Step Seven: Square One End

You can do this with an engineer's square and a backsaw, a chopsaw, or a tablesaw. Personally I prefer the tablesaw with a crosscut sled or my sliding compound miter saw. Just cut enough off to get the end square, clean and flat.

I placed my example wood under the compound miter saw with the face edge against the fence. Have I droned on enough about that face side and edge enough? I picked the cleanest end - the one where I could cut off the least and have a nice, finished end - and cut it off. My Forrest Chopmaster blade really leaves a mirror finish on the ends.