Cutting Lap Siding

Use moderate contact on butt joints when joining two pieces of plank.

Cutting lap siding.

When i saw lap siding i saw 1 2 thick by 6 or 8 without any taper. To keep dust to a minimum use a circular saw that s equipped with either a dust collection bag or electric fan that. The vertical seams in lap siding should never align one over the other so you may also need to remove portions of boards that are not damaged. Step 4 install a 1 4 inch roundover bit into your router and set the depth to1 4 inch.

Between each cut adjust the blade depth so it is deeper by inch. Keep the boards pressed against the table and the fence and feed them slowly to avoid chipping and splits. This piece will lap over the bottom board. In certain installations nails are driven through the bottom of the siding leaving the heads exposed.

The last boards must meet at the same level or the installation will look unprofessional. An oscillating tool with a metal cutting blade is ideal for this job but a simple hacksaw blade will also work. The sheet should be removed immediately after each plank is installed. I m using white pine 1 2 x 6 on my own house and it seems to be okay.

For a slow but virtually dustless way to cut siding use power. Cut and position the second from the bottom siding board so it aligns with the layout marks you made with the story pole. Set the depth of the blade to about inch and cut the lap siding in small increments. When the nails have been cut the lower board can be pulled out.

On non grooved siding you will need to make sure the reveals are all equal by checking the spacing frequently or using a story pole as described in cutting fastening lap siding. In most cases the siding will wrap all the way around the house. I ve cut a lot of siding like this and haven t had any complaints. Using the line you scored with the hammer and chisel as your cutting guide use the circular saw to cut along the length of the line.

Hardieplank lap siding with colorplus technology is shipped with a protective laminate slip sheet which should be left in place during cutting and fastening to reduce marring and scratching. Check for level to be sure your layout marks are correct.