Thread: The most basic wood cutting question??

It is not just a basic question it is also a very good and important question. If there is a secret to making high quality items in wood it is in the accurate marking out and cutting of the timber. And you are correct, if you get it wrong then you will eventually be a long way out. The procedure in cutting timber (any timber including sheet material or 3x2 pine) is to cut on the waste side of the line. After you have competed the cut you should still be able to see the finest remains of your pencil line. But your pencil must be very sharp. A HB or 2H pencil sharpened to a needle point is required. If you are using a hand saw the cut will be equal to or slightly greater than the width of the teeth of the blade. This will be about 0.3- 1.0 mm for most tennon saws. For powered saws the cut could be 3 mm. This width is called the kerf.

Suppose that you want a piece of timber 320 mm wide cut from a piece 500 mm long. You carefully measure 320 mm from the left hand end. You place a carefully drawn line across the timber. If your saw has a kerf of say 1mm and you cut on the left side of the line then you timber will be 319 mm long. If you cut straight down the middle of your line then your piece will be closer at maybe 319.5 mm. Better is to place the saw on the waste side of the line so that the finest trace of the line of the pencil mark remains on the 320 mm piece after the cut has been made. For even greater accuracy you can use the sharp point of a knife to mark the line. You can purchase special knives called marking knives, strangely enough, for this purpose. They are flat on one side and have the ground bevel on the other. The flat side allows the blade to run tight up against the edge of your ruler or square. Apart from the fine and accurate lines made by a marking knife the knife also cuts the surface fibres of the timber allowing for better cuts with the saw.

You need not worry about asking apparently simple questions. Firstly these have a habit of being the most vital. Secondly it will not matter how long you work with timber you will always find something that you do not know or understand. That is one of the best things about this forum. There has always been someone who has been willing and able to give me help with my questions.

Thank you for your reply and for your kindness and encouragement.

So this seems to suggest that, contrary to cutting list one my come up with, you should never "pre-mark" multiple cuts on sheet material. For instance, if I am cutting a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood (sorry for the English measurements, as you know we have yet to see the light in the US), and I plan to cut 4 boards that are 1.5" x 3.5". If I were to mark all the cuts for all four boards at once before making any cuts (and I measure precisely at exactly 1.5 x 3.5 and draw the lines carefully), and then cut on the right side of the line, the boards from the first long cut would be accurate, but the boards cut along the next long line would be something like 3mm too short. As a result on must mark and cut one board at a time, then mark a fresh for the second board (this all makes sense in my head, doesn't sound as clear in writing). I suppose one could alternately calculate the kerf into the measurements, but that seems chancey to me....

It seems that the few plans I have look at call for premarking these cuts multiple cuts, but it doesn't seem to lend itself to truly accurate sizes.

Thanks again!

Hi and welcome.

When marking out sheet material, you must mark out each cut seperatly.
I have seen cutting lists as you describe, but it is just to show you how to get the most out of your sheet, not how to mark up.

Al

When making multiple cuts from a single piece, I usually mark the first one very accurately in pencil, and at the same time mark each subsequent one roughly with chalk. After each one is cut, I wipe away the next chalk line and mark it accurately with pencil.

I use the chalk because if I dont give myself a rough idea of how the whole piece will be eventually be broken down I make stupid mistakes like accidently turning the board around and cutting from the wrong side, or something like that. I think 90% of my mistakes are in marking and measuring.

Arron

The only stupid question is the one you don't ask.
Couldn't have put it better chook. Are you a manual arts teacher? you certainly talk the talk

Originally Posted by gold leader

The only stupid question is the one you don't ask.
Couldn't have put it better chook. Are you a manual arts teacher? you certainly talk the talk

Yes I am.I have kept my family in the style to which they would like to become accustomed for a very long time, by talking and talking and talking ... but it is a bit of a worry that I have begun to sound like it.

The real beauty of wood, the thing which has attracted me for a good part of my life is that every piece is different and every project has new challenges. I don't expect to ever scratch the surface of the craft and hence I will probably be asking questions as they hammer down the nails on my coffin, which had better be made properly, unless of course I get the time to make my own.

Thanks for your postings Chook. I look forward to them. Always full of good info...

Originally Posted by chook

I will probably be asking questions as they hammer down the nails on my coffin, which had better be made properly, unless of course I get the time to make my own.

Better start making it now Chook whilst you have the time. With nice dovetails and a good finish it could be used as a blanket box in the interim.


Peter.

I seriously intend to make my own coffin. When I have had the sad duty of burrying friends and family I have seen the price that you have to pay for rubbishy boxes. I would not be seen dead in one of them or expect my family to pay good money for them. I would be happy if, on the occassion of my demise, that people looked and said, "What an ugly old sod he was, but didn't he have a nice coffin."

Chook,
I have been discussing the matter of building coffins for some time (tongue in cheek though - maybe not). In years gone by people used to have their coffins made ahead of that inevitable day and use them for some storage. It could also be used as a coffin table with glass top in the middle of the lounge (good talking point). Could also be used for wine storage, big CD rack and many more. Do make it from your favourite timber though. Thinking about this, it may be a good business venture - if only one can convince people to buy their coffins ahead of time. Lee Valley also have some of the casket handles for sale.
Have fun
Les

I have been told that making your own coffin is a morbid undertaking, but I don't see why. You might buy a tool because it was cheap and maybe someday you might need it. Tool addicts can always find excuses. But it is certain that you will need a coffin. I think that those people who loved you while you were alive would find it comforting to have their last sight of you enclosed by a symbol of something that you loved. But I would keep the thing well hidden from the neighbours who might not see it that way. I would not be inclined to use it as an item of furniture while it was waiting for its final use. I can imagine that nervous people might find it disconcerting being served coffee on a coffin. It would make for some interesting after dinner conversation though.

The Duke of Bedfords wife had hers made as a blanket chest and has it at the end of the bed, hubby not amused but she is a forceful lady.

A friend of mine lost his young wife to cancer a year or so ago and she said she did not want money wasted on a crappy box and insisted that she be buried in a cardboard box, they are actually available and look quite acceptable.
She was more concerned about her childrens education than a flashy exit.
The funeral directors are loathe to offer these and persistence pays off.
http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/199.../kooky_coffins

At a skills auction for the local school some years ago, I offered a custom made coffin, which was bought by a local builder/hardware merchant.
It was an interesting exercise, including kerfed bending and dovetails on non-right-angled corners.
As we moved to Sydney between his buying it and me making it, I copped a few looks going down the Hume Highway with it on the roofracks. We delivered it to him in the shop, accompanied by a photographer from the local rag, and he kept it in the shop. For all I know it's still there.