Marker??

[lowell holmes]

I am ready to start two Modern Lounge Chairs (Popular Woodworking June and August issues). What do you guys mark the pattern on the wood with? I am down to three choices, a Blackwing 602 pencil, a Precise V5 rolling ball, or a Pilot G2 07 pen. I'm kind of split between the pencil or the pen.

[Marc Burt]

Can't say I've ever given it much thought but I either use a pencil or a sharpie depending on the darkness of the species.

[Wayne Lomman]

Pencil. If you can't see it, use a different colour pencil. The general idea is to never use something that bleeds into the timber, however little that may appear to occur. You need to be able to remove the marks easily especially if marks are made in error. Also when marking general outlines, use the side of the lead, not the point. Point marking leaves an impression. Cheers

[Ralph Okonieski]

At times, i put brown "painter's paper" (not sure that is correct term) and mark that. It is about the color of a paper bag. The paper is about 2 or 2-1/2 inches wide and adhesive backed on about 1/2 of the one side. The non-adhesive part is cut off leaving about an inch or inch and a half that sticks pretty well. Generally use this if a long mark or if free handing a profile that may change until i'm happy with it. A red pen or pencil is used depending on how much visibility is needed. The tape just pulls off then and does not seem to leave residue. Of course, do not clamp the paper or it will be more difficult to remove.

[Matt Day]

I haven't read the article but what do you mean by "mark the pattern on the wood"?

[lowell holmes]

I have made wooden patterns for the seat and back out of white pine. I have shaped and smoothed the patterns to the shape I want.

Now it is time to put the pattern on the mesquite and draw lines (on the mesquite) to cut to. I will mark lines on the mesquite using
either a pencil or a pen.

How do you transfer a pattern to wood?

[Matt Day]

.5mm mechanical pencil, twice to darken it if necessary.

[Paul A. Clark]

Hey Lowell, for mesquite I have had good results with a silver artist pencil. Easier to see line after the fact

[lowell holmes]

I will try that.

I have fair lines a white pencil.

[Edwin Santos]

How about trying out marking some mesquite scrap with each of the pencils, pens and markers you have at hand? Whichever one works best, use that one.

[Paul K. Johnson]

I use a 5 or 7 mm mechanical pencil with 2B leads. Those are much softer than HB leads so they don't dent the wood and they're a little bit darker. I have some yellow leads for the pencils to mark woods too dark to see normal lead. I've used fine point sharpies on wood too soft to take a pencil lead (balsa) and have never had it bleed into the wood deeper than I would normally sand to finish the wood.

[lowell holmes]

The Blackwing pencil leaves a nice even line. I will probably use that, unless I change my mind.

[Keith Weber]

I use those cheap #2, 0.5mm Bic mechanical pencils for a number of reasons. 1) They're a pencil. 2) They're cheap. 3) You don't need to sharpen them, and best of all... 4) They come in packs of around 10 or 20. I've found that if you have enough of them, you'll always have one available through either a quick scan around the shop, or in the "pencil drawer" if I can't find one in the shop within 10 seconds or so.

I find as I get older, the number of pencils required to ensure there will always be a pencil handy before the drawer empties gets larger. I think that magic number is up to around 20 now. When I eventually clean the shop, one by one I find the shop floor pencils and return them to the pencil drawer to start the process all over again. When the pencil drawer is empty, it's time to clean the shop.

[John K Jordan]

Keith,

I don't know if it will work for you, but I solved my "where did I leave that pencil" problem a few years ago with some magnets. I wrap bit of soft iron wire around pencils, sharpies, and other things that normally won't stick to magnets. You can see them in this shot of the wall behind my primary lathe:



I put magnets like this at each lathe, the bandsaw, tablesaw, and anywhere else I commonly use a pencil or marker. The wire doesn't slip on the carpenter's pencils but on the plastic Bic pencils I wrap a bit of tape around the wire. The presence of the wire always reminds me to stick the pencil BACK on the magnet so it will be there next time! I went almost immediately from Frustrated Pencil Hunter/Gatherer to a relaxed, unstressed, focused, improved member of society.

For mounting to wood I use magnets with a countersunk hole and fasten them with screws, not needed for sticking pencils to the steel front of the bandsaw.

magnets.jpg magnets3.jpg

JKJ

I use those cheap #2, 0.5mm Bic mechanical pencils for a number of reasons. 1) They're a pencil. 2) They're cheap. 3) You don't need to sharpen them, and best of all... 4) They come in packs of around 10 or 20. I've found that if you have enough of them, you'll always have one available through either a quick scan around the shop, or in the "pencil drawer" if I can't find one in the shop within 10 seconds or so.

I find as I get older, the number of pencils required to ensure there will always be a pencil handy before the drawer empties gets larger. I think that magic number is up to around 20 now. When I eventually clean the shop, one by one I find the shop floor pencils and return them to the pencil drawer to start the process all over again. When the pencil drawer is empty, it's time to clean the shop.

[Bruce Page]

Here’s my high tech “where’d it go” solution.
I won’t use a sharpie if I’m worried about bleeding. As far as which pencil to use – whichever one works best.