Accuracy

[Warpsnall]

Morning all,

I've predominantly worked with steel over the years and am new to working with wood.

I'm currently building a chicken coop and I'm wondering how accurate I need to be.

When building tools and jigs we always worked to thou's (well I tried to hah).
How accurate do I need to be do you think for such as a chicken coop. I have built the sides and they are within about 1-2mm. I know wood moves too. I felt like I wasted a bit too much time getting things perfect when there are many variables that I never got with steel. Such as wood not quite square etc.

I measured the frames corner to corner and about 2mm was the overall accuracy but obviously only with tape rule.

Am I obsessing when I should be doing!

Thanks for taking the time to read

 

[NazNomad]

Pretty sure chickens can't use a tape measure... It'll be fine.

 

[RogerP]

Long ago my grandfather kept hundreds of chickens and obviously needed many sheds and runs. He only had a saw and a hammer, I don’t think you’d have found a right angle or a joint in any of his work, - everything fitted where it touched. So long as whatever you make keeps the chickens in and the foxes out it’s a goodun.

 

[Lons]

Am I obsessing when I should be doing!

In a word YES (hammer) But if it gives you some satisfaction then so what, measure up and enjoy.

Personally I save my attention to detail for more demanding projects, life is too short to spend time on something which makes no difference.

cheers
Bob

 

[hawkeyefxr]

Deja Vue, i to worked for many many year in metal, machining and heavy fabrication. I started on wood a few years back and found bought sized wood from the likes of B&Q was a pain, it was not to size and worse not square!
I bought a planer thicknesser to cure that.
Basically you make it to your own tolerances but you will be very hard pushed to get to engineering standards, even if you do the wood will move depending on the seasons.

 

[WoodMangler]

I buy my (soft)wood unplaned over-size from an excellent local timber merchant*, and planer-thickness it to size and square when I want to use it - it means I can hand-plane one side of twisted or warped wood to straight before I machine it, without losing-out on the finished dimensions.

(* T.L.Thomas at Llanllwni, Naz, if you haven't come across them before.)

 

[RobinBHM]

Deja Vue, i to worked for many many year in metal, machining and heavy fabrication. I started on wood a few years back and found bought sized wood from the likes of B&Q was a pain, it was not to size and worse not square!
I bought a planer thicknesser to cure that.
Basically you make it to your own tolerances but you will be very hard pushed to get to engineering standards, even if you do the wood will move depending on the seasons.

Accuracy needed in woodworking is determined by the situation.

A tenon thickness may by done to 1/10mm

but 1st fix on site may be within 5mm.

For work like a chicken coup if its designed correctly then accuracy doesnt have to be too fine. Its always worth making things square and plumb as that makes it simpler to assemble.

 

[dzj]

" So long as whatever you make keeps the chickens in and the foxes out it’s a goodun. "

+1

 

[Fitzroy]

I currently take more effort over things that realistically don't need so much care, for the reason that I'm still learning. So for example I try to cut bob on square even though it's a framing timber, I want to train my eyes and muscles for when it does matters.

F.

 

[Steve Maskery]

I heard a quote that went along the lines of:

An engineer works to the nearest thou
A cabinet maker works to the nearest mm
A carpenter works to the nearest inch
A bricklayer works to the nearest house.

 

[Warpsnall]

Thanks for your help, bricklaying sounds a doddle!

I will chill out a bit on the tolerances, a lot of its habit really.

Ive been buying my wood from a local merchant (alan binks) , PSE Redwood. I'm impressed with the quality and the price vs the usual wickes etc. I shant go back to them.

My next project will have to be a dust extraction mod for my mitre saw.

 

[Lons]

bricklaying sounds a doddle!.

It's not unless you're building a low non loadbearing wall. :lol: but can be fun farting about doing "garden" brickwork and you get the satisfaction of seeing something you've built yourself.

I was never a brickie but did have a small building company and did plenty of brick and stone laying and easy to get it wrong. It does need to be accurate though of course not to the tollerances of many other trades and you're using materials which vary in size. Get a few bricks together and you'll see the differ rather a lot.

Get your bricklaying wrong and your house or extension might well collapse.

Bob

 

[MrTeroo]

I just finished a new one. 3-4mm out corner to corner, but none of them have submitted a complaint yet.

Tanelised timber for the run.

 

[Brian18741]

It's not what you make, it's how you make it!

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk

 

[Tetsuaiga]

Good enough it does the job i'd of thought.

 

[Orraloon]

Good tolerances and square as possible are the goal. For a chook house things are not too critical and I would be as happy as the chooks if things were to the nearest 1 or 2 mm. That said for finer woodwork do the best you can do. Nicely squared, measured and cut stock make the job a whole lot easier. Squared especially. You can always shave a bit off to fit but out of square really can bo[[ox things up.
Regards
John

 

[Orraloon]

I heard a quote that went along the lines of:

An engineer works to the nearest thou
A cabinet maker works to the nearest mm
A carpenter works to the nearest inch
A bricklayer works to the nearest house.

My old man was a carpenter. He would have knocked that guy out!
Regards
John

 

[Steve Maskery]

I heard a quote that went along the lines of:

An engineer works to the nearest thou
A cabinet maker works to the nearest mm
A carpenter works to the nearest inch
A bricklayer works to the nearest house.

My old man was a carpenter. He would have knocked that guy out!
Regards
John

So was mine. Well, a cabinet maker working as a joiner. It was a light-hearted quip, it was not meant to be disparaging!

 

[novocaine]

I heard a quote that went along the lines of:

An engineer works to the nearest thou
A cabinet maker works to the nearest mm
A carpenter works to the nearest inch
A bricklayer works to the nearest house.

My old man was a carpenter. He would have knocked that guy out!
Regards
John

or missed him, by an inch.

 

[Warpsnall]

Thanks again for helping on this one, very helpful indeed.

May I pick your brains and ask, what nails do you tend to use for exterior cladding(12mm Ptg)? I'm thinking around 30mm in length but I have no clue on nails. I probably want small headed ones so as to hide them but still provide good grip?