On my old house, some of the clapboard is still secured to the framing with square nails. Where clapboards abut one another, they are scarf-jointed. This house was built before the use of building paper, and clearly the overlapping scarf joints allowed less water infiltration. When it came time to repair some of the clapboards, I wanted to duplicate the scarf joints, which are cut at 20°. I couldn’t find any information on how to make these cuts, so I devised the jig shown in the drawing.
One of my shop benches has a vise that projects through the top. I use it to secure the siding, which is shimmed with an inverted scrap of clapboard to keep it vertical. I use a crosscut saw with a pointed end to make my cuts because I find that it’s pretty easy to steer. A piece of hardboard screwed to the front of the bench aligns the saw on the near side of the work. On the far side, a pair of dowels let into the bench top keeps the saw in line.
Guy Campbell, Norway, ME
