"Grant Erwin" wrote: (clip) I'm trying to figure out a clever way to
ensure that when I cut the second end it winds up being parallel to the
first cut end. (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
If your cutoff saw has a long enough bed to hold the pieces, or if you can
rig one then you could do it this way: make a 45 degree cut in a piece of
square stock. Use this as a length gauge/stop for the second cut on each
piece. Just press the 45 degree first cut against the gauge for rotational
alignment.