Replies

1. 
   sschefer | May 17, 2002 07:51pm | #1

   Oh boy, that one hits home. They sell fine point Sharpie pens in white. If you use the fine point they don't bleed too badly. The caution is that you want to make your mark on the waste side of the material otherwise you will find it difficult to sand the marks out later.

   Steve - in Northern California

2. 
   danwolfram | May 17, 2002 08:02pm | #2

   How about and Xacto knife or similar marking knife?  I use an Xacto knife for my layout lines, you have to be careful not to mark in areas that are visable on the finished product.

   Dan in CT

3. 
   BBrady | May 17, 2002 10:46pm | #3

   I use chalk and a marking knife. It's a nice trick I learned in a class. Rub the area to be marked with the side of a piece of standard issue schoolroom blackboard chalk. Then mark out your joints or cut lines with a marking knife, exacto, matte knife, etc. The line will show up quite well.

   Brian

   Brian Brady

   "If you keep doing what you've been doing, you'll keep getting what you've been getting." - Unknown

1. 
   tablesaw635 | May 18, 2002 01:16am | #4

   Depending on what you're doing, sometimes you can use masking tape to mark a line.  Doesn't work for everything, but then again, what does?

   Best,Chris Gleason

   Gleason Tableworks

   http://www.interestingfurniture.com

4. 
   DaveHeinlein | May 18, 2002 01:59am | #5

   I use a white artist's pencil most of the time. They cost little more, but, hey? Also, the tape trick is good. Place the tape on and mark it.

5. 
   HowardAcheson | May 18, 2002 02:02am | #6

   Been working with walnut for 30 years and have a few white pencils that I use. Work fine.

6. 
   Hempstalk | May 18, 2002 08:50pm | #7

   I've been working African Padauk exclusively since the start of 2002.  Besides the huge amounts of abrasive red dusk covering the entire shop layout lines are hard to see.  Solution was the new (new to me) color leads for mechanical pencils.  They come in a rainbow of color for all types of wood.  I find that the violet works well for laying out joinery on Padauk.  Perhaps a yellow or white would work good for Walnut.  There are a few drawbacks though.  One is the leads are not as strong as the pencil leads so they tend to snap off if they get caught in large grain lines.  Second is since their softer they only come in .7 which is a little larger that I usually like but hey it's better than searching for that lost pencil marking.  The chalk idea work as well.  I use a variation of it to mark layout lines for inlays into dark wood.  Instead of rubbing chalk on the wood and marking your line in it ,much like you do when you put a temporary paint on your wood and scribe your lines in it, I scribe around the inlay using a inlay scribe or exacto knife then rub the chalk into the cut.  This way the lines won't end up getting rubbed off if your marking in multiple boards and stacking and restacking them while machining.

   
   

   ---

   Edited 5/18/2002 1:58:23 PM ET by HEMPSTALK

1. 
   Adrian | May 18, 2002 08:56pm | #8

   I usually use quilters pencils in white or silver. Used by people that quilt and sew, obviously. Pays to be married to someone in the textile field.cabinetmaker/college instructor. Cape Breton, N.S