Shopsmith Forums

I have been using the "abrasive cleaning stick" normally used to clean sanding disks, belts to erase pencil marks.

I just learned about the sanding disc cleaning eraser in a SS video this AM.
Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) worked OK. I didn't have any denatured alcohol before: I do now.
I have one green eraser that does a pretty good job - I had misplaced it when moving tools to this shop.
I know about scribes and marking knives but don't use them for layout when I'm trying to determine how to get the most pieces from a board.

Hello there bunky and wgander! If you like the sandpaper cleaning stick, try this - It works for me - - When cleaning the sandpaper, the cleaning stick leaves big eraser crumbs. Gather up these crumbs quickly, after turning off the machine - then taking the (still warm) crumbs and eraser shavings, press them into a ball. Before long you will have a ball about the size of an old 'art gum eraser'. You can re-use this ball to remove pencil marks just like before it was ground down. Sounds really frugal, I know, but it's fun to re-use the stuff!:)

charlese wrote:.............You can re-use this ball to remove pencil marks just like before it was ground down. Sounds really frugal, I know, but it's fun to re-use the stuff!:)

What's so frugal about it? If it works, it works!

I usually use a Mars Plastic Eraser or a Click eraser stick. The white plastic material seems to work well. When I draw the pencil lines I try not to put very much pressure on the pencil so it doesn't make an indentation in the wood.

denatured alcohol did NOT work
acetone did work almost. I was able to sand out the areas that still had pencil marks.
An ink eraser worked the best, but it disappeared :-(

Try to find 70% isopropyl alcohol. It works on every kind of lead pencil in my shop. IIRC, mine came from a pharmacy.

Dont use a pencil!!! Get a chalk pencil, not a grease pencil, but a chalk pencil. Craft Stores have them. They come in different colors, I get a white one for walnut work. Usually in the fabric area, for doing fabric pattern marking on cloth.

ERLover wrote:Dont use a pencil!!! Get a chalk pencil, not a grease pencil, but a chalk pencil. Craft Stores have them. They come in different colors, I get a white one for walnut work. Usually in the fabric area, for doing fabric pattern marking on cloth.

Yup!

What about just making your marks on blue painters tape and then remove the tape after cutting? that would avoid the issues with removing marks. I've done it on a variety of pieces and tools (jig saw, table saw, band saw) and it's worked for me. Just a thought .....