Dick,

Try this trick. Mill a piece of stock to the amount you want to cut the
legs down. Say it's 1-1/4" you want to remove from the length of the legs.
Take a section of 2x4 and mill it flat to 1-1/4" and minus the thickness of
the flush cutting saw you have.

Cut the milled 2x4 into 4 short lengths of about 6" long. Place the
sideboard on a flat section of your floor or if it will fit on your
workbench it will make this easier. Place one of the 2x4 sections next to
the leg and place your flush cutting saw on top of it and start cutting. Go
about an 1/8" deep then move the 2x4 section and saw to the other side and
cut another shallow groove. Do this on the remaining edges. On the last
edge, keep cutting until you're within a 1/8" or so of the halfway point.
Do this on all sides. On the last edge you may have to lift the piece up a
bit to keep the weight from closing the kerf. Saw completely through.

Now place the 2x4 plus some shim material that equals the thickness of the
flush cutting blade (about 4 business cards?). Do the next 3 legs. By
first doing a shallow cut all away around, you can use that to guide you as
you cut all around the edges.

Do one leg and you'll know why you're doing it this way. Keeping everything
level insures your legs will all be the same length.

Bob S.


"Dick Pewthers" wrote in message
...
I recently completed a free-standing cabinet/sideboard that will sit next
to
the kitchen cooktop. Its top must be the exact same height. I have
ordered
a granite top for the cabinet (which cost more than my house) and now
realize the cabinet will be too tall (by about an inch). I have been
agonizing how to cut-off the legs so that they are (a) square and
perpendicular and (b) exactly the same length so the cabinet will not
wobble. The cabinet is too big and too heavy for the Unisaw so my guess
is
I will have to resort to using a hand saw with some sort of fence to keep
the saw perfectly square and perpendicular. So, I turn to the learned and
wise woodworkers of this newsgroup for guidance and inspiration.

Thanks in advance.

Dick Pewthers
Austin, TX