How to Get a More Accurate Cut on Metal - Kevin Caron

Caron is about to true up a piece of steel for his latest sound sculpture. A viewer recently asked how to get a more accurate cut when working with metal - his work always seems to come out too big or too small.

Working with metal, of course, you can use a soapstone and can sharpen a point on the end of it. The first half-inch or so of your line will be a good clean line. Then as the point wears down, your line gets wider and wider.

To demonstrate, Caron draws a 7" line with the soapstone. He shows how big and fat the line is. You can make a smaller line if you rotate the soapstone as you go, keeping the point down.

Next Caron draws the same line with a Sharpie marking pen, gently touching the steel and rotating the pen as he goes. You still end up with a fat line. It's smaller than the soapstone line, but it's still a pretty big line.

Then you have to ask yourself, "Do I cut on the right of the line? The left of the line? Or right down the middle of the line? Where's my mark?"

Finally, Kevin discovered a scribe. It has a nice hard steel point. You can grind it on the grinder to get it even sharper. Caron uses the scribe to etch a line in the metal and shows how it is razor thin. Now you can cut right dead on that line or just to the right side, and your cut is going to come out exactly where you want it. There's no ambiguity.

Then you can go to your chopsaw, your shear, use your angle grinder with a cutoff wheel on it - whatever you need - to make your cut, and you'll know it's accurate.

Where do you get a scribe? Caron says you can buy them from a tool truck, at the big orange box store in the tool corral, or just pick up a piece of steel and make one. You can use a piece of rod and grind a point on it. Pick up a bolt and grind a point on it.

You don't have to buy one - you're a metalworker! There's your homework for today. You can make a scribe as long and as big around as you want.

Caron doesn't recommend, however, that you put a hook on the other end like the one he is using. It's actually an automotive tool, letting mechanics retrieve, say, an O ring, but that hook can catch on your hand when using it as a scribe.

So go get or make a scribe. It'll make your cuts and joints a lot tighter and neater.

Or you can stick around for another moment and see him make the Voice laugh ....

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[danmoreton]

While I have heard you mention similar tips in other videos.. I never get tired of hearing them again. Thanks!

[rubberberner]

When you said "Speaking of joints..." the first time, I was expecting the response you gave the second time haha. A video on something as simple as marking metal and you kept it entertaining and informative as always.

[rgsparber]

I do a lot of metal working and find that a single bevel blade marking knife works great. The flat face of the knife touches the straight edge and by holding the blade vertically, you don't drift. If necessary, first paint the area with bluing and then cut through it for a high contrast line. The flat face of the knife also does not harm the straight edge.

[PhilWaud]

Great video, thanks.No matter what you use to make a mark, the mark will have a thickness and will always be on the outside of the material that you need to cut away. I always aim to cut the line away, i.e. so that the edge of my blade is in the same place as the set square.Depending on the material and what you are cutting with, you learn by practicing - get some scrap material and try different approaches. Nothing beats experience and its the best teacher you can have.

[leakycrucible]

Just found your channel and it's simultaneously really useful and really inspiring for our own work. You've definitely earned that joint!

[DFWKen]

Thanks again, Kevin. Nice video.
I learned to use scribes when I began working sheet metal in my HVAC dealership/metal shop. No better way to mark metal than a nice sharp scribe. I've taught many employees how to build sheet metal components for HVAC work; for our company installations and for other companies that didn't have a sheet metal shop. On thin sheet metal, scribes are also good for measuring points along a line for bending; by tapping the scribe with with the sheet metal hammer to mark the point at the precise positions on a line in the workpiece. The resulting little pips in the sheet metal made it easy to make precise cuts or bends in the stomp shear or brake. Sure wish I still owned all that equipment.

I've gotten away from woodworking in my home shop, too. Messy! Dust gets everywhere, even with a dust removal machine. OH, and if you cut a piece of wood too short, you can't simply weld it back long to try again. (chuckle).

[kenbudd]

Good use for broken drills.
Good videos.

[TheHandyman]

I have been using a ground tungsten for a scribe.

[CrafterSandstone]

If you want to make a non disposable scribe then you should use a high carbon steel for the tip and heat treat it to make it a bit harder than most knives. You can acquire a nice size piece of high carbon steel from a file, specifically the tang of the file. The tang of the file can be ground to a point and should be able to be hardened, slowing the wear of the tip. If you prefer to buy a scribe, it is probably worthwhile to get one with a tungsten carbide tip since it will last a very long time.

[Rowganlife]

AND you enjoy the wonders of the joint. fantastic.

[jm]

I use carbide toothed saw blades in a table saw perfect clean, bur free distortion free cuts in steel plate. I slow the rpm down to about 3500 for a 7 inch blade. cuts 8 inches of 1 inch plate in about a minute . The blades work well in a worm drive portable.
Try this, it will change your life if you are a fabricator.

[Trumpski]

Thank you Kevin and your good lady wife for the video really helpful thank you and stay safe Chris Lord ...

[johndeninger]

kevin i use a tungsten pencil, replacement tips or you can sharpen it

[scottcarr]

I had a commercially made scribe for years but with a lot of use and re-sharpening it became too soft on the end where I ground back past the hardened end. I used to use a needle gun de-scaler when I was at B.H.P. steelworks. I found that the needles out if them were very hard, about 3mm in diameter about 6 1/2" long and had a countersunk end on the back-end, (so you don't stab yourself with it) sharpen them up to a point and they stay sharp for a very long time. It is now 17 years since I left B.H.P. and I still have the one I made there.

[yearsaprepperr.jtilbury.]

best thing i have found for scribes are Motorbike spokes, ,, there hard as hell and you can have them long, , i have them all over the workshop, ,if you want to get tricky use the threaded end to screw onto a flash brass handle, , or what ever handle you like, , i use brass so i can spot them laying around !

[JonDingle]

The only way to ensure an easy to see and follow cutting line on flat sheet steel, angle iron or box section steel is to effectively paint the surface of the material with a thin coat of Dykem Engineers Blue or Red and when dry (in minutes) use a pointed steel scribe to mark out your work piece ready for cutting into the part you require.

[craigspakowski]

Retractable carbide point pocket scriber changed my life. The point is hard enough to mark mill scale and you can click the end and not stab yourself when you put it in your pocket. Also Drywall screws make good scribes for the DIY'er.

[charltoncarswell]

Has anybody told you how cool you are today? Love the videos! Where do we see some of your newer art pieces?

[randy]

we use a scatch  awl! or even take a welding rod, clean off the breakable coating and sharpen it down, also acts a  pointing tool!!

[billfleming]

A sharpened 3/32 Tig tungsten works very well as a scribe !