The Face Side and Edge

At the beginning of the stock preparation process it is necessary to inspect the lumber and choose a face side and face edge. They are nothing more than what I consider to be the best face that will show when the project is complete, and the cleanest edge next to it. They are marked using a square mark. All further stock preparation processes, laying out and milling will be done with reference to this face and edge - i.e. you will ride the fence of your marking gauge or square against them while laying out and you will place those surfaces against the table or fence of your machine while milling. Once I have made a choice, I stick to my decision unless I end up with an edge or face that really did not turn out. However, as I will discuss later, there are ways around that too.