The quality of your sawcut starts before you pick up the saw. In fact, the most important step actually happens before the saw ever touches the wood and while the board sits quietly on your bench. All you will need is a square, your tape measure, and your pencil. At first, this may seem like a slow process when you’re working on a very simple project, but each mark you make on the wood before you cut is what determines how the finished part will look. Your marks determine where your saw cuts, where to place your waste side, and whether the part will measure up to the plans.
Take a look at your plans or cut list, even if it only calls for one or two parts, and get your layout started. Determine the length you will need to cut and examine the face of the board you plan to use. Make sure the face is clear of any cracks, knots, or any other defects, and note any rough edges, or areas of warp that may affect the accuracy of your layout. Lay the board flat on your bench and pick a “good” edge to serve as your starting edge, or reference edge, for all your layouts. If you’re using a rough edge, it might not be perfectly straight or smooth; and as your measurements get closer to the end of the board, any slight imperfections along that edge will affect the accuracy of your markings. You might use scrap or inexpensive wood to practice your basic layouts; using scrap wood can help you see how small mistakes can affect the measurements of the part you’re cutting.
To determine the accurate length, place the tape measure firmly against the end of the board and pull it straight out in front of you. You want to make sure you pull the tape perpendicular to the board, not in an angle to the face of the board. With the tape in place, place a small tick mark at your layout measurement with your pencil. Don’t go ahead and make the full cut mark just yet. Make sure the number is correct, and then determine which side of your mark will be the waste side. Remember, the sawblade will cut out a small piece of wood (called a kerf) as you cut. If you cut through the line rather than next to the line, you might not have the right amount of material to work with after you make the cut.
Once you have marked your first measurement tick on the end of your board correctly, lay your square against the edge and draw a line with your pencil from one edge of the board to the other. If your layout requires you to make measurements on more than one edge of the board, continue the layout line down the side edge of the board. Marking a layout line along the side of the board will give you a visual clue to follow when you make your cuts, and it will also give you a way to see if you are cutting straight. Using a dark, heavy line is not necessarily better than using a light one. It might actually be easier to see and follow the line if it’s not drawn too darkly.
If you’re new to making layouts, here’s a good little exercise: mark a few lines on a piece of scrap before you make any cuts. Take measurements three different times from the same end of the board to your first cut. Each time your pencil should hit the same spot on the board. If it doesn’t, look for what is making the difference. Is your tape measure tilted? Is the hook of the tape measure catching on the wood? Is your pencil at a different angle from the first one to the next? This little exercise trains your hand to make the same type of movement over and over again, rather than relying on guesswork.
Here is the most common difficulty in laying out cuts: jumping from layout to cut without taking time for a final check. Before you make your cut, double-check all of your work. Look at your plans or cut list and make sure your measurements are correct. Make sure your layout lines are square to the edge. Make sure the waste side is marked clearly. Many woodworkers mark a small X on the waste side to make sure they don’t accidentally cut off the good part of the workpiece. It only takes a moment to do, but can save frustration if you’re cutting very small or oddly sized pieces.
Making accurate marks will not result in perfect cuts, but you will be better at seeing and identifying what went wrong. If you end up with a part too short, you can see where you placed your cut mark and the kerf, and which side of the line you cut on. If you have an out-of-square corner, you can see whether your mark was made square, or if you were cutting with the saw too far off your line. Your goal isn’t just to get quicker with the saw, but to make your first layout step so clear and accurate that you don’t have to look back at it with confusion as you go through the rest of the project.