Octagons are present in all types of woodworking and are very present in chairmaking. And while they are straightforward in being all 45-degree angles if you have not done them before you may find yourself scratching your head on how to make all the sides equal. Here is a common, easy no math layout method.
We are going to start with a square. You will want to ensure your stock is squared with the sides 90 degrees to each other. Then draw a line segment diagonal from corner to corner.
Then you will measure the distance from the adjacent corner to the line segment. This is the only dimension you will need. I usually set a combination square to this distance and then use that going forward so knowing the exact measurement is irrelevant.
You will then mark a point from the corner towards the center in both directions from each corner using that same distance measured.
Then we will connect these points across the corners. This forms our perfect octagon.
Remove the waste and away we go. I included the video for additional reference on how it’s done with a combination square quickly and easily.
Cheers
