would set the fence from the blade. Once we have it worked out and all the bugs worked out of the technique, we'll get it published. If you are working on it as well and want to share your thoughts, that would be most welcome. You can correspond directly at [e-mail]. Best Regards, DFJ

[@GerasimosHandmadeGuitars]

Amazing! Easy fast and precise! Nothing to worry about!! May I ask, if i want 1cm of each side what dimensions would be my original square plank?

[@DirtFarmerJay]

2.414 cm. Check out this calculator! www.inchcalculator.com/octagon-calculator/

[@GerasimosHandmadeGuitars]

@@DirtFarmerJay wow!!! Amazing calculator!!! Thanx a bunch!!!!

[@amygreen104]

What about a 6x6 post....id like to make three into more a circle/ octagon shape as fast as possible ...what do you recommend?

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Amy, the technique can be scaled up or down - simply set the fence on the "away" side of the angled blade, set the blade precisely to 45 degrees, put a section of the post on the table saw surface, bring it to the blade and rest it across the teeth of the blade, and then move the fence to touch the opposing corner and lock it in. Lower the blade to the lowest setting to do the job and start your cuts. I'd recommend perfecting the technique on some set up stock before using the real thing. Watch the video a couple of times to get your process down, including safety (unplug and plug in the saw to safe, placement of hands, where to stand, etc.). Let me know how it turns out! Best, DFJ

[@Belg1970]

Jay, just what I needed. I'm going to need to join two 24" sections of octagon(end to end) material exactly any tip for that??

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Thanks for writing. Are you talking about joining two sections of the same octagon to make one complete octagon or are you joining two completed octogons together? And what material are the octogons made from? Let me know this info and I'll get you your answer. Best, DFJ

[@Belg1970]

@@DirtFarmerJay the octagonal need to be attached end to end and they are made from soft maple

[@PBS-nm1uu]

beautiful, just beautiful, keep them comig.

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Thank you! Will do! Best to you, PBS #007. - DFJ

[@ElectricIguana]

How do you lubricate your saws worm gear? Do you do regular maintenance on your table saw?

[@DirtFarmerJay]

K.M., indeed annual maintenance is needed or the saw gets gummed up and becomes difficult to operate. What to use to lubricate is controversial. Some say that you should use wax or a dry spray lube so as to not attract dust to the surface of the lubricant - and many take that path. However, let's remember the parts and gears in question are slow moving parts when they are being adjusted, so even if wood-dust gets on the grease, it's probably not a big deal. It's worth noting that when you get a saw new, it comes with grease on the gears, and this is from the manufacturer - the one that designed it! So, if you use sprays, they will work well initially, but not last that long - you'll have to reapply more often. If you use grease or a light oil, you will have dust gumming up on the surface, but the surfaces of the gears and trunnions will be clean - and you don't need to apply the oil or grease very often. If you are going to clean everything and then lubricate, use a soft metal bristle brush to clean up everything. If everything is really gummed up and hard to brush off, consider spraying the gummy areas with a bit of mineral spirits or concentrated cleaner, such as Simple Green. Let it sit and then brush. A couple other areas of maintenance are making sure the fence is accurate ongoing, as well as keeping the top clean and waxed, along with the miter bar grooves being clean. I hope that helps! Thanks for watching our video and taking time to write! Best, DFJ

[@ElectricIguana]

@@DirtFarmerJay WOW thank you for such a thorough answer. I really never expected that, just thought it might be a good video idea for you. Thanks for your time and outstanding content!

[@furia58]

I'm interested in knowing how hexagonal it would be. How would you do it?

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Thanks for watching. This method is for cutting an eight-sided column - an octagon. To cut a six-sided column is another matter. Here's a link to a discussion group called Lumberjocks that you may find to be helpful: www.lumberjocks.com/threads/need-help-ripping-a-hexagon-post-from-a-4x4.40996/

[@Topshotta1976]

Do you know if you could cut hexagons like that?

[@DirtFarmerJay]

No, sorry. An octagon counts on a 45 degree angle. It only works for octagons. Best, DFJ

[@SiriusTerminator]

Tanks, and hexágono?

[@davidspangler8337]

I need hexagon trick!

[@DirtFarmerJay]

You may find this to be helpful, depending on the size of the hexagon post you want. Best, DFJ www.instructables.com/Easy-Hexagonal-Wood-Post-From-a-2-by-4/