It's square, but it isnt, but it is.....totally confused

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  • sailor55330
    Established Member
    • Jan 2010
    • 494

    It's square, but it isnt, but it is.....totally confused

    Hi-

    I'm building a basic wall cabinet using face frame construction and I need a sanity check. I just completed the box/shell and I am totally confused. Obviously, I want it to be square, so I take time and make several checks.

    I measure diagonally and the measurement less than 1/64 of being dead on---I can live with that.

    I put my square (confirmed square btw) on each of the outside corners. Corner 1, 2, and 3 are dead n**ts on. Corner 4 is about 1/8 off.

    I put my square on the inside corners, exact same story.

    I measure diagonals and again, less than 1/64 by the tape, both directions.

    So, is it square or not? If so, what's driving the weird 4th corner reading? Common sense tells me it's impossible for 3 corners to be square and the 4th way out of whack.


    Would this bother you? It's driving me nuts and frankly this kind of thing is why I walked away from wood for about 2 years.

    Thanks for the vent.
    Last edited by sailor55330; 03-02-2015, 09:06 PM.
  • All Thumbs
    Established Member
    • Oct 2009
    • 322
    • Penn Hills, PA
    • BT3K/Saw-Stop

    #2
    Trust the diagonals.

    You probably have a bit of bow in the top, bottom, or one of the sides.

    Comment

    • jussi
      Veteran Member
      • Jan 2007
      • 2162

      #3
      My guess is the sides are bowed. Happens a lot on larger cabinets (ie kitchen cabinets). Is the back glued to the sides and top. obviously need to use plywood or non moving piece. Ie non solid wood. But even then the front can still bow. In which case face frames or better yet a fixed center shelf will help.
      I reject your reality and substitute my own.

      Comment

      • atgcpaul
        Veteran Member
        • Aug 2003
        • 4055
        • Maryland
        • Grizzly 1023SLX

        #4
        Originally posted by All Thumbs
        Trust the diagonals.

        You probably have a bit of bow in the top, bottom, or one of the sides.
        +1

        However, you may have made a trapezoid in which case your diagonals could be equal but your corners won't be square. Check that each of the opposing sides is equal in length, too.

        Comment

        • LCHIEN
          Internet Fact Checker
          • Dec 2002
          • 20914
          • Katy, TX, USA.
          • BT3000 vintage 1999

          #5
          I'm thinking it may be a warp or bow in one of the sides, too.
          Loring in Katy, TX USA
          If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
          BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

          Comment

          • sailor55330
            Established Member
            • Jan 2010
            • 494

            #6
            Thank you all for the quick responses. I looked at it again and believe it to be a slight bow in one of the sides. It's barely visible if you are looking for it. I don't think it will be enough to hinder the project, especially when the faceframe goes on.

            Comment

            • lrr
              Established Member
              • Apr 2006
              • 380
              • Fort Collins, Colorado
              • Ryobi BT-3100

              #7
              A 4-sided object has interior angles that sum to 360 degrees. If 3 are truly 90, the 4th must be 90. I would agree with others that a bit of bowing is probably throwing off your angle checks.
              Lee

              Comment

              • LinuxRandal
                Veteran Member
                • Feb 2005
                • 4889
                • Independence, MO, USA.
                • bt3100

                #8
                I didn't see if the cabinet was solid wood or plywood. Plywood, besides bowing could have a spot where the thickness varies (void, too much glue or something extra like a splinter that thickens an area).
                Solid wood, less likely to have extra thickness (probably would have spotted that), but could be bowed (cut just a tad longer and bowed to fit).
                She couldn't tell the difference between the escape pod, and the bathroom. We had to go back for her.........................Twice.

                Comment

                • LCHIEN
                  Internet Fact Checker
                  • Dec 2002
                  • 20914
                  • Katy, TX, USA.
                  • BT3000 vintage 1999

                  #9
                  Originally posted by sailor55330
                  Thank you all for the quick responses. I looked at it again and believe it to be a slight bow in one of the sides. It's barely visible if you are looking for it. I don't think it will be enough to hinder the project, especially when the faceframe goes on.

                  Lay a good straight edge along the side ... you should easily be able to see any bow.
                  Loring in Katy, TX USA
                  If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
                  BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

                  Comment

                  • sailor55330
                    Established Member
                    • Jan 2010
                    • 494

                    #10
                    Again-thank you all for the responses.

                    I am happy to say there are no weird anomalies or variances in the box that could upset the progress of String Theory or any other major laws of physics as we know them.

                    The case is made of particle board, so most likely a variance or slight bow.

                    Again, thank you for the help and realization that on a scale of 1-10 in WW, i'm about a 0.6, but trying to learn.

                    Comment

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