Kells Posted July 31, 2021 Share Posted July 31, 2021 I spent half an hour searching for an answer here so I could avoid repeating a question. It's probably been answered but I'm likely just using incorrect search terms. Does a mat cutter work to rip cut strip wood length-wise? Or if not a mat cutter, is there some other tool (that doesn't cost $300!) that would work? I need a simple 45-degree beveled edge length-wise on both sides of half-inch wide strip wood. I *think* 1/16" thick would work. 1/8" might be too thick, not only in appearance but harder to cut. I've tried sanding and planing and boy-howdy did that not work. Very uneven. Probably doable by someone with more skill than I obviously (don't) have! I found door and window casing that could work, but at $5 a pop when I need over one hundred, that is not going to happen! The end view would look like this, and below it is the siding on the Lara Plantation I'd like to recreate. It looks like clapboarding from a distance. Up close it very obviously is not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steiconi Posted July 31, 2021 Share Posted July 31, 2021 Do you mean the mat cutter that holds a replaceable blade at an angle? Yeah, I think it would work, if it's a sturdy model. Since you're cutting with the grain it shouldn't be too hard, but have lots of replacement blades handy, they'll get dull fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeB Posted August 2, 2021 Share Posted August 2, 2021 I think the biggest challenge you would have with a mat cutter is trying to hold the strip of wood in place so it would not move while you are cutting and guide the cutter so it will go straight. If you can figure out some sort of jig to hold the wood in place and keep the cutter on track, it will be more likely to work. Your success may also depend upon what kind of wood you use. Balsa would be easily cut but a hardwood would be more difficult. Good luck if you try it - and let us know how it goes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kells Posted September 8, 2021 Author Share Posted September 8, 2021 Got my siding figured out, cheaper than I ever imagined it could be, and I owe it all to @otterine/ Brae. Thank you, Brae! She proves the usefulness to others of posting our ideas and solutions. Brae used a bamboo table runner for wall paneling. Here it is in progress, and here it is finished. I realized the beveled/rounded edges of those slats creating a grooved look would also work for what I'm trying to achieve. I went on the hunt but had no luck finding a bamboo table runner or placemats that would work (at least none that didn't cost way too much!), but I came across these bamboo craft sticks: https://www.ebay.com/itm/313594135319 500 for under $40?? That's 8-cents apiece!!! And 500 is even more than I need. I'll use leftovers to plank the underside of the porch roofs. They're also thin enough to use inside the house for wainscoting. They measure a bit over 1/16" thick and are 3/8" wide. I received them today and THEY ARE PERFECT!! At least perfect for what I need them for. The rounded long edges aren't a perfect angled bevel but if you scroll up to see the pic of the house I'm trying to do, I think you can see they're just right! I wouldn't use these for normal clapboarding on a house. Too narrow by the time you overlapped them and some can be a bit wavy, but that imperfection is great for the aged, imperfect look I'm going for. Anywho, thought I'd share because I am just so danged thrilled about this! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted September 8, 2021 Share Posted September 8, 2021 You can also use them vertically for beadboard. Good find! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kells Posted September 8, 2021 Author Share Posted September 8, 2021 2 hours ago, havanaholly said: You can also use them vertically for beadboard. Good find! Yep, and I'm going to! 😀 I'm really impressed by Brae's creativity. It's certainly something I never thought of doing. Just so no one considering using these feels that I steered them wrong, I need to explain that "waviness" I mentioned. I laid out twenty of these to mock-up my siding. Out of those twenty, three were seriously off. By "off", I mean that about halfway along their length, they started to curve off to one side. Like, seriously WAAAAY off to one side. Imagine a freeway off-ramp. That's what they looked like. However, I need my siding staggered to look realistic, so I'd be cutting some anyway. And like I said, it was really only about half of the stick that would go to waste, and then on only about three out of twenty. Wanted to make that clear to anyone reading this. Personally, I would not use these for flooring. But for beadboard like Brae did or the siding I'm trying to recreate they're pretty choice, especially for the price, even with some waste! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted September 8, 2021 Share Posted September 8, 2021 I would expect even the off-ramp ones could be cut on an angle and one piece flipped to be perfectly usable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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