I would like to start a discussion on markings and symbols used in woodworking. I am refering to things like the cabinet maker's triangle, methods of what component is what and what side of a cabinet is what. I find myself changing my method of marking often because I am not convinced that the one I used last is the best.
Some of the replies to this type of discussion are "use whatever works for you". But that creates problems when you might come up with a symbol that can be misinterpreted. Or, like the Roman numbering system, not the best concept to use.
The X is pretty standard for the area to be cut out. So that is a good start. What about the best set of symbols for the six sides of a cube? Should the symbol incorporate information as to what side attaches to each edge? Is "right reading" enough to define its position and what side attaches to each edge? What other information should it carry. What have I forgotten?
I hope you all don't think I am being anal retentive about this. Being able to come up with a marking without thinking should make work go quicker. It also would keep you from second guessing yourself later in the project (was B bottom or back). Both of these problems have happened to me. I have refrained from coming up with my own markings because I have been looking for an existing standard that has been well thought out. The cabinet maker's triangle is an excellent example. It was obviously well thought out and almost impossible to screw up. It also can be used for an infinite number of panels. See what I mean?
There is a method of marking the 4 posts of a cabinet to understand which post is what and its orientation. I use it all the time and it is not ambiguous. Makes my work go quicker and with more confidence.
The only symbol I use is a "V" for marking a cut or for aligning boards. Everything else is build-as-you-go so there wouldn't be a time when I don't know what part is the left, right, bottom, back, etc.
O = Show face, more importantly used as the reference face. For instance , if I am using a tennon jig, I always reference the front of the pannel. If there happens to be any thickness irregularities, the will show up on the back of the panel.
Triangle -drawn across a joint to show the order and orientation of the components of a glue up pannel.
Right angle (like in geometry class, two lines to form a box in an interior angle) - used to indicate the adjacent sides of a board which were jointed. When rejointing previously milled stock, it's not always obvious what faces were trued.
The Leigh jig manual has a couple that are useful for inside and outside of box sides (need to look them up to remember what they are).
I use the Greek "alpha" to show the jointed (flat) sides of boards. On wood with tearout issues, the alpha is accompanied by an arrow to show direction of feed to prevent tearout (useful when moving to the planer).
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough
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I'm afraid of confusing myself any more than I already am. "Hmmm... does X mark the side to keep, or the side to toss?" So I always write "waste" on the waste side.
I mark the lines like this |- or -| to show which side of the line the kerf belongs on.
Better IMO to mark the face *opposite* the show face, to eliminate any worries about the markings still being visible in the finished project.
I number them 1, 2, 3... from left to right, on the ends of the boards. End-for-end orientation is preserved by numbering them at one end only. Maintaining proper order and orientation is trivial: if the numbered ends are all at the same end of the panel, right side up, and in sequence, everything's right, and if not, the nature and location of the problem is instantly obvious.
And again, no worries about the markings being visible in the finished project, because the ends will be trimmed off anyway. If for some reason, I need to mark the face of a board, I use Post-It Notes.
Absolutely right. I started out marking mine the same way, but found that it's faster and just as accurate to simply make a diagonal slash at the appropriate corner on each end of the board.
I have considered that and you are correct. However *for me* it one less mental reversal/negation/flip I have to do. I kno wit's not rational, but it's easier for me to focus on the goood side.
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