Make a Marking Knife

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.