How do you mark wood to be sawed?

[last426]

I am the first to admit that my expertise is not in woodworking or carpentry.  That being said, I remember that there is a way to mark a piece of wood to be cut that takes the saw kerf into account so that you get an accurate cut.  So, assuming that you are marking a straight line, how do you indicate what side of the line the saw blade should cut to and is that always the waste side?  Thanks, Kim. 

[1970440RT]

     You are cutting wood?!?  Don't you know Bush has been accused of slating protected forests for harvesting?!?


Always have the kerf on the waste side to get accurate cut.  It never hurts to leave a little extra beyond the mark and then come back and shave off a little at time to get an exact fit, especially if you are doing finish casework.

[dodgecharger-fan]

Most put an X on the waste side so as to be sure to run the saw blade on that side of the line.
That ensures that when you mark that actual length you want, you cut to that length and not the length minus the kerf.

The X is escpecially good to do if you are marking a bunch of boards before cutting or if someone else is doing the cutting. If you do it this way, TRIPLE check your measurements and then check after the first cut. If you've measured wrong or cut on the wrong side of your mark, it's better to find out now than after you've cut ALL the boards. (Ask me how I know.  )

[Chargen69]

I always thought that hook on the end of the measuring tape (the part that slides a tiny bit) was made to take in blade consideration .

If you are using something like a yard stick, you're on your own as far as that goes.

[Orange_Crush]

I am the first to admit that my expertise is not in woodworking or carpentry.  That being said, I remember that there is a way to mark a piece of wood to be cut that takes the saw kerf into account so that you get an accurate cut.  So, assuming that you are marking a straight line, how do you indicate what side of the line the saw blade should cut to and is that always the waste side?  Thanks, Kim. 

I always cut on the side of the waste and then shave if I need to.  When you're doing trim work that's the only way to do it.

[Todd Wilson]

I am the first to admit that my expertise is not in woodworking or carpentry.  That being said, I remember that there is a way to mark a piece of wood to be cut that takes the saw kerf into account so that you get an accurate cut.  So, assuming that you are marking a straight line, how do you indicate what side of the line the saw blade should cut to and is that always the waste side?  Thanks, Kim. 

I am not a wood worker either but just gathering the knowledge of things I have done around the house I would thnk it would depend on the cut and the piece of wood involved. The way a handheld circular saw is made when cutting down a 2x4 I would think the waste side would be the right side (Us left handed people got to learn to use the right hand! Wheres our left handed circular saw!  ) .   

But also it would probably more have to do with the cut and piece of wood involved. You would want to make the cut to be acurate and get the best cut out of the piece of wood. You would then want to mark with the X like others have suggested so you know what side is good or waste and then line the blade up for the cut and do some saw'in.


Todd

[CaptMarvel]

I'm a longtime contractor and I always X the keeper side. Of course I'm left handed too so that might seem backwards to some. Also good advice about cutting trim a bit fat, that way you can always shave off a little at a time. Believe me, you dont want to use 1/2 inch caulking to cover up mistakes. Are you cutting lumber, trim or plywood or what?

[last426]

I'm a longtime contractor and I always X the keeper side. Of course I'm left handed too so that might seem backwards to some. Also good advice about cutting trim a bit fat, that way you can always shave off a little at a time. Believe me, you dont want to use 1/2 inch caulking to cover up mistakes. Are you cutting lumber, trim or plywood or what?

We are cutting bricks and my girlfriend is marking them.  At first I had her make the line as a "T" and I told her that I would cut to the edge of the top of the T.  Fine, right?  Well, in her brain she kept on switching and thinking that I was cutting the bottom of the top of the T.  The saw blade is 1/8 thick and the spacers are 3/8 so it is important.  I kept explaining to her that I didn't care which side I cut but that we needed to be consistent.  So we would set up some standard and she would switch it after about 30 minutes (without telling me).  I remembered that there was some standard in marking cuts, so I thought I would post and we could do it the standard way once and for all.  Thanks for the help. Kim

[bigblock4speedman]

First,  nothing against your girlfriend, but it's always best for one person to do the whole deal, so you know it's right.  Then sometimes you still mess up!  But saves argument with the lady, and maybe hurting her feelings, cause she means well.  One thing I do, is mark a scrap piece, cut it and measure, then you know and can figure, cause most saws have little differances.  This way you can figure from a piece you won't use what the blade does when you follow the line, then you can figure where the blade cuts and make an accurate formula.  Also helpful is to not complete the cut on the scrap piece and that tells exactly where the waste side is.  And remember, measure twice, cut once.  Or maybe maesure three like another post here said.  Hope this helps, good luck, be careful, don't cut a finger!

[Old Moparz]

You'll need a slightly different blade if you cut bricks as opposed to wood. 

[71440charger]

mark the length you are cutting with a line cut on the other side of the line beacuse of the width of the saw blade and if you cut multiple peices from one board you have to factor in the blade or mesure each peice individualy

[TylerCharger69]

having a speed square handy  will make the line straighter.