M.POWER Perfect Butt Profile Scriber Review
Five offset wheels that copy an irregular profile onto your workpiece. It solves scribing without a compass or a contour gauge.
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Fitting a straight-edged board against a surface that is not straight is one of the oldest problems in carpentry, and the traditional answer is a pencil held against a block of wood, run along the wall.
That works, and it has two weaknesses: the offset depends on the block staying the same way up, and a pencil held by hand wanders.
What the scriber does differently
The Perfect Butt is a body carrying five offset wheels of different sizes and a pencil. Choose the wheel that matches the largest gap you need to close, run the wheel along the wall with the body against the workpiece, and the pencil traces a line on the board that is an exact copy of the wall profile, offset by a known amount.
Cut to that line and the board meets the wall along its whole length.
Choosing the offset
The rule is to use the smallest wheel that still clears the widest part of the gap. Too small and the line runs off the edge of the board at the tight end; too large and you remove more material than the joint needs, which on a worktop means losing depth you wanted.
Set the board in position, look for the worst gap, and choose accordingly.
Where it will let you down
It copies faithfully, including things you would rather it did not — a blob of plaster, a proud nail head, a skirting that was itself badly fitted. Run a hand along the wall first and knock off anything obviously proud.
Keep the body flat against the workpiece and the wheel in constant contact. A momentary lift shows up as a step in the line, and you will not notice until the cut is made.
The tool marks the line. Cutting to it accurately — a jigsaw with the base tilted slightly for a back-bevel, then a block plane or a belt sander to the line — is still the skill, and it is where the fit is actually won.
What works
- Transfers a wall or floor profile directly onto the workpiece as a pencil line, including the curves and lumps a compass handles badly
- Five offset wheels let you choose how much material the scribe removes, so you can take off the minimum needed to close the gap
- Works on skirting, worktops, decking and shelving — anywhere a straight edge has to meet something that is not straight
What doesn't
- It only copies what it runs against: a wall with a proud lump of filler gets copied faithfully, lump included
- The wheel has to stay in contact and at a constant angle for the whole run, and any lift puts a step in the line
- It marks a line and does nothing to cut it — the fitting work is still yours, with a jigsaw, plane or belt sander