In article , DoN. Nichols says...

Ohhhh.... I get it. Open the calipers to 1/4", lock them in place, and drag
across the length of the piece. Don't need a straight edge for that. Then,
use the calipers like a compass to mark off one inch increments.

Close -- but if you do this, you will want two calipers. One
with two sharp points, and the other what is called a "hermaphrodite
caliper".

Nope. I was saying to just use a regular set of dial (or electronic)
calipers. The jaw shapes are typically ground such that they
make excellent scratch gages. Of course you do tend to swarf up
the rack on some types, and it's a bit rough on the jaws.

You should also consider getting some layout die -- the most
common is made by "Dykem". You have the choice of using blue or red. I
think that red works better with aluminum, but either can be used. This
makes the scribe lines show up clearly. You just brush it on with the
brush in the cap, and then wait a few minutes for it to dry.

Almost anyone has an indellible sharpie pen in their kit. Works
just as well as dykem and can be pinpointed for the hole locations
so less cleanup is required.

Jim


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