Marking - Keeping it Simple
Marking can be as simple as you like when you are starting out. A sharp pencil and a ruler will do the job.
But there is more
As soon as you start to progress in one direction or another, you will find that the tools that you use for marking start to become more specialist to the job you are performing.
Take my Workshop build series for instance. You will see the first of the videos below.
Now I hope you will agree that there was absolutely no point in me using either a propelling pencil or a marking knife for this entire project. Neither one is appropriate due to the rough nature of the 2 by 4s or the sheet goods I was cutting. Leads would snap and using the knife…well using the knife to mark would just be silly.
So this is where you will see the original Pica pencil that I have rattled on about for months prior to this build.
The PICA Pencil
It is a sturdy, thick leaded pencil with a neat holster to keep it on your belt or in your pocket so that on site you will never lose it. The perfect marking tool for the job. Tie it together with the speed square and you have 2 of the hero tools of this entire project.
And so it is easy to surmise that if you are heading down the larger construction route, the Pica is the job for marking.
But, as I am sure you know, woodworking is not just one thing, there are many different areas you can divert your hobby towards. Take for example the next video. What do you use for marking when you are making Jewellery boxes and much smaller items than an entire building.
Well, that is where the marking knife and the Pica with the propelling, far finer lead come into their own. Swap out your speed square for the more accurate combination square and away you go. Knife lines work much better for a clean cut as the surface fibres are already sliced and you look like you really know what you are doing when you start your project with one. Even if, like me, you are still very much at the start of the journey.
And so, with just 2 projects you can already see that there are a number of different tools you need if you are to become a hybrid style woodworker. One who can knock up a load of scrap wood planters like the next video shows. But, I have to be honest, I do love the Pica range for everything I say in the last video I will link here. They are versatile and tactile, multifunctional within their design but they are not inexpensive. There is an argument that many woodworkers have made that a simple, sharp pencil will do the job and do it well. And they are right.
The only issue is I lose them and the Pica is always there.
So I will finish with one bit of advice. Take a look at the marking tools in action. the Pica range is put through its paces in the video below. It is compared against much more budget friendly options and in truth, from the affiliate link performances, an equal amount of Pica and budget options have been bought off the back of this video.
I am just one person with they favourite tools and you are another. your journey will not match mine or anyone else’s. All I can hope is that with a few videos I can show some tools in action and please rest assured, if they were rubbish, I would say so. To date I have spent all of my own money on these marking tools and to date I have no regrets. I do have regrets on other tools I have bought. Just ask me about TEMU. OR don’t if you don’t want to set me off on a rant. Is it so hard to pack things in a box. See there I go.
