How to Remove Pencil Marks?

[Deleted member 174758]

Obviously the best way to remove pencil marks, would be to not make any pencil marks in the first place. What can I use instead? Something to score a line like a bradawl? Or is there a special carpetnters tool for the job?

Brad awls aren't for marking - they are for piloting holes and are only suitable for rough carpentry at that. The proper tool for marking is a marking knife, which has a bevel on one side of the blade alone. British makes include Crown, Joseph Marples, etc. But these need to be used against a steel edge such as a mitre square or a combination square

Technically speaking you cut out half the mark on the waste side if you mark exactly on the measurement, otherwise you are half the mark short on your length

That depends on the job, B-A. If I've got a good cutter with me I can tell him to saw "dead to size" and he'll saw me a beading bang to length with no mark visible. Variations in buildings and mitre saws mean that I sometimes instruct the cut to be made "fat" (1mm over, but still no mark if is is finish work) so that I can trim dead to size with a sharp bock plane

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I have no idea how some people use these 'carpenters' pencils, so dark and blunt quite quickly.

Me neither. Yet every apprentice turns up with one of them stuck behind his 'ear 'ole on day 1 thinking it's all they need. They are OK if you are marking out rough carpentry where 2 or 3mm difference is neither here nor there (like components in a cut roof or joists), but for interior work a decent HB like a Staedler Norris is far better (whilst at the same time they sharpen more easily and the leads on them break a lot less easily than cheap Tesco specials) and when we get down to doing the finish stuff like kitchens or bathroooms a 2H is a must

 

[big-all]

Me neither. Yet every apprentice turns up with one of them stuck behind his 'ear 'ole on day 1 thinking it's all they need. They are OK if you are marking out rough carpentry where 2 or 3mm difference is neither here nor there (like components in a cut roof or joists), but for interior work a decent HB like a Staedler Norris is far better (whilst at the same time they sharpen more easily and the leads on them break a lot less easily than cheap Tesco specials) and when we get down to doing the finish stuff like kitchens or bathroooms a 2H is a must

its sad to admit i bought a carpenters pencil a couple off years ago
not through choice off course but the old "another 10p for free postage and delivery "
off course the 10 year old lad at no8 with autism who helps me to butcher timber in a "therapeutic way " usually based on space ship or tractors or what ever is in his head on that day thinks the amazing present off a genuine "carpenters pencil " is so much better than the rubbishy "staedtler 2h pencils" he has had to use till now