Trial and Error
Trial and error is the time tested, age old method used by woodworkers everywhere to achieve the results that they need. It's a fairly straight forward, and effective. With enough skill, patience, and time it can deliver accuracy that rivals what is possible with TS-Aligner.
There are two steps to the trial and error method. The first step is the "trial" or test cut. This is where a piece of scrap wood is put through the same process that you intend for the real wood. The test cut reveals exactly what the current machine settings will produce and can tell you if the settings are correct.
This leads to the second step: correcting for error. The test cut is measured or it's fit is tested to see how closely it resembles the desired result. It's extremely rare that the first test cut is adequate. So, any error in the test cut is noted and the machine is adjusted accordingly.
Adjusting the machine is easier said than done. Typically, you're forced to estimate the amount of adjustment needed to eliminate the error observed in the test cut. It can help tremendously if you are able to precisely measure the test cut. However, most woodworking machines don't have precise adjustments so you're still left estimating the amount that's needed. With considerable practice you can get pretty good at doing this.
As the demands for accuracy become greater, the trial and error method becomes more difficult. Detecting very small amounts of error in the test cut can present quite a problem. Typically the instruments needed to make such precise measurements cost as much as instruments (like TS-Aligner) that can make the machine adjustment without test cuts. And, making similarly small machine adjustments is very difficult without actually making measurements of the machine itself.
The problem of producing accurate miters is a good example of a situation in which extreme accuracy is needed. In cases like this, the trial and error technique becomes very tedious, requiring considerable skill, patience, time, and a bit of luck. Another example in which trial and error becomes very difficult is the process of making shoulder cuts for tennons. In this case, adjustments are interdependent and it's difficult to determine which one is causing error in the test cut.
Trial and error is not a "skill", it's a technique. With practice you can reduce the number of iterations needed to obtain the results you require. The better you get at setting the machine, the less you need to use trial and error. If you were to perform trial and error perfectly, then you would be able to set the machine correctly the first time. However, you would still need to make a test cut in order to determine that the results are correct.
In order to avoid test cuts completely, you need to be able to adjust the machine with full confidence. That's the whole idea behind TS-Aligner. It delivers a degree of accuracy that eliminates the need for test cuts.
Last revised: April 30, 2006.