Measuring and marking

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When I was an apprentice MDF I used to read the Vernier calipers for the older chaps, now I'm one of the older chaps and I've switched to the digital types.

Roy.
 
Axminster do rule stops for £4, and very useful they are. I use one with a 1m steel rule when laying out cuts on sheet goods. Set it once and mark, lay the sawboard on the marks and cut with the CS...very quick and easy.
 
I use a whole host of measuring equipment in the workshop,
but the most used piece is a tape measure.
I only use Lufkin measures as they are both easy to see and very consistent to one another.
To keep things accurate I always start at one end and add up all the dimensions to the other, for example if I was making a door I woudl mark it out as follows
50 horn to the bottom rail
200 bottom rail (mark at 250)
600 to bottom of mid rail (mark 850)
etc etc
This way there is minimal error.
If I am making more than one door, then I would do this on a rod, and use the rod to mark out the rest of the pieces.
In the pouch along side the lufkin is a 6" steel rule for machine setting, a 4" brass vernier caliper for checking the thicknesser upto 95mm and 2H pencils.
They are quite a bit harder than a hb and leave a much finer line,
I only use a knife when there is a danger of the material tearing out.
 
I have recently bought a inca rule, which really has help with my accuracy i think it was about a tenner on http://www.rutlands.com it has small holes in the rule which you can use to plot very accurate lines or marks.

hope that helped :D
Woody.
 
woodyone":12z844nb said:
I have recently bought a inca rule, which really has help with my accuracy i think it was about a tenner on http://www.rutlands.com it has small holes in the rule which you can use to plot very accurate lines or marks.

hope that helped :D
Woody.
Do you mean one of these I don't have one but have used one and yes they are very good like most of the incra stuff.
 
I have to admit that every time I see Norm and others working to pencil lines I cringe!

Roy.
 
Digit":16hqgfz0 said:
I have to admit that every time I see Norm and others working to pencil lines I cringe!

Roy.
Agreed...a needle sharp 4H for me but mostly a good marking knife. Very light pressure means that if a knife line needs to be removed on a 'show surface' it can be taken away with a couple of fine shavings from a smoother - Rob
 
Among other things I use an adjustable square to measure equal distances from base lines - you just set the distance on the rule.

For roughing out and initial cuts I use a HB pencil. After the timber has settled down and it's down to accuracy it's then the knife!! :)

Rod
 
Hi,

I'm a measure it with a micrometer mark it with chalk and cut it with an axe guy. :wink:


Pete
 
A bit of chalk can be useful for marking sawn timber before dimensioning. Much easier to see than a pencil line. Then i usually mark out with a knife, still use a pencil for face and edge marks though.
 
I have been dedicating a lot of tool expenditure on measuring and marking. I'm a great fan of drafting by hand which was discovered while I was at university, so I have a nice collection of drawing instruments...It's actually a bit of an obsession of mine.

Anyway. Talking pencils I use Staedler Marsmatic 2mm clutch pencils with 2H or H lead depending on the darkness/hardness of the wood I'm working with. I sharpen these regularly with the proprietary barrel-type sharpener and get a lovely fine point. I also use Staedler Mars Lumograph pencils in 3H when working with MDF or ply, I find the business end is a bit more resilient for those sort of tasks. I also have a wonderful Koh-i-noor 'Versatile' 6mm clutch pencil with 4B lead for marking face/edge/fibre direction marks. Big juicy black graphite which doesn't score fine surfaces, it's a favourite!!!

I have small and large Blue Spruce marking knives (in African Blackwood if you are interested :)) and a small and a large X-Acto knife for fine joint marking.

For measuring I use a stanley tape for rough stuff, and Fisher and old Starrett rules for fine work. I really need some longer ones though... a 600mm and 1000mm would be ideal.

I also have a set of Groz engineers squares from APTC which I think are great, a fisher combination set and a Nobex Quattro and as well as a couple of cheap tuned up gauges I own a Veritas micro adjust wheel-gauge and a wonderfully extravagant Glen-Drake 'Tite-Mark' which is just awesome.

I bought a couple of Shinwa all-metal sliding bevels from APTC which are really handy and a Veritas Metric Bevel setter which has been worth its weight in gold for doing traditional pitched roofs.

Sorry for the ramble.

:D

Andy.
 
I've been trying to find the 2mm clutch pencils that you mention Andy,
do you know of any online suppliers?
The 6mm one sounds very handy too
 
Ditto re 'click' pencils. O,5mm leads break too easily, but 0,7mm can be used with care, and are very cheap - last ones from Tesco!

Also Lufkin stockist, preferrably on line? I hate ordinary L to R reading tapes which make you usually read upside down. Lufkin do (did?) one printed across the blade so you can read it both ways, but Ax don't stock them anymore. Damn!
 
Mr T":dk6j42uy said:
Hi

I find a bigger problem with accuracy is keeping my machines set accurately.

Chris

B,T,D,T,G,T,'T',S!


:D :D :D

There's a decent article on using 'rods' in GW this month. BTW.


John
 
http://www.cultpens.com is where I bought two of mine, another I bought from my local art supplier, they aren't mars matic they are in fact Mars Technico, sorry about that! They also stock many grades of lead and sharpening devices. If anybody is a fan of writing instruments the cult pens website is awesome, and quite reasonable.

They also stock 3mm and 5mm soft design pencils like the one i mentioned above, and refills for them. I find them so handy for rough marking of stock,drawing reference marks and general scribbling. Nice!

Cheers.

Andy.
 

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