MARKING, MEASURING AND COMMON SENSE

[Stick486]

MARKING AND MEASURING: TRADITIONS, CONVENTIONS AND COMMON SENSE

[Cherryville Chuck]

There are some good tips in there. I had seen the one about grain direction through a table or chair leg but never thought about the other orientation shown where you match the vertical grain to how it grew in the tree it came from.

Down below the article are some measuring tools. I find one in particular handy and that's the tip extension for measuring tape. It allows very accurate measurements when going corner to corner inside a frame or carcass. I just used mine to square the dozen screen frames I made for my porch. The frames are 3 per opening and needed to be square so that they would sit beside each other without gaps and that tip tool enabled me to get them square enough to do that. The standard tip on a tape bridges across the corner but that tool goes into dead center. Worth the money in my opinion.

[Herb Stoops]

If you are building something to ship to Japan, here is a guide to their standard measure.
I knew you were all wondering, you don't need to thank me, glad to help out.
Help

[Herb Stoops]

Also you might want to learn the Arabic standard of measure too, just in case you have to make something to the middle east.
just glad I could help.
Herb

[tomp]

There are some good tips in there. I had seen the one about grain direction through a table or chair leg but never thought about the other orientation shown where you match the vertical grain to how it grew in the tree it came from.

Down below the article are some measuring tools. I find one in particular handy and that's the tip extension for measuring tape. It allows very accurate measurements when going corner to corner inside a frame or carcass. I just used mine to square the dozen screen frames I made for my porch. The frames are 3 per opening and needed to be square so that they would sit beside each other without gaps and that tip tool enabled me to get them square enough to do that. The standard tip on a tape bridges across the corner but that tool goes into dead center. Worth the money in my opinion.

I've had a set of these for many years Veritas Bar Gauge Heads and have found them very handy. The nice thing is that you can (cheaply) make different lengths of arms, depending on the size of the part being measured. A way less expensive way than the current offering offering from Veritas. Of course, you can do the same thing with your two sticks (chamfer the tips so they fit in the corner) and two HD binder clips for minimal cost.

[Cherryville Chuck]

I've had a set of these for many years Veritas Bar Gauge Heads and have found them very handy. The nice thing is that you can (cheaply) make different lengths of arms, depending on the size of the part being measured. A way less expensive way than the current offering offering from Veritas. Of course, you can do the same thing with your two sticks (chamfer the tips so they fit in the corner) and two HD binder clips for minimal cost.

I'm a big believer in transferring measurements instead of measuring with a tape or rule and then trying to remeasure that to your work. When you read the rule or tape you are making an interpretation of what it's telling you and then making another interpretation when you try to transfer it. I keep meaning to get a set of those. Or make a set. An inside measure is the hardest one to make accurately and if you bevel the tips like you said it's easy with those.

Another measuring tool I put high value on is hook rules. With a regular rule you can have interpretation errors at both ends but a hook rule eliminates one of those.

[KellyCraig]

Like you, Chuck, I'm for transferring measurements.

Being a more than a bit of a shop screw off (i.e., spending as much time making tools and improving the shop as using them), I made sliding gauges I use for capturing measurements on the inside of cabinets, for installing laminate, or for measuring the front and back of the wall the toilet is recessed into, when making shelves. They were especially useful when adding 1-1/2" of bullnosed oak to the stair steps at my buddy's house.

Mine are purty (oak & walnut with jig locking knobs), but it dawned on me the several display stands with adjustable legs made from aluminum tubes were perfect for this purpose. Cut to different lengths, these are perfect for the uses I described. I lucked out and have several I'd picked up at yard sales and used for lighting when doing sheetrock work and such. Even if I had to buy one to cut it up, the easels are pretty cheap on line.

Mine will allow me to measure between 6" and about four (plus) feet.