use of a "preacher" how to

[Tom King]

I had posted a while back that I would show some pictures, and happened to have my hands on a couple of siding preachers this morning.  These are for clapboard siding.  Pretend that this door casing is a corner board on a house.  Mark with a sharp no. 4 pencil, and take no more than the line off. Regardless of whether the corner board is plumb or not, you'll get a perfect fit every time.  They come in handy for all sorts of other things, like baseboard on an outside corner, and such.  These were made from some scrap Oak about 1-1/2" thick.  I like thicker ones, since you can run the sides across a jointer, and have nice flats inside and out.  They can be made from 1x's too, and those are more commonly used as one-offs for finish work.  One of these is a tight fit over a piece of the siding, and the other is a slide fit.  If you have a hard time reaching out with both hands to mark, the tight one can be slid in place, and then the board retrieved into reach to mark.

 This siding was marked with a preacher, and cut with a handsaw.  You can move each board with a fingertip, since it's hanging on nails in drilled holes.

[bgreenb]

This is very cool.  Thanks for the tip Tom.  I could see myself using this a lot on interior trim.

[Tom King]

Glad someone can get some use out of it.  I've had two different architects tell me that I'm the best finish carpenter they've ever seen.  One asked me, looking at an interior natural wood room I did, how I measured something that precisely.  I said, I didn't do much measuring.  He was confused, but let it go.   I'm not only a finish carpenter.

This is an old carpenter's method that I learned from some old carpenters who worked for me 35 years ago.  They're all gone now, but I wish they could see some of the things I've done since they left us.  They all left before there was such a thing as a good quality power miter saw.

[Tpt life]

14 minutes ago, Mike. said:

I am afraid that in 20 years no one will be able to do stain grade trim work.  Everything is painted now and your average finish carpenter spends more time caulking (or letting the painter caulk) than he does marking and cutting. 

My great Uncle was a finish carpentar.  I remember he installed an octogan window at my parents house when I was about 12, he was retired and maybe 75 at the time.  I think his toolkit consisted of a backsaw, pencil and hammer and those octogan miters were perfect.  

I owned an 1860 that was all painted. I worked for ten years on homes that one in ten was painted. Fads come and go, money buys what money wants. As long as someone will pay to have it done, guys will do it. It is not hard.  It is simply not always fast. 

Tom, I am enjoying what you offer. Thanks.