Pen pencil chalk?

[Jan Bianchi]

I have just cut a groove on the wrong side of a board, a board which I carefully set in position to route, a board that was marked as to face and back, and bottom. Apparently my eyes can no longer read a 0.5 mm mechanical pencil mark in the absence of blazing sunlight. What are your favorite marking tools? # 2 pencil? ball point? chalk? In my experience my #2's are always broken just when I need them, the chalk wears off and ball point ink can be hard to sand out. What's your experience? Anyone have a handy solution besides reading glasses which I already have?

[John Coloccia]

Pen on occasion. Usually just a #2 pencil. Sometimes, I'll use a colored pencil (on dark woods, I like to use light blue for whatever reason). Often times I'll use chalk to mark things like top, bottom etc. If I'm really having a hard time seeing, I'll stick a piece of masking tape on the wood and scribble on that.

Which reminds me of that thread in the Neanderthal section where someone figured out they can stick a piece of masking tape down, slice through it with a cutting gauge, and pull the excess tape off. The edge of the remaining masking tape becomes your scribe line. GREAT idea.

[Chip Lindley]

I like using a .09mm mechanical pencil. It's readable! Lead does not break nearly as easily as .05mm!

[Gene Howe]

I use a #2. Have a 1# coffee can screwed to a post near my bench. It's chock full of pencils.
I like the tape+scribe=cutting line idea! May have to adapt my methods.

[Jim Summers]

I use #2s and chalk

I also have a photo pencil that is white. But it is really soft and doesn't stay sharp long at all. Works great for walnut though.

Any ideas on white hard lead type pencils?

[Ted Calver]

9mm Pentel with HB lead

[David DeCristoforo]

On light woods, try a red pencil. On dark woods, a white one. For "critical" marking, I use a sharp knife. A scored line can be dusted with chalk (again, red for light woods, white for dark) to provide a crisp fine line that is easy to see.

[BOB OLINGER]

I like the 9 mm Pentel mechanical pencils (yellow) with HB (No. 2) lead. Makes a definite line and accurate enough for me. Also, has a clip that works good.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I mark with pencil or marking knife or marking gauge, and write notes to myself with white chalk (for example: "Cut this side, fool"). The chalk comes off with DA.

[Larry Fox]

For rough "hey this is the face side" type of marking that you mention in your post I use kids driveway chalk. You can buy about 300# of it for right around $1 at ToysRUs. It is nice and wide and I typically mark a BRIGHT and wide line across the face side with the broad side of it. Given that it is for kids it also contains a lot of bright colors which is what I want. Only issue I have had with Chalk is that if you use it later in the project when you are getting close to finish you need to make sure there is none stuck in the pores of open woods like walnut.

[Andy Sowers]

+1 on the kids chalk for non-precision marking...

[glenn bradley]

#2's here and there. A .5mm in my pocket. Chalk nearby.

[Dave Novak]

When the markings are simply to indicate top, botom, front, back, etc. I frequently use wide blue painters tape and a fat Sharpie. If it's important enough to take the time to mark, it's important enough to make big and bold enough not to miss.

[Myk Rian]

I use chalk. If it starts to rub off, I mark it again.

[Gary McKown]

Right now Big Lots has a 55-stick tub of it for $2.00, right size for sharpening (if needed) in a common pencil sharpener. I bought two units for inclusion of several sticks in our charity projects this year (box with floor of a tic-tac-toe board, 5 each Xs and Os, chalk and eraser (piece of fluffy carpet), lid made of green chalkboard. I have enough left over for a lifetime supply of chalk. Well, half a lifetime, anyway - LOML also uses it to mark fabric in her quilting avocation.

I was surprised to learn that "chalk" these days is not really Chalk (calcium carbonate), but is in fact made from gypsum (a calcium sulfate compound).