Hi Dan , I suggest that you adopt a method that you can visualize and plan all the layout and cutting before you put a stick on the horses. The most direct method, my personal prejudice, is to use level horses and level timbers. Whatever the layout or tooling issues you may have, the use of a level can define plumb or level directly on the stick.

In the case of braces and live edge joinery one cannot have uniform brace length, brace slope and uniform entry points on post and beam. I choose uniform entry distance from the post, uniform brace slope and uniform brace length while allowing the brace entry elevation to vary on the post. What you choose determines layout protocol.