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TIL my 'close enough' attitude on scribes was costing me jobs
A finish contractor in Charlotte told me my scribe lines on a built-in looked 'like a kindergartner cut them' and to use a compass with a sharp pencil. Has anyone else gotten that specific piece of advice?
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william_carter22d ago
That's a brutal review from a contractor. What kind of built-in were you working on that made the scribe lines so critical?
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the_morgan22d ago
It was a floor-to-ceiling bookcase against a stone fireplace wall. The stones stuck out over an inch in some spots. I used a contour gauge first to get the rough shape, then fine-tuned it with a compass and a sharp utility knife blade instead of a pencil. The knife gave a cleaner line to follow with the jigsaw.
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jenny_coleman22d ago
A compass is the right call for clean lines. I keep a cheap drafting compass in my tool bag just for scribing. The trick is to barely touch the pencil tip to the wall while you pull it down, don't push it. Makes a world of difference on tall built-ins.
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