# Cutting bevel cedar siding



## GHP (Jul 3, 2015)

Hello, I have never done any cedar siding, I am replacing small rotten area of the house. I am using 8x10 bevel cedar siding.

I removed rotten out siding but managed to saved all the pieces for a template for the angle where it meets the roof.


My question now is, can I cut it with a circular saw and not have it cracked? I don't have a sliding miter saw.

What nails to use on this type of siding? i will be using a hammer, not a nail gun.


I am attaching picture of the area I am replacing to get you an idea of what kind of an angle I'm going to be cutting.

Thanks for helping out!!:thumbsup:


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## ed_h (Dec 1, 2010)

I've done quite a bit of this. A circular saw will work fine for the angled cuts. Use 6 or 8 penny galvanized box nails. Box nails are skinnier. Any nails near the end of a board should be pre-drilled. Overlap each course by 1" (or to match existing). and nail so that the nails don't go through the board below.

If it's a 1-man operation, make yourself a little sheet metal clip to hold up one end of the board.

Ed


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*I have done many siding cuts ...*

My entire house is Cedar siding, ship lap, not beveled. All the roof interections have similar angles as your photo. They were cut using a circular saw protractor guide like this to maintain a constant look:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Protractor-...604?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3aadac6ce4










Use a 60 tooth blade for a tear free cut in the Cedar. Check your starting course for level and measure ledger marks for reference as you go up.


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## mikeswoods (May 18, 2009)

Sure, a circular saw will be fine--you have several matching cuts to make---so--

a 'cutting box' will be worth making---

you need two scraps of plywood about a foot wide and two sticks of 1x2---

you will be making a box that you can slide the siding into---with a saw guide for cutting the angle-

nail,screw or glue the two 1x4 sticks to the first plywood scrap--far enough apart for the siding to easily slide through--
nail,screw or glue the other ply on the top--

near one end of the box---draw the angle of your cut---using two screws---attach a scrap of 1x? to act as your saw guide set the saw blade so it just cuts through the box enough that you don't cut through the bottom plywood--

Put on your goggles and make the cut--hopefully you won't hit a nail or screw---your box is ready --


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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

ed_h said:


> I've done quite a bit of this. A circular saw will work fine for the angled cuts. Use 6 or 8 penny galvanized box nails. Box nails are skinnier. Any nails near the end of a board should be pre-drilled. Overlap each course by 1" (or to match existing). and nail so that the nails don't go through the board below.
> 
> If it's a 1-man operation, make yourself a little sheet metal clip to hold up one end of the board.
> 
> Ed



I can't top this. Excellent advice. And hey the blades are much better now for this so pick a good one.

al


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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

Also you get brownie points for including a picture.

al


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## GHP (Jul 3, 2015)

Thank you everyone kindly for your help!!!

I've gotten rained out today but hoping tomorrow I will get to do it, I will post some pictures of completed projects in the evening.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

The only thing I would add to what has been said is I would remove the old siding that is under the tyvek and put furring strips on the framing. Without removing the tyvek you can't tell what condition the old siding is in and it may let the cedar shakes fall off.


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## GHP (Jul 3, 2015)

As I promised here are some pictures of the work! It was one hot day out here in chicagoland today.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*dang....*

I should have stated not to rest the siding on the shingles, but to leave a 1/2" relief above. Your angle doesn't appear to be the same as the roof either... dang. 
No one will see it. :no:

You make an approximate angle, level the board, then hold a 1 X 2" on the roof and scribe the line onto the board. That is your angle for your cutting guide. You then cut that end of the board at that angle and then measure the other end for length, making a 90 degree cut.
Once you have the angle set on your cutting guide, and you cut the angles, you mark all your boards..."long" .... and then cut them to length at the left end, at 90 degrees. That's how I do it.


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## GHP (Jul 3, 2015)

woodnthings said:


> I should have stated not to rest the siding on the shingles, but to leave a 1/2" relief above. Your angle doesn't appear to be the same as the roof either... dang.
> No one will see it. :no:
> 
> You make an approximate angle, level the board, then hold a 1 X 2" on the roof and scribe the line onto the board. That is your angle for your cutting guide. You then cut that end of the board at that angle and then measure the other end for length, making a 90 degree cut.
> ...



:thumbsup: I realized that, what if I was to slide a a nice piece of fleshing underneath the siding along the roof. 2in or less, that so the siding won't have any contact with the shingles and get moisture.

like I said it was my first time doing any siding work..I'm quite fascinated with carpentry, I want to learn as much as possible of it.
:1eye:


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## mikeswoods (May 18, 2009)

Skip the flashing---it will hold the moisture against the cut edge also---

Next time (for others learning here) tack a temporary 1/2" or 3/4" strip of wood to the roof---cut to that--then remove the scrap---leaving an even space for the bottom gap.

Looks good---You are not to far from me---


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## Ghidrah (Mar 2, 2010)

GHP,
Your big mistake was allowing the butt ends of the clapboard to make contact with the roofing whether it was painted 1st or not. You should have laid a wooden strip on the roof and against the cheek prior to clap installation. The strip should have been at least 1/4" to 3/8" thick to hold the clap above the roof.

If you paid attention when you were removing the original mat you'd have noticed it was the butt ends in contact with the roof most severely damaged. It's the same regardless of red or white, clap or shingles. The only products not overtly affected by water and debris are vinyl, Fiberglas, slate and the old banned asbestos fiber shingles.

Wood in contact with the roof, (painted or not) will prematurely age and erode. Debris builds up between siding and roofing, (dust, leaves, pine needles, animal fur, sand, bird down, bug carcasses, dead snakes, you name it I've found it. It all traps water so much longer than if it were open to wind and air movement it ain't funny. Mold/mildew begins, builds and infiltrates the mat, causing it to hollow and swell making room for water/ice sublimation into the wood fibers. Consider yourself lucky to get 2/3ds the life expectancy of the material, the higher the moisture levels,(rain, snow humidity) in your area the shorter the life span.

P.S. if no one mentioned it, SST ring nails to fasten the clap to the house and nailed into the wall studs not the voids between. Lastly any place you joined 2 sections of clap together you should place a felt spline behind for extra weather protection for when the joint dries up and opens. The joint will swell back up shortly after the rain begins but not always before some water makes it between and runs down the wall.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*the fix is ....*








You can trim the siding at an exact relief distance by using a spacer board on the shingles and a flush trim saw or a multi-tool.


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## Ghidrah (Mar 2, 2010)

Woodnthings,

The issue with multitool use and any tool use after the fact is the different thicknesses from one course to the next, the undulations between butt ends and slope cuts. Without a precisely measured and placed guide the chances of cutting through the step flashing is extremely high. Then it's all a waste. If the member is going to attempt cutting the courses back it should be with a guide set so that the MT leaves about 1/8" of clap left to remove with a utility knife.


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## Chamfer (Sep 6, 2014)

I'm with Ghidrah on that, I think it'd be pretty hard to use that fix without cutting into the flashing, although it's a nice thought.

Wood siding 101, keep it away from the roof and ground.


GHP, aside from the slight flaws mentioned it looks good. Did you prime/paint the backsides and ends before installing?


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*yes, of course...*



Ghidrah said:


> Woodnthings,
> 
> The issue with multitool use and any tool use after the fact is the different thicknesses from one course to the next, the undulations between butt ends and slope cuts. Without a precisely measured and placed guide the chances of cutting through the step flashing is extremely high. Then it's all a waste. If the member is going to attempt cutting the courses back it should be with a guide set so that the MT leaves about 1/8" of clap left to remove with a utility knife.



Those who have experience with siding would know not to cut all the way through into the flashing by either setting the saw depth to limit it OR to slightly pull the siding off to make a through cut. 

I have a feeling the OP is not going to trim it "pretty" .... just sayin'. He may regret that because of the mold an rot issues, however. :blink:


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## GHP (Jul 3, 2015)

Chamfer said:


> I'm with Ghidrah on that, I think it'd be pretty hard to use that fix without cutting into the flashing, although it's a nice thought.
> 
> Wood siding 101, keep it away from the roof and ground.
> 
> ...




Yes i primered back side with kilz oil, then solid stained front and edges.

Life lesson learned right there. I bet ya I will never do that mistake again.


I appreciate all of the positive criticism. I learned a lot from your posts.


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## GHP (Jul 3, 2015)

----ediy


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