5 Tips For MORE ACCURATE CUTS! (On Any Saw–Make More Accurate Cuts)
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5 Tips For MORE ACCURATE CUTS! (On Any Saw–Make More Accurate Cuts)
Carpenters make money from the speed and accuracy of their cuts. Here are 5 tips to get more accurate cuts from any saw you use. These fundamentals will apply to nearly all carpentry and woodworking projects!
1) USE A SHARP PENCIL — making more accurate cuts starts with making more accurate marks. Be sure you always have a very sharp pencil. I like to fine tune my pencils with a utility knife. For carpenter pencils, I typically use a custom sharpener if I have one.
2) USE A CROW’S FOOT — A crow’s foot is a v-shape mark. I like to use these instead of just a dash. The point of the crow’s foot is your actual cut mark. It keeps you from confusing yourself as lumber gets moved around.
3) SIGHT DOWN THE BLADE — To get more accurate cuts, sight down the saw blade wherever possible. Get your eye in line with the cut path (while the saw is off!) This helps create a better line-up with the saw blade TOOTH. You can check alignment from behind on circular saws as well.
4) SPLIT THE LINE — If you’re already using a sharp pencil, you can further increase cut accuracy by trying to split your plotted cut lines. Try to cut them in half right up the center. Woodworkers in particular like to cut to this standard.
5) MAKE AN INDENTATION — If you’re working quickly, you can check your accuracy before cutting by making an indentation in the wood with the saw blade tooth. I only do this where lumber quality isn’t TOO important. I also fire up the circular saw and make a little notch sometimes on the waste side of the line, then move towards the cut line itself.
If done correctly, these 5 tips will help you MAKE MORE ACCURATE CUTS!
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Thnx. Good advice
My coworkers keep mechanical pencils on them because the point is always very fine
ACE
Bought this for my friend for his birthday, and he loves it. Father-in-law was a little jealous, even. 🙂 Built solid, but light enough to move around for projects. Easy to use https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxPeGkHOMe05FySypTOvYumxMn-xi39oRe and makes great precision cuts. Doesn’t come with a laser mount, but the fence is straight as an arrow and if you measure carefully, it’s not a problem. Can handle dimensional lumber with ease, but of course, there’s a limit to how thick. Handled a 4×4" post without a problem, but 4×6" we had to flip and cut twice. Only thing we’ve noticed is make sure to tighten the nut that holds the saw blade when you take it out of the box and maybe check up on it occasionally. For some, this is probably a no-brainer, but we neglected to do this and a few months in, found the motor running but the blade spinning at about half speed or less. Tightened the nut, and problem was solved. Very happy with this purchase. Dewalt makes sturdy stuff.
Always, always learning great stuff from you! Thanks a lot!
I’m laying hardwood flooring and these tips have proven very helpful! Can’t believe how many HC vids I’ve watched and added to favorites to return to again and again for refreshers.
Followed your tips and my cuts came out perfect. I did notice for me, having the waste cut on my left side, was more comfortable, than on my right and seemed to help alignment.
I am right handed
Splitting the line is grossly innacurate, you should always cut on thewaste side of the line. If you split the line with a blade that has a 1/8” kerf, you will be 1/16” short every time.
Split the line, leave the line or take the line. We also would read a measurement for example, 5/8 light…or heavy.
Brilliant. I always think the answers to most problems are right there in front of your eyes if you open them. Sharp pencil over blunt 👏
There’s no need to split the line. It’s just a way to introduce accuracy, especially if there’s more than one person working on a project and some were taught to split the line while others were taught to mark and cut to one side of the ruler marks or the other. In construction, rough carpentry not finish carpentry; anything within a 1/16th of an inch is fine and stressing over what to do with the line is a little pointless. In woodworking, once you’ve progressed past the entry level box building stuff, accurate measuring is done only with a mechanical pencil with a 0.05 lead or thinner for rough layout and a marking knife for precise layouts and you ALWAYS cut exactly TO the line.
I love lumber pencils, but the damn sharpeners suck! I can’t get a decent point without pressing hard on the pencil and the points break before they get sharp enough! Does anyone know what I’m doing wrong?
Thanks for the video. As a hobby woodworker, I had a lot of trouble with cut accuracy and repeatability until I started using a marking knife (still room for growth). I’d once thought they were some hoity toity tool for fancy work, now I see it differently. Removing the wood on one side of an existing cut is so much easier than eyeballing a line for those like me. For a pencil, the rugged Pentel GraphGear comes in a variety of sizes from .3mm to .9mm. On these, the tip retracts to protect the graphite when the pocket clip is opened, and pops back out with a push on the end. Finally, a mechanical pencil that belongs on a job site or in the shop.
As a newish DIY woodworker hobbiest this is EXACTLY the video I was looking for! Thank you
I really love your videos and the levels of depth you go into when explaining! Can you do a video on miter saws? I’m looking at getting one and there isn’t much on the way in YouTube on quality basic miter saw usage and terms. For example there are single bevel and double bevel types but not clear on what that means. Anyways thanks for all you do and looking forward to the next one!
Weekend warriors ? Didn’t know that one.
Good info Ethan. A good tip for beginners using a mitersaw…. if you are cutting a board just a bit to deep when you cut it, instead of lifting the board up, support it with a scrap board raising the board you want to cut and using more of the blade to cut said board. Just make sure your bottom board is at least the width ( left to right) of the mitersaw so as not to pinch the blade.
Surprised you didn’t mention using a speed square as a guide for circular saw
I bought a worm saw cause it is easier to see my cut line.
but the first thing is to measure the distance properly and this often means having a pair of reading glasses handy to see the tape measure properly
Tip #6 – leave the tips on your fingers!
yo whoever bro is give him a reward straight to the point and w tips that actually work
Hello. I watch your videos many times and I have learned a lot I have a question for you. I have a Dewalt 713 miter saw (10 inch ). I got it brand new. I square the blade to the fence and I also make sure the blade is perpendicular to the surface of the saw. I have also joined and planed my piece and it is square on all four sides. I put my piece against the fence of miter saw and I do my cut. Two sides of the cut are as square as it comes but the other two sides are totally out of square. Do you have any suggestions? I appreciate your input.
I found that the big thick red school pencils work great as carpenter’s pencils, plus their round body means that they can be sharpened in a regular hand-cranked rotary-cutter sharpener. 😀
Honestly bro thank you so much, i would have never thought of these😭😭😭
Thanks for this
super video
it would be great if you could do a video about miter saws. tips, safey…
ACE
I still need convincing on splitting the line. To me, a line has a left side, a right side and the center. At first thought, splitting the line (assuming it’s thin like a 5mm mechanical pencil) will could add your kerf dimension divide by 2off on your keeper side. I’d rather use a scribe and and still cut to the right of the mark assuming my keeper is on the left. Then I sneak it in with a test fit. If anything I get a 2nd chance. As I get older, I realize a good pair of glasses helps a ton. I need to get some.
The angle issue with eying up your cut is a parallax issue. Oh how we are so tempered to not eye up the cut but it’s worth it. I use your circular saw method on the miter saw when my back hurts. Lol. You’re awesome man! Thanks
apprentice rn but for making the crows feet i draw one line of the foot instead of a straight upright dash. usually the second line of the crows foot just makes it thicker
Hi! Which miter saw you recommend between the makita 1292. Dewalt dws 780 or the Bosch? Thanks !!
So an honest carpenter who does not wear safety glasses. Mate, you are careless and not setting a good example for anyone!
I guess that since this guy is as unresponsive as Peacock was, it is time to unsubb this dingleberry also.
WEAR SAFETY GLASSES!!!
I am a "Professional craftsperson" of sixty years! I couldn’t get past the sharp pencil suggestion! Carpenter and cabinet maker are not synonyms; only in the mind of the unknowing! For a carpenter a line on a piece of wood is only a reference and doesn’t have to be ultra fine as an architect’s.
Step 1. Don’t be an idiot.
Thanks buddy!
My issue with the mitre saw is I never knew whether to line the blade right in front, right behind or actually on the line. Thanks for the tips.
Are videos are very informative and to the point. VERY HELPFUL!!!
very helpful. Thank you.
I love that Crows foot tip. Makes sense as I have been struggling to get my cuts perfect on the line with my miter saw. Thank you!
The most accurate cuts where made 200 years ago, all hand tools, furniture never made now.
I’m learning to make dado cuts with a router (might not be dado, it like a half way cut though the board so two boards can slot together to make one bigger piece). I measure and clamped my jig and adjusted my depth… afterwards it turns out I was 1/32nd off and had to readjust and cut again. I was super annoyed
Good advice! There are also those who go beyond keeing your pencil sharp and say you should mark with a knife.
Set a proper example by wearing safety glasses/goggles in your videos.
Your "looking with both eyes" technique doesn’t work for me because I only see out of one eye.
Thanks for these tips – very helpful for a newbie like me.
Thank you Sir for your videos.
Splitting the line? On a chop saw you just LOST .05"! then you refer to KERF? Maykuppa Umind
Your tips on the pencil I can’t stress enough. It’s so important to pretty much every facet of construction from carpentry, roofing, drywall, you name it!