Met a guy at the supply yard who showed me a different way to cut a curved arch

He was picking up some corner bead and saw me struggling with a jigsaw. He said, 'Try scoring the back paper with a knife first, then snap it like a straight cut.' I tried it on a small piece for a bathroom niche and it worked way better than fighting the saw. Anyone have other tricks for weird shapes?

4 comments

4 Comments

anthonynelson2mo ago

That's a solid trick. Always thought you needed a router for clean curves, but scoring the back is way smarter for small stuff. Might try it on some cove molding next.

theajohnson2mo ago

Honestly @anthonynelson, I've had that trick snap too many thin pieces for my liking.

anthonynelson2mo ago

Yeah, I've snapped my share of trim too. My garage floor is basically a graveyard for "one more try" pieces.

thomasgonzalez5d ago

Fight me on this but I think scoring the back is just asking for more trouble on thin pieces. You're basically creating a weak spot that's gonna snap right along that line when you least expect it. Had it happen with some pine quarter round last month, thought I was being clever and then crack right down the middle. I'd rather just heat it up a bit or use a gentle bend over time. Sometimes the old ways are the old ways for a reason you know. Not everything needs a shortcut.