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On LumberJocks, a comment was made that marking a cut line with a pencil introduces a lot of error into a project. It was said that the thickness of the lead can throw the cut off by 1/64th of an inch.

I like to mark precision wood cuts with a .5mm mechanical pencil. I make the pencil mark on the waste side of the cut. On the left, I have made a partial cut with my compound miter saw. The blade removes the pencil line, as the mark is on the waste wood.

I’ve never used a marking knife before. I would have guessed that a cut line marked with a knife would be difficult to see. In the center, I have marked the wood with a knife. It resulted in a precision line that is also very visible.

On the right, I marked a cut line on steel with a worn out Sharpie marker. I pressed hard against the square so that the ink would cover tight to the edge of the blade. Even though the line is very fat, the ink is on the waste side of the cut. I set my horizontal bandsaw to cut right on the edge of the line. Again, a precision cut and the part is exactly the desired length.

A little 4 x 6 metal-cutting bandsaw is a popular addition to many home shops.

Many parts are too small to hold with the built-in clamp. Simply clamp the small part to the out-feed table. It can easily be cut square or at any desired angle.

When trying to find the center of a piece that is an uneven length, skip the complex math calculations. Select an even measurement that is close to half the length. Measure from one end and make a mark. Next, measure the same distance from the opposite end and make a second mark. The center will be right between the two marks.

A flat washer is used to distribute pressure away from the points of a hex bolt or nut and spread the load over a larger area. There are two different standards commonly used in the manufacture of washers. The first is USS and stands for the United States Standard. The second is SAE and stands for the Society of Automotive Engineers.

This picture shows the underside of an SAE and USS washer. Note that the USS washer has a larger diameter and a looser fit around the fastener. It is also a little thicker.

In the second picture, I have drilled two holes through a pine board and shown a top view of the two washers. I prefer SAE washers for my projects. The USS washers just seem sloppy to me.

A combination square may be used as a marking gauge. Slide the rule out of the head the desired distance and lock it with the thumbscrew. Hold the head on the end of the stock and make a mark on the end of the rule. This is especially useful for repetitious layout work.