I posted this picture a while back:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/windows2000/5406579810/

I'm planning to install 3/4" x 3.25" Brazilian Cherry. The hardwood will run east west. Based on advise from others, I willl start laying it in the hallway against the north wall and run it out into all the rooms. It was suggested (and I liked the suggestion) that I should measure things out to ensure I end up with a full width board when I terminate against the tile at the entrance.

Today I discovered that my house is largely square. The hallway is square. The fireplace tile is square to the hallway. The only thing that isn't square to the hallway is the tile at the front entrance! It is out 3/8 of an inch over 8 feet. If I make all my wood parallel to this, then everything else will be out to lunch. So I'm scratching my head trying to figure out what to do. My thoughts are to install the wood square to the hallway (and the rest of the house), and cut to fit the wood at the entrance. I will try to get a full board there (minus 3/8" on one end). I will leave a 3/16" gap between the tile and the wood and fill that with putty. I'm hoping that nobody will notice the loss of 3/8" over 8 feet????

Presently, there is a joint in the OSB subfloor that is 2" from the edge of the tile, and it isn't obvious that the edges aren't parallel until you use a measuring tape. I hope this will be the same with a finished product.

Question 1) Do you think my plan is wise? Or should I "split the difference" and put everything off a bit?

Question 2) At some point, I am going to need to rip some flooring in a line that is not parallel to edge of the board. Is there any way to do this with a table saw without free-handing it (i.e. no fence)? I could clamp a straight edge on the wood in a non-parallel fashion and run a circular saw down the board. But that isn't easy either given that the boards are only 3.25" wide.

Thank you,

Cut your taper at the tile as planned and keep it square everywhere else. We cut freehand.

Is it easier to freehand something like this on a table saw or a circular saw? I've done lot's of the latter, but I've never tried freehand on a table saw.

Any tips on how to draw a line on the hardwood for the freehand cut? Mine is prefinished. Can't see pencil too well. Perhaps marker? Or a scratch Scratches seem to stand out very well on hardwood!

I should have mentioned a jigsaw with a nice blade and a little patience is probably the safest and easiest way to do it without losing a finger or two.

On pre finished , you can score the surface but that isn't easy to see the score line when running a board through a table saw. You can also flip your board and reverse mark your taper (on the back of the board and then you'll be able to see your line. Another way is to use marker on top of the board (doesn't usually work for me) or put tape on the board and then draw on the tape.

I put blue painters tape on the board, and scribe my line on that. You can make a finer line, and I find it easier to follow when free handing on the table saw. Make sure you have a sharp blade and go nice and slow.

I have a 10", 24 tooth, freud ripping blade (red) on the table saw. I hope it will cut the wood without destroying the pre-finish on the wood. I guess I will be caulking the gap between the wood and the tile, so I can hide some chipping.

Thank you for all of the advise!

I haven't had a lot of opportunity to answer questions - just ask them. But I now have experience with the saw balde in question, and I can tell people that I am quite pleased with the results. I don't have experience with other blades, but I know this blade meets my needs. There is no chipping at all. No burning. It cuts Brazilian Cherry easily.