Cutting sheet goods

[Charles Wilson]

I was watching Woodworks the other day and noticed that David Marks actually drew all of his cuts out on the plywood he was cutting.

What was he using to mark his ply? Is this common practice?

Thanks,

Chuck

[keith ouellette]

I think he uses chalk.

[Peter Quinn]

I've seen episodes where he uses artists pencils (white on walnut, dark blue on light woods) but I assumed this was for illistration in front of the camera. Many of his extensive layout marks may be for the sake of the audience in front of the bright lights. I have certainly learned a lot about layout from watching his show but rarely mark up plywood like I've seen in his show.

A good sheet goods cutting program on a computer and careful setup will save you a fortune in plywood.

[glenn bradley]

I use chalk but just as a reference to keep me on track without haveing to refer to my cutlist if I'm using one. It is surprising how hard it is to just go into the local store and buy white chalk and a holder . .. I had to go to Staples to find any.

[Kurt Bird]

Chuck,
You don't need chalk. Take a sharp pencil and draw a 4"x8" rectangle on a sheet of quadrille paper ( graph paper with 1/4" squares ) and draw all your pieces on the sheet, changing things around if you need to until you get the most for your buck! It works great!
Kurt:D