Make a Marking Knife

Give new life to an old jointer blade.

By Geoffrey Noden

When it comes to scribing tenon shoulders, dovetails, hinge mortises, and other joints and recesses, it’s hard to beat a traditional V-shaped marking knife. Beveled on only one face, the opposite one can register intimately against a square, straightedge, or other reference surface for a precise layout line. The V shape permits pulling the knife in either direction and using it right-handed or left-handed. Unlike a pencil line, a scribed knife line cleanly severs wood fibers in advance of a saw cut and provides accurate registration for a chisel when paring to the line afterward. Compared to handled marking knives, I find that a simpler flat-bladed version is easier to register against broad surfaces and better suited for reaching into tight spaces.