Marking my cuts before lifting sheets made a huge difference

I used to just eyeball cuts as I went, which led to a lot of waste. After a messy job, I started drawing all my cut lines with a pencil first. This simple prep step saved me time and material on the next few projects. Now I do it every time, and my work looks cleaner. It's amazing how a small change in routine can improve results so much.

2 comments

2 Comments

nathanl367d ago

Yeah, the crown molding bit about marking the back side is key. I messed up a whole run of baseboard once because my pencil mark slid on the front edge. Now I always use a speed square to hold the pencil steady against the material, even for short marks. It locks the angle and gives you a solid edge to push against so the line doesn't wiggle.

the_jamie7d ago

Wonder what you do for tricky angles or long cuts... like do you snap chalk lines for anything over a few feet, or just rely on a straightedge and pencil? I still mess up sometimes on crown molding if I don't mark the exact spot where the cut starts on the back side.