"mac davis" wrote in message
...
On 11 Mar 2005 04:32:03 EST, Mark and Kim Smith
wrote:

snip


1. Trust the tape measure/ruler more than any plan... especially any
plan I
created.

snip


I try to stick with one measuring device per project. Usually my
favorite is the 60" straight edge. Especially compared to a worn tape
measure with an end that will vary between a "pull" measure and a "Push"
measure ( loose rivets.)

now that you mention that, I realized that I have an OLD habit that my dad
taught me years ago..

I always start at the 1" mark of the tape and subtract an inch from my
total...
I don't think he ever explained the loose rivet thing to me, but it makes
sense... seems like he just said that the 1" mark was a line across the
tape
that was square, or something like that.. (maybe 50 years ago)

I have always found that to start measuring at the 1" mark can result in
easy to make mistakes because on longer measurements it is hard to tell if
the 1" has been added or not. This resulted in things being cut 1" too
short. I take my middle measurements starting at the 10" spot. A 21 5/8"
length starts at 10" and runs to the 31 5/8" spot, if I forget to add the
10" it is quite noticeable, and easy to correct before cutting.

I prefer an 18" stainless steel rigid ruler for small measurements, they are
more accurate to use than a tape.