Well, I’m trying to finish a job started by a contractor who was “beyond his prime” and have to reside a portion of this addition. Clad w/ 8″ rabbeted cedar siding called Dolly Varden in our neck of the woods. Original siding was 7 1/4 face w/ 1/2 rabbet leaving a 6 3/4 reveal. It was near impossible to find 7 1/4 from my local suppliers (including the guys that the original came from). Finally located some and was happy as a clam UNTIL I realized the rabbet on my new siding was 3/4 not 1/2. No problem, right? Hold each piece 1/4 proud of the one below instead of setting down on it. Not so easy as it sounds. Any thoughts on a homemade or storebought jig to make this process easier and faster?
What about using a piece of the old siding to mark the location of the next course from the previous? Wouldn’t that make up my 1/4″ for setting the new piece?
Replies
What about ripping a 1/4 inch piece and gluing it onto the rabbets to make up the difference?
There are lots of "DIY siding gauge" videos online (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2U4BiYbb7s) that might be useful for you if you only want to set consistent spacing. Or just search for "siding gauge" on any hardware store site and you'll find ones for purchase that can be customized for height to help you consistently set your piece.
If you want to completely seal that 1/4" gap for weatherizing purposes you can also fill it back. If you have access to a table saw or even band saw you could sacrifice some of your new cedar lumber pieces to rip 1/4" strips to thickness and glue them inside your 3/4" rabbet to fill the extra 1/4" gap on your boards (though this seems like a *lot* of work). Or if you don't want to fill the whole gap (that's a lot of ripping) then glue small pieces of your 1/4" spacer every foot or two in the rabbet and you can set the proper 1/2" rabbet without need for a siding gauge.
If you have a lot of siding left to install then siding gauges are probably your best bet, but if it's only a few pieces then cutting some ~1/4" spacers to fill the rabbets may be more efficient.