Building a Hexagon, the Dummies Version

A jig for making complementary angles on a miter saw

One sign of a dumbass in action that the Antisocial Network researchers watch for is the habit of over-wording explanations. Instead of laying out information in simple words with linear flow, the freelancer who is faking it may use jargon or overly complex construction in an effort to conceal unfamiliarity with the topic at hand. One of our researchers – a near-suicidal guy who spends way too much time reading the rubbish at eHow.com – turned up a mess written by Michael Logan for the mother lode of dumbassery, an article called "How to Cut Wood Angles for Hexagons" (now located at niche site Hunker.com). To say "overly complex" is... an understatement.

We understand, sort of: Demand Media demands (hence the name, we guess) 300-500 words for their how-to articles (Logan came in a little long, at around 540), but baldly stating that the exterior angle of a hexagon is 120° only comes out to eight or nine, depending on whether you use the symbol "°" or the word "degrees." That doesn't explain some of Michael's verbosity, not does it explain this confusing line in his intro:

"A wooden hexagon made from six different pieces of wood will follow this rule. Cutting a 60-degree angle on each end of all six pieces results in six pieces of wood that will fit together and form a hexagon."

Nor does it explain why Logan decided to (attempt to) provide instructions for making a hexagon, instructions he claims to have gotten from Fine Woodworking Magazine, in an article that says little or nothing about hexagons. His instructions, as reworded and edited by a DMS content-destroyer (aka a "content editor") are an absolute nightmare, but it appears that Michael would have his readers make a shop-built jig for a power miter saw, explaining that "You may cut the six pieces and angles for a wooden hexagon on a miter saw using a custom fixture." We wondered why DMS wouldn't let Michael use the word "jig," given that it's the term of art. Perhaps someone thought it might be racist? Duh. It could be that Logan doesn't know the word "jig," since the article he references calls it a "fixture"; which is good evidence that he has no idea what he's talking about. Whatever the case, his explanation is clumsy at best and confusing as all hell otherwise. Riddle us this: what can

"Install the custom fixture on the miter saw table as shown previously. Set the miter saw table to 30 degrees away from the fixture. Place a hexagon side on miter saw table with the edge against the fixture fence. Align the blade with the end of the workpiece corner to cut the angle without altering the length of the piece. Clamp the workpiece to the fixture. Start the blade and cut the angle into the wood..."

...possibly mean? Our staff woodworker figured out how to build Logan's – well, actually Fine Woodworking's – jig and, by looking at the original tip, how to use it (though not how one might "...[clamp] the workpiece to the fixture..."). But even this guy, whose experience includes building furniture and decorative wood boxes, couldn't figure out how six pieces of wood with 60° angles cut on both ends could be assembled to form a hexagon -- until it hit him that the instructions Logan provides are for making a hexagonal frame.

That makes sense, sort of -- but we think Logan's obvious unfamiliarity with the terminology of woodworking and his overwording of what could easily have been stated as, "The corners of a hexagon meet at a miter joint cut at 60° angles instead of 45°" is more than enough justification for naming him our Dumbass of the Day.

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