Cutting Lap Siding

When the nails have been cut the lower board can be pulled out.

Cutting lap siding.

Keep the boards pressed against the table and the fence and feed them slowly to avoid chipping and splits. Between each cut adjust the blade depth so it is deeper by inch. When i saw lap siding i saw 1 2 thick by 6 or 8 without any taper. This piece will lap over the bottom board.

An oscillating tool with a metal cutting blade is ideal for this job but a simple hacksaw blade will also work. Run your siding stock across the table saw with one 3 4 inch edge down cutting a bevel along its length. If you cut 1 2 thick you can sticker the wood without any problems and it will dry faster since it is thinner. In most cases the siding will wrap all the way around the house.

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. Cut and position the second from the bottom siding board so it aligns with the layout marks you made with the story pole. Check for level to be sure your layout marks are correct. When cutting fiber cement siding with circular saw use a blade that has only four or six teeth.

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. To keep dust to a minimum use a circular saw that s equipped with either a dust collection bag or electric fan that. I m using white pine 1 2 x 6 on my own house and it seems to be okay. I ve cut a lot of siding like this and haven t had any complaints.

Use moderate contact on butt joints when joining two pieces of plank. Set the depth of the blade to about inch and cut the lap siding in small increments. For a slow but virtually dustless way to cut siding use power. The sheet should be removed immediately after each plank is installed.

The last boards must meet at the same level or the installation will look unprofessional. Step 4 install a 1 4 inch roundover bit into your router and set the depth to1 4 inch.