"Sunworshiper" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 8 Nov 2003 21:28:18 -0500, "Tom Gardner"
wrote:

After 3 major measuring screw-ups this week I put 3 employees on notice
that
they had one month to learn to read a tape measure or...else. They are
60,
55, and 45 years old. How they got through life so far is beyond me. I
have tried to make go/no-go gauges for everything but this basic skill is
still needed and I can't be everywhere. I know I've been down this path
before and I'm so embarrassed that I still haven't been able to teach
this
on this level. I have yet to find instructions for tape measures. I
only
want 1/16" accuracy. Any thoughts?


If they are about a 1/2" short then the tape is hanging up where the
tab is loosely rivited on. They need to double check that every time
, not half the time , every time they mark something.

Typically a framing crew will cross check tapes at least once. If it's a
problem with the tape measures, have a steel ruler that they can check the
tape against where ever the tapes are stored.

I could have sworn there is a 1/16" marked tape or ruler out there. After
some digging, I found Woodcraft has a steel ruler marked with 1/16 but most
are marked 1/64ths. And before anyone says they're all marked with 1/16s I
mean it actually has the 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14. Then you could tell the
guys 4" and 12 or such.
www.woodcraft.com
But I looked at the photos and they're too small to make out the detail like
the catalog.

Ok, here's a tape measure that has fractions printed on it:
http://www.asktooltalk.com/home/general/ultimate.html
Ok, that might only have 1/8s I found a better pictu
http://www.brucemedical.com/eastoreadlar1.html

I found several sewing tape measures which only have the 1/16" lines on it.
(yahoo search on "tape measure" large numbers)

You might try a teaching store I believe ruler was taught 2nd or 3rd grade.
They should have materials.

(yahoo search on 'reading a ruler')
http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/58333.html
http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/58439.html
('how to read a ruler')
http://www.woodzone.com/articles/Read_A_Ruler.htm
http://www.rickyspears.com/rulergame/

If it's fractions they're having trouble with I'm sure some searching would
turn up some good sites.

Joel. phx

It's been a real learing experiance with kids in gradeschool. Wait till
your kid asks about grammar. I had to go online to look up what
independent/depend clauses were. 4th grade stuff. Spelling words that are
usually caught by 'spell check'....


Sometimes you need to start f-ing throwing the scraped parts around
the shop to get their attention , even if its just an act. That or
just tell them that they just might not get their check on Fri. and go
ahead and call the cops.

You could try this , some/alot of people don't understand this.

1/1 = 1 2/2=1 4/4=1 8/8=1 16/16=1

1/4 is only one of 4 to one. 2/4 is half way to one or can be reduced
down to see that its 1/2 or one half of one.

It might not be worth going into about say 5/8's is 1/2 + 1/8 if they
don't understand how to change fractions so they look like they see.
I would make up some huge one inch scales and give them 5 to take home
and study. And a number of examples of how to find say 13/16's
without counting thirteen itty bitties. Give them some home work so
they can manipulate the fractions like 8/16's , 4/16's , and 9/16's so
they can come back with different examples of how they can be
perceived. Like how many quarters plus how many eights and how many
sixteenths does it take to get X . After they get that then and only
then have them do the home work backwards , like how far under 3/4 is
X.

My problem is that I'm too cheap to toss my tapes and hunt all over
town to find one that is marked right. All the ones I run across have
the lines the same length which just drives me crazy while baking in
130 heat or freezing or windy and my hair getting in the way. I've
been reduced to marking the right spot with a sharpy and trying to
wipe it off when I'm done. Hey, it took me about 3 stores to find a
magic marker ! I had to bitch about how a hardware store doesn't
carry cement or magic markers to a hardware store to find out that
they are called sharpies now. Kinda like asking for real to real tape
, "real tape?" That took about 15 stores to find. That reminds me ,
I need to see if those old sealed tapes are good or not.

Reel?


Good luck... There are alot of people that don't understand
fractions. Maybe they make mechanical scale tapes ? Metric,
I don't know , never really looked at that side. My wife always makes
too much to eat ( great cook BTW) cause she doesn't know what half of
2/3's is. )

I'll look and see if one of my books explains the scale in a neat way
, but I don't think they will.