Serious question, how do you guys handle scribing for really uneven walls?

I just finished a kitchen install in a 1920s house here in Portland, and the back wall was out by almost an inch and a half over the eight foot run. For years, I would just cut a big, ugly filler strip and call it good. About two years ago, I saw a guy at a trade show use a contour gauge, and it blew my mind. I bought a General Tools one for about thirty bucks, and now I trace the wall profile directly onto the cabinet side. I still use my jigsaw to cut it, but the fit is so much cleaner. It takes a bit longer, but the client's face when they see that tight seam is worth it. What's your go-to method for dealing with walls that are nowhere near straight?

2 comments

2 Comments

ivanpatel15d ago

Contour gauge and a sharp pencil.

sarahh4815d ago

Yeah, the contour gauge trick is solid advice from @ivanpatel. I read a forum post where a guy used one to copy a weird baseboard shape for a tile cut, and it saved him a ton of time. He did say you need a really sharp pencil to trace the gauge's shape well, or the line gets too thick and you lose the detail.