I'm going to be working with a material I've never used tomorrow and am looking for pointers and tips.  The material is 4 X 8 sheet siding.  The underside looks kind of like OSB and the face is pretend wood grain.  What's the best way to cut it? Regular circular saw with a general purpose blade?  What about nails?  Is it a good idea to keep the end off of any surface so water will not wick up into it?  I was planning on holding the end up about an inch and then install trim holding the trim about an eighth inch up.  Any advice appreciated.  Thanks.

Sounds T1-11.

I put this material (T1-11) up on my shop using deck screws. Sprayed it with stain, then covered the corners with primed and painted 1X. Leaving it off a horizontal surface to prevent wickin gis a good idea.

The cut I made were with a circular saw and an 8' fence I clamped down to it.

Thanks Craig. Since this stuff looks a lot like OSB I thought it might "work" the same. I've found OSB to be a little difficult to make nice cuts in that were anything other than straight cuts. The large flakes seem to want to break loose and tear out. I'll probably use some type of ringed shank nail instead of screws. Thanks for the input.

jk... If this is not T1/11 can you give us a picture. Sure would like to see it..... Thanks

I always cut any kind of 4x8 board, whatever the material, from the back. Splintering will not show this way. If I have to cut from the
front I usually use masking tape on the cut line. This usually keeps splintering to a minimum.

Ring shank nails will work but I prefer to use screws. I built my house in 1983 using nails and have had to periodically go back and
replace quite a few of the nails with screws.

T1-11 that I have seen has a plywood substrate and not OSB. But would agree that you should cut it from the back side and keep the edge up to avoid wicking.

The material is something called SmartSide. It comes in 3/8" inch sheets and is basically OSB with a coating of some type on the front that is simulated wood grain. The coating appears to be baked on or somehow chemically bonded since it is really attached and doesn't peel off. Apparently it can be applied right to studs but I'm aplying it to an OSB sheathed building with Tyvek house wrap. One trick I learned is to put folded-over strips of tarpaper or roofing felt vertically in line with the studs before attaching the siding. The idea is to allow a small air space between siding and the house wrap in case any moisture does somehow work it's way in between the layers. I've had good luck with standard woodworking tools (circular saw)and I have cut it from both sides with good results. I'm keeping it up about an inch off the deck and will cover the gap with some trim that will be heldup about an eighth inch. Everything I've read about SmartSide warns about keeping the edges primed and painted so all the cuts I make have to be primed before installation. It's also recommended that you caulk everything.