Usually the last board laid on a deck won’t fit. You’ll have to saw it narrower -- a practice commonly referred to as "ripping the board." If you don’t have a table saw, you can still cut it quickly and accurately. Carefully snap a chalk line to establish a straight line. If the board is somewhat warped, measure the cut at the center as well as at the ends, and snap the string twice -- once in each direction from the center. For a table-saw-quality cut, attach a straight edge or guide board to the board being ripped. The guide board can be tacked using nails or clamped. To determine where the guide board is to be placed, simply measure the distance from the saw blade to the edge of the saw table. If the board is warped, the guide board can be attached a section at a time, or it can even be used to straighten the board. And that's the On The House tip for today.