The band saw is one of my go-to tools for quickly cutting turning blanks to length. If I need a short walnut blank for a finial or another small turning, I don't necessarily need a precision crosscut — but I do want the end reasonably square.
A square end gives the tailstock a better surface to seat against. The problem is that I don't always want to stop and grab a miter gauge or spend time laying out a perfectly square cut line. Instead, I let the band saw blade create the reference line for me.
Use the Kerf as Your Square Reference
Decide where you want to make the cut and bring the workpiece into the blade just far enough to create a small nick or kerf.
Don't make the full cut yet.
Pull the workpiece back and rotate it until that small kerf is facing up. Because the band saw table is set 90° to the blade, that kerf gives you a quick reference for keeping the workpiece square to the blade.
Now follow the kerf as you feed the blank through the saw.
Square Enough for a Quick Shop Cut
This isn't intended to replace a miter gauge when you need a highly precise crosscut. It's simply a fast way to get a reasonably square band saw cut without additional setup.
For something like a turning blank, that's often all I need.
The important part is making sure the band saw table is set 90° to the blade. If the table isn't square, this technique won't produce a square end.
Woodsmith Tip: Use this trick when speed matters more than precision. When a project requires an accurately dimensioned 90° crosscut, use a miter gauge or another controlled crosscut setup.
