Total knee replacement surgery is improved through custom cuts on the distal femur without resorting to expensive computer navigation. The method involves measurements on plain radiographs or CT scans prior to surgery, the amount of bone that would be resected on each knee, medially and laterally on the distal femur. In the preferred embodiments, the predetermined distance is in the range of 8-12 mm, more preferably 10 mm, and the resulting distance from the second line to the apex of the lateral condyle is in the range of 6 to 7 mm. A cutting fixture is provided and used to resect the medial condyle at the predetermined distance and the lateral condyle at the measured resulting distance.