Alright, so this is Carpentry 101, but I'm gonna ask it anyhow.

Question concerns taking measurements where there is an inside corner:
how do you do it accurately? F'rinstance, say you're sheeting the inside
of a closet and are measuring the wall height from floor to ceiling. You
put the bottom of your tape against the floor, climb up on your
stepstool or whatever, then wrap your tape around the top corner of the
wall. What then?

I mean, it's really hard to know just what exactly the actual height is.
It *looks* like 93 5/8--no, make that 11/16--maybe 3/4--WTF?

It almost makes me want to build myself a little "story pole", two long
sticks grooved together with a little clamp to take exact inside
measurements. (I think a sliding dovetail would work nicely here.)

How do you handle this? How did carpenters do this in the olden days?
What tricks do you use? How many times do you just cut a piece oversize,
then trim to fit?


--
The phrase "jump the shark" itself jumped the shark about a decade ago.

- Usenet

David Nebenzahl wrote:
Alright, so this is Carpentry 101, but I'm gonna ask it anyhow.

Question concerns taking measurements where there is an inside corner:
how do you do it accurately? F'rinstance, say you're sheeting the inside
of a closet and are measuring the wall height from floor to ceiling. You
put the bottom of your tape against the floor, climb up on your
stepstool or whatever, then wrap your tape around the top corner of the
wall. What then?

I mean, it's really hard to know just what exactly the actual height is.
It *looks* like 93 5/8--no, make that 11/16--maybe 3/4--WTF?

It almost makes me want to build myself a little "story pole", two long
sticks grooved together with a little clamp to take exact inside
measurements. (I think a sliding dovetail would work nicely here.)

How do you handle this? How did carpenters do this in the olden days?
What tricks do you use? How many times do you just cut a piece oversize,
then trim to fit?



Run the tape from floor to ceiling. Make your best guess at the total
length. Now put a mark 24" down from the ceiling. Measure up from the
floor to the mark. add 24". Compare the actual result to your estimate.
Learn to estimate accurately.

Put the end of the tape on the floor and the body of the tape measure
against the ceiling. Take your reading at the point where the tape exits
the body. Look on the body for an indication of the size of the tape
measure case. (3" is common) Add it to the reading.

But why are you concerned with running sheeting all the way to the
floor? You _want_ to leave it shy of the floor a bit, and baseboard will
cover the gap.

On 3/2/2011 10:16 PM Mike Paulsen spake thus:

David Nebenzahl wrote:

Alright, so this is Carpentry 101, but I'm gonna ask it anyhow.

Question concerns taking measurements where there is an inside corner:
how do you do it accurately? F'rinstance, say you're sheeting the inside
of a closet and are measuring the wall height from floor to ceiling. You
put the bottom of your tape against the floor, climb up on your
stepstool or whatever, then wrap your tape around the top corner of the
wall. What then?

I mean, it's really hard to know just what exactly the actual height is.
It *looks* like 93 5/8--no, make that 11/16--maybe 3/4--WTF?

It almost makes me want to build myself a little "story pole", two long
sticks grooved together with a little clamp to take exact inside
measurements. (I think a sliding dovetail would work nicely here.)

How do you handle this? How did carpenters do this in the olden days?
What tricks do you use? How many times do you just cut a piece oversize,
then trim to fit?

Run the tape from floor to ceiling. Make your best guess at the total
length. Now put a mark 24" down from the ceiling. Measure up from the
floor to the mark. add 24". Compare the actual result to your estimate.
Learn to estimate accurately.

I like that; brain training. Will do.

But why are you concerned with running sheeting all the way to the
floor? You _want_ to leave it shy of the floor a bit, and baseboard will
cover the gap.

Just an example. A better example would have been cutting studs to fit
tightly betwixt floor and ceiling. Point is that it's good to know the
actual height instead of just guesstimating it.


--
The phrase "jump the shark" itself jumped the shark about a decade ago.

- Usenet

On Mar 3, 5:38*am, David Nebenzahl wrote:
Alright, so this is Carpentry 101, but I'm gonna ask it anyhow.

Question concerns taking measurements where there is an inside corner:
how do you do it accurately? F'rinstance, say you're sheeting the inside
of a closet and are measuring the wall height from floor to ceiling. You
put the bottom of your tape against the floor, climb up on your
stepstool or whatever, then wrap your tape around the top corner of the
wall. What then?

I mean, it's really hard to know just what exactly the actual height is.
It *looks* like 93 5/8--no, make that 11/16--maybe 3/4--WTF?

It almost makes me want to build myself a little "story pole", two long
sticks grooved together with a little clamp to take exact inside
measurements. (I think a sliding dovetail would work nicely here.)

How do you handle this? How did carpenters do this in the olden days?
What tricks do you use? How many times do you just cut a piece oversize,
then trim to fit?

--
The phrase "jump the shark" itself jumped the shark about a decade ago.

- Usenet

Make a random mark at around eye level on the wall. Measure from the
top down to this mark and from the bottom up. Add the two together.
The big problem is that you often find corners are not quite square
with this sort of job.
Also check the dimensions for both ends of the sheet, you often find
the floor is not quite parallel to the cieling.
It's often better to take the skirting boards/(baseboards?) off and
put them back on top of your sheet, looks neater & covers any errors.

In article m,
David Nebenzahl wrote:
Alright, so this is Carpentry 101, but I'm gonna ask it anyhow.

Question concerns taking measurements where there is an inside corner:
how do you do it accurately? F'rinstance, say you're sheeting the inside
of a closet and are measuring the wall height from floor to ceiling. You
put the bottom of your tape against the floor, climb up on your
stepstool or whatever, then wrap your tape around the top corner of the
wall. What then?

I mean, it's really hard to know just what exactly the actual height is.
It *looks* like 93 5/8--no, make that 11/16--maybe 3/4--WTF?

It almost makes me want to build myself a little "story pole", two long
sticks grooved together with a little clamp to take exact inside
measurements. (I think a sliding dovetail would work nicely here.)

How do you handle this? How did carpenters do this in the olden days?
What tricks do you use? How many times do you just cut a piece oversize,
then trim to fit?


--
The phrase "jump the shark" itself jumped the shark about a decade ago.

- Usenet

The tape measure should be marked something like "Add 2 inches" on its
case. Butt the end of the case into the corner and add it to the reading.
Sometimes I cut a stick to exactly 10 inches or 1 foot and put that into
the corner, then measure to the end of the stick with the tape. Don't
forget to add the distance!


--
The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation
with the average voter. (Winston Churchill)

Larry Wasserman - Baltimore Maryland - lwasserm(a)sdf. lonestar. org

If the measuring tape doesn't have an 'add X inches' on it, tape a 3"
piece of wood/metal to the bottom of the measuring tape. Take the
measurement at the end of your wood, and add 3". Even if your
measuring tape has an 'add X inches', this can still be a good idea,
as it tends to give a more accurate measurement.

And, you don't even have to enter your credit card number,
and take pills or use a vacuum device. To add 3 inches to
your measurements.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"John" wrote in message
...
If the measuring tape doesn't have an 'add X inches' on it,
tape a 3"
piece of wood/metal to the bottom of the measuring tape.
Take the
measurement at the end of your wood, and add 3". Even if
your
measuring tape has an 'add X inches', this can still be a
good idea,
as it tends to give a more accurate measurement.

In article m,
kens says...

How did carpenters do this in the olden days?


One way is to use an extensions rule. Stanley made a full set of them. I
have them up to the #510, which reaches 10 feet. They are one of the old
rules I often reach for.

Extension rules have two overlapping rulers which are ruled such that
they read directly at the end of each one. They have an extendable hook
for reaching to the top of a piece. Here are some photos:

http://www.finetoolj.com/newsletter/stanley/july10.html

--
DT

On 2011-03-03, David Nebenzahl wrote:
Alright, so this is Carpentry 101, but I'm gonna ask it anyhow.

Question concerns taking measurements where there is an inside corner:
how do you do it accurately?

Set tape measure on floor with backside of measure facing floor and
tape side facing up. Run tape up to top corner. Note measurement.
Now, add the measurement given on case of tape measure. No stepstool
needed.

nb

On Thu, 3 Mar 2011 05:13:18 -0800 (PST), Larry Fishel
wrote:

On Mar 3, 1:26Â*am, David Nebenzahl wrote:
On 3/2/2011 10:16 PM Mike Paulsen spake thus:
But why are you concerned with running sheeting all the way to the
floor? You _want_ to leave it shy of the floor a bit, and baseboard will
cover the gap.

This is largely because walls tend to be neither square nor straight,
so trying to cut paneling or drywall precisely will just drive you
crazy.

Just an example. A better example would have been cutting studs to fit
tightly betwixt floor and ceiling. Point is that it's good to know the
actual height instead of just guesstimating it.

Use the technique others described in this case. Or if you want to be
even more precise, measure and mark 12" from either end with a metal
ruler or square (because the metal hook on the ends of most tapes is
designed to measure outside) and measure between the marks with your
tape. Of course, this is probably more precise than you can cut
anyway...

Metal square on both ends is good, then measure between those marks
starting at the inch mark on the tape.
Tape is flat then, without the end tab run out screwing up the
measure.
I nearly always cut a bit oversize then trim as needed when I want a
tight fit.
Like you said, the saw cut can present its own problems.
Thought the laser on my new saw was unnecessary.
But I like it when not using a stop for repetitious cuts.
Another thing about tapes besides end tab run out is the tab can
easily get you off by 1/8" if the rivets loosen up.
I hate it when somebody snaps in my tape hard!

--Vic

In article ,
Vic Smith wrote:

Another thing about tapes besides end tab run out is the tab can
easily get you off by 1/8" if the rivets loosen up.

I don't know what you mean by "end tab run out" but the rivets are
supposed to be loose, and allow travel equal to the thickness of the tab.

On Mar 3, 10:32*am, Smitty Two wrote:
In article ,
*Vic Smith wrote:

Another thing about tapes besides end tab run out is the tab can
easily get you off by 1/8" if the rivets loosen up.

I don't know what you mean by "end tab run out" but the rivets are
supposed to be loose, and allow travel equal to the thickness of the tab.

Yes, but the holes in the ruler get elongated by repeated snap
closings.

David Nebenzahl wrote:
On 3/3/2011 8:25 AM Vic Smith spake thus:

On Thu, 3 Mar 2011 05:13:18 -0800 (PST), Larry Fishel
wrote:

On Mar 3, 1:26 am, David Nebenzahl wrote:

On 3/2/2011 10:16 PM Mike Paulsen spake thus:

But why are you concerned with running sheeting all the way to
the floor? You _want_ to leave it shy of the floor a bit, and
baseboard will cover the gap.

This is largely because walls tend to be neither square nor
straight, so trying to cut paneling or drywall precisely will just
drive you crazy.

Just an example. A better example would have been cutting studs
to fit tightly betwixt floor and ceiling. Point is that it's good
to know the actual height instead of just guesstimating it.

Use the technique others described in this case. Or if you want to
be even more precise, measure and mark 12" from either end with a
metal ruler or square (because the metal hook on the ends of most
tapes is designed to measure outside) and measure between the marks
with your tape. Of course, this is probably more precise than you
can cut anyway...

Metal square on both ends is good, then measure between those marks
starting at the inch mark on the tape.
Tape is flat then, without the end tab run out screwing up the
measure.

Fine, but how the *hell* am I supposed to get two metal squares to
stay put, one of them upside-down at the top of the wall, plus juggle
the tape measure between them? Upsidasium? Remember, this is a
vertical measurement of wall height.

do you have a pencil?

On Thu, 03 Mar 2011 08:32:36 -0800, Smitty Two
wrote:

In article ,
Vic Smith wrote:

Another thing about tapes besides end tab run out is the tab can
easily get you off by 1/8" if the rivets loosen up.

I don't know what you mean by "end tab run out" but the rivets are
supposed to be loose, and allow travel equal to the thickness of the tab.

Run out is the distance off a flat surface the tab causes.
Just applied the term to it. Might be the wrong term.
If the tab is 1/4" off the work you measure long.
Some tabs are maybe 3/8"
Might not be much, but even 1/32" misses a tight fit.
I've had plenty of tapes that come with tight rivets in holes.
And some with slots where the tab is meant to move.
Doesn't matter if the hole/slot gets elongated from wear, like
slamming it back in.
The measurement is off unless you recalibrate and allow for it.
Check this out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y63OV_E7M-4

I won't lend him my tapes.
Ever hear of using body parts measuring?
Read about it long ago, think by a carpenter.
He knew the exact length of his fingers, arms, joint to joint.
Could get to within 1/16" for anything less up to about 8'.
Helps if you ain't fat and have sharp bones.
Recalibrate with age and shoe wear.
I measured my middle finger to wrist, different fingers,
middle finger to elbow, etc.
Then when I next had to measure something I had forgotten those
measurements, so I just grabbed a tape.

--Vic

On 3/3/2011 8:25 AM Vic Smith spake thus:

On Thu, 3 Mar 2011 05:13:18 -0800 (PST), Larry Fishel
wrote:

On Mar 3, 1:26 am, David Nebenzahl wrote:

On 3/2/2011 10:16 PM Mike Paulsen spake thus:

But why are you concerned with running sheeting all the way to
the floor? You _want_ to leave it shy of the floor a bit, and
baseboard will cover the gap.

This is largely because walls tend to be neither square nor
straight, so trying to cut paneling or drywall precisely will just
drive you crazy.

Just an example. A better example would have been cutting studs
to fit tightly betwixt floor and ceiling. Point is that it's good
to know the actual height instead of just guesstimating it.

Use the technique others described in this case. Or if you want to
be even more precise, measure and mark 12" from either end with a
metal ruler or square (because the metal hook on the ends of most
tapes is designed to measure outside) and measure between the marks
with your tape. Of course, this is probably more precise than you
can cut anyway...

Metal square on both ends is good, then measure between those marks
starting at the inch mark on the tape.
Tape is flat then, without the end tab run out screwing up the
measure.

Fine, but how the *hell* am I supposed to get two metal squares to stay
put, one of them upside-down at the top of the wall, plus juggle the
tape measure between them? Upsidasium? Remember, this is a vertical
measurement of wall height.


--
The phrase "jump the shark" itself jumped the shark about a decade ago.

- Usenet

On Mar 3, 12:59*pm, "hr(bob) "
wrote:
On Mar 3, 10:32*am, Smitty Two wrote:

In article ,
*Vic Smith wrote:

Another thing about tapes besides end tab run out is the tab can
easily get you off by 1/8" if the rivets loosen up.

I don't know what you mean by "end tab run out" but the rivets are
supposed to be loose, and allow travel equal to the thickness of the tab.

Yes, but the holes in the ruler get elongated by repeated snap
closings.

The claim that the holes and therefore measurement would deform 1/8",
easily, is off base. Tape measures are made from tempered steel and
the tape would tear before the deformation would get so large.

If there's a bit of deformation, just bend the tab to tweak the
measurement reading until it is correct.

R

On Mar 3, 10:32*am, DT wrote:
In article m,

How did carpenters do this in the olden days?

One way is to use an extensions rule. Stanley made a full set of them. I
have them up to the #510, which reaches 10 feet. They are one of the old
rules I often reach for.

Extension rules have two overlapping rulers which are ruled such that
they read directly at the end of each one. They have an extendable hook
for reaching to the top of a piece. Here are some photos:

http://www.finetoolj.com/newsletter/stanley/july10.html

I'm a plane guy, not a rule guy, and I have lots of Stanley stuff, but
I never saw one of those Stanley extension rules before. Thanks for
posting that.

R

On 3/3/2011 10:18 AM chaniarts spake thus:

David Nebenzahl wrote:

On 3/3/2011 8:25 AM Vic Smith spake thus:

Metal square on both ends is good, then measure between those
marks starting at the inch mark on the tape. Tape is flat then,
without the end tab run out screwing up the measure.

Fine, but how the *hell* am I supposed to get two metal squares to
stay put, one of them upside-down at the top of the wall, plus
juggle the tape measure between them? Upsidasium? Remember, this is
a vertical measurement of wall height.

do you have a pencil?

OK, I see; but it seems a whole lot simpler just to make ONE mark an
arbitrary distance from floor or ceiling (say 12"), then measure from
the mark to the opposite end. Why make two marks?


--
The phrase "jump the shark" itself jumped the shark about a decade ago.

- Usenet

David Nebenzahl wrote:
On 3/3/2011 10:18 AM chaniarts spake thus:

David Nebenzahl wrote:

On 3/3/2011 8:25 AM Vic Smith spake thus:

Metal square on both ends is good, then measure between those
marks starting at the inch mark on the tape. Tape is flat then,
without the end tab run out screwing up the measure.

Fine, but how the *hell* am I supposed to get two metal squares to
stay put, one of them upside-down at the top of the wall, plus
juggle the tape measure between them? Upsidasium? Remember, this is
a vertical measurement of wall height.

do you have a pencil?

OK, I see; but it seems a whole lot simpler just to make ONE mark an
arbitrary distance from floor or ceiling (say 12"), then measure from
the mark to the opposite end. Why make two marks?

don't know. i'm not vic. i'd guess he's really saying to use a square to
mark off 12" from the top, then use the same square from the bottom, then
measure between the 2 marks. he just left off the use of making pencil
marks, thinking that that may just be a little bit self evident.

i'd do it with 1 mark too since i can usually reach the floor with a tape.

On Thu, 3 Mar 2011 12:01:15 -0700, "chaniarts"
wrote:

David Nebenzahl wrote:
On 3/3/2011 10:18 AM chaniarts spake thus:

David Nebenzahl wrote:

On 3/3/2011 8:25 AM Vic Smith spake thus:

Metal square on both ends is good, then measure between those
marks starting at the inch mark on the tape. Tape is flat then,
without the end tab run out screwing up the measure.

Fine, but how the *hell* am I supposed to get two metal squares to
stay put, one of them upside-down at the top of the wall, plus
juggle the tape measure between them? Upsidasium? Remember, this is
a vertical measurement of wall height.

do you have a pencil?

OK, I see; but it seems a whole lot simpler just to make ONE mark an
arbitrary distance from floor or ceiling (say 12"), then measure from
the mark to the opposite end. Why make two marks?

don't know. i'm not vic. i'd guess he's really saying to use a square to
mark off 12" from the top, then use the same square from the bottom, then
measure between the 2 marks. he just left off the use of making pencil
marks, thinking that that may just be a little bit self evident.

i'd do it with 1 mark too since i can usually reach the floor with a tape.


Never actually did that 2 mark deal.
But if I wanted to get within 1/16" as David seems to want, that's how
I'd do it.
Last time I measured floor to ceiling I think I stood on a stool,
jammed the tape casing against the ceiling, and lowered the tape until
it touched the floor without bending, locked it down, then added the
case size. Close enough.

--Vic

On Mar 2, 11:38*pm, David Nebenzahl wrote:
Alright, so this is Carpentry 101, but I'm gonna ask it anyhow.

Question concerns taking measurements where there is an inside corner:
how do you do it accurately? F'rinstance, say you're sheeting the inside
of a closet and are measuring the wall height from floor to ceiling. You
put the bottom of your tape against the floor, climb up on your
stepstool or whatever, then wrap your tape around the top corner of the
wall. What then?

I mean, it's really hard to know just what exactly the actual height is.
It *looks* like 93 5/8--no, make that 11/16--maybe 3/4--WTF?

It almost makes me want to build myself a little "story pole", two long
sticks grooved together with a little clamp to take exact inside
measurements. (I think a sliding dovetail would work nicely here.)

How do you handle this? How did carpenters do this in the olden days?
What tricks do you use? How many times do you just cut a piece oversize,
then trim to fit?

--
The phrase "jump the shark" itself jumped the shark about a decade ago.

- Usenet

You are really out of the loop with pro tools these days. Go the to
the Bosch tools site and look at the laser measuring things. The
DLR165K is my favorite. One of the others may suit your needs better.
Other manufacturers are in the fray, of course, so choices abound. If
you like to spend money on upscale products, there is Leica and
Hilti.
Beware, though, if the device says 'XXX 1/6" that's exactly what it
is. Cut accurately to that length and you have a press fit to struggle
with. Doesn't mean you have to toss the folding rule. I still keep my
antique Lufkin aluminum folding rule in my sewn in holster on the leg
of my grubbies. (Don't know how else to describe that handy side
pocket.)
The lasers are absolutely vital if you are framing in for windows and
doors. The diagonal measurements are spot on and when you set a new
window in you can be sure that there will be an exact 1/4" (or
whatever) gap all around. Same applies for closet framing, other
interior framing. The power of the diagonal measurement and a level
cannot be underestimated.

Joe

In s.com,
David Nebenzahl typed:
:: Alright, so this is Carpentry 101, but I'm gonna ask it
:: anyhow.
::
:: Question concerns taking measurements where there is an
:: inside corner: how do you do it accurately? F'rinstance,
:: say you're sheeting the inside of a closet and are
:: measuring the wall height from floor to ceiling. You put
:: the bottom of your tape against the floor, climb up on
:: your stepstool or whatever, then wrap your tape around the
:: top corner of the wall. What then?
::
:: I mean, it's really hard to know just what exactly the
:: actual height is. It *looks* like 93 5/8--no, make that
:: 11/16--maybe 3/4--WTF?
::
:: It almost makes me want to build myself a little "story
:: pole", two long sticks grooved together with a little
:: clamp to take exact inside measurements. (I think a
:: sliding dovetail would work nicely here.)
::
:: How do you handle this? How did carpenters do this in the
:: olden days? What tricks do you use? How many times do you
:: just cut a piece oversize, then trim to fit?
::
::
:: --
:: The phrase "jump the shark" itself jumped the shark about
:: a decade ago.
::
:: - Usenet

Doesn't your tape have a movable end-piece for inside/outside measurements,
and on the body it should say "Add xx inches". Put the tape to the inside
edges, lock it, pull it down, look at the length, add whatever is required
for the tape body, and done.
've never seen a tape measure without that kind of feature; if yours
doesn't have it, buy one that does.

In ,
Larry Fishel typed:
: On Mar 3, 1:26 am, David Nebenzahl
: wrote:
:: On 3/2/2011 10:16 PM Mike Paulsen spake thus:
::: But why are you concerned with running sheeting all the
::: way to the floor? You _want_ to leave it shy of the floor
::: a bit, and baseboard will cover the gap.
:
: This is largely because walls tend to be neither square nor
: straight, so trying to cut paneling or drywall precisely
: will just drive you crazy.
:
:: Just an example. A better example would have been cutting
:: studs to fit tightly betwixt floor and ceiling. Point is
:: that it's good to know the actual height instead of just
:: guesstimating it.
:
: Use the technique others described in this case. Or if you
: want to be even more precise, measure and mark 12" from
: either end with a metal ruler or square (because the metal
: hook on the ends of most tapes is designed to measure
: outside) and measure between the marks with your tape. Of
: course, this is probably more precise than you can cut
: anyway...

Or get at least a 20th century tape where the metal hook on the end slips in
for inside measurements and slips out for outside measurements, all by
itself. I've never seen a current tape what didn't work that way unless some
dumbo didn't know why the end was loose and beat it tight with a hammer,
which I HAVE seen some dummies do!

On Thu, 3 Mar 2011 05:13:18 -0800 (PST), Larry Fishel
wrote:

(because the metal hook on the ends of most tapes is
designed to measure outside)

Excuse me, but the metal hook is designed to measure inside AND
outside. The rivets holding the hook to the blade are intentionally
loose to permit the hook slide back and forth in the slots the amount
equal to the thickness of the hook. Therefore, the hook can
automatically compensate for it's thickness.

Not only that, but you will achieve accurate measurements if you are
INSIDE your garage or OUTSIDE at your neighbors. :-)

On 3/3/2011 12:38 AM, David Nebenzahl wrote:
Alright, so this is Carpentry 101, but I'm gonna ask it anyhow.

Question concerns taking measurements where there is an inside corner:
how do you do it accurately? F'rinstance, say you're sheeting the inside
of a closet and are measuring the wall height from floor to ceiling. You
put the bottom of your tape against the floor, climb up on your
stepstool or whatever, then wrap your tape around the top corner of the
wall. What then?

I mean, it's really hard to know just what exactly the actual height is.
It *looks* like 93 5/8--no, make that 11/16--maybe 3/4--WTF?

It almost makes me want to build myself a little "story pole", two long
sticks grooved together with a little clamp to take exact inside
measurements. (I think a sliding dovetail would work nicely here.)

How do you handle this? How did carpenters do this in the olden days?
What tricks do you use? How many times do you just cut a piece oversize,
then trim to fit?



Since my vision never was that great in dark small spaces, and reading
the inside of a curved tape is a skill I never quite mastered anyway, I
usually just cheated by making a witness mark on the wall at some nice
round number, say 50 inches off the floor, and then measuring up from
the mark. Just add 50 to whatever number you get from the top down, and
there ya go.

--
aem sends...

David Nebenzahl wrote:

Alright, so this is Carpentry 101, but I'm gonna ask it anyhow.

Question concerns taking measurements where there is an inside corner:
how do you do it accurately? F'rinstance, say you're sheeting the inside
of a closet and are measuring the wall height from floor to ceiling. You
put the bottom of your tape against the floor, climb up on your
stepstool or whatever, then wrap your tape around the top corner of the
wall. What then?

I mean, it's really hard to know just what exactly the actual height is.
It *looks* like 93 5/8--no, make that 11/16--maybe 3/4--WTF?

It almost makes me want to build myself a little "story pole", two long
sticks grooved together with a little clamp to take exact inside
measurements. (I think a sliding dovetail would work nicely here.)

How do you handle this? How did carpenters do this in the olden days?
What tricks do you use? How many times do you just cut a piece oversize,
then trim to fit?

In the bad old days, I'd use my trusty Stanley Power-Lock and just
extend it floor to ceiling, read off the distance and add the case
offset. In the good new days I just use my Stanley laser measure and
point and shoot.

On 3/3/2011 8:06 PM, Pete C. wrote:

David Nebenzahl wrote:

Alright, so this is Carpentry 101, but I'm gonna ask it anyhow.

Question concerns taking measurements where there is an inside corner:
how do you do it accurately? F'rinstance, say you're sheeting the inside
of a closet and are measuring the wall height from floor to ceiling. You
put the bottom of your tape against the floor, climb up on your
stepstool or whatever, then wrap your tape around the top corner of the
wall. What then?

I mean, it's really hard to know just what exactly the actual height is.
It *looks* like 93 5/8--no, make that 11/16--maybe 3/4--WTF?

It almost makes me want to build myself a little "story pole", two long
sticks grooved together with a little clamp to take exact inside
measurements. (I think a sliding dovetail would work nicely here.)

How do you handle this? How did carpenters do this in the olden days?
What tricks do you use? How many times do you just cut a piece oversize,
then trim to fit?

In the bad old days, I'd use my trusty Stanley Power-Lock and just
extend it floor to ceiling, read off the distance and add the case
offset. In the good new days I just use my Stanley laser measure and
point and shoot.

Um, won't that blow a hole through the wall? :-)

TDD

On 3/3/2011 10:21 PM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
On 3/3/2011 8:06 PM, Pete C. wrote:

David Nebenzahl wrote:

Alright, so this is Carpentry 101, but I'm gonna ask it anyhow.

Question concerns taking measurements where there is an inside corner:
how do you do it accurately? F'rinstance, say you're sheeting the inside
of a closet and are measuring the wall height from floor to ceiling. You
put the bottom of your tape against the floor, climb up on your
stepstool or whatever, then wrap your tape around the top corner of the
wall. What then?

I mean, it's really hard to know just what exactly the actual height is.
It *looks* like 93 5/8--no, make that 11/16--maybe 3/4--WTF?

It almost makes me want to build myself a little "story pole", two long
sticks grooved together with a little clamp to take exact inside
measurements. (I think a sliding dovetail would work nicely here.)

How do you handle this? How did carpenters do this in the olden days?
What tricks do you use? How many times do you just cut a piece oversize,
then trim to fit?

In the bad old days, I'd use my trusty Stanley Power-Lock and just
extend it floor to ceiling, read off the distance and add the case
offset. In the good new days I just use my Stanley laser measure and
point and shoot.

Um, won't that blow a hole through the wall? :-)

TDD

Gotta use the LOW power setting.

--
aem sends...

Use a folding rule with a brass sliding extension for inside
measurements.http://www.listoftools.com/images/me...nsions_with_a_...

Agreed. Folding rule for any inside measurements (closets, drawers,
etc.)
Doug D

On 3/3/2011 9:36 PM, aemeijers wrote:
On 3/3/2011 10:21 PM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
On 3/3/2011 8:06 PM, Pete C. wrote:

David Nebenzahl wrote:

Alright, so this is Carpentry 101, but I'm gonna ask it anyhow.

Question concerns taking measurements where there is an inside corner:
how do you do it accurately? F'rinstance, say you're sheeting the
inside
of a closet and are measuring the wall height from floor to ceiling.
You
put the bottom of your tape against the floor, climb up on your
stepstool or whatever, then wrap your tape around the top corner of the
wall. What then?

I mean, it's really hard to know just what exactly the actual height
is.
It *looks* like 93 5/8--no, make that 11/16--maybe 3/4--WTF?

It almost makes me want to build myself a little "story pole", two long
sticks grooved together with a little clamp to take exact inside
measurements. (I think a sliding dovetail would work nicely here.)

How do you handle this? How did carpenters do this in the olden days?
What tricks do you use? How many times do you just cut a piece
oversize,
then trim to fit?

In the bad old days, I'd use my trusty Stanley Power-Lock and just
extend it floor to ceiling, read off the distance and add the case
offset. In the good new days I just use my Stanley laser measure and
point and shoot.

Um, won't that blow a hole through the wall? :-)

TDD

Gotta use the LOW power setting.


I didn't know the things had a stun setting. ^_^

TDD

David Nebenzahl wrote in news:4d6fdb34$0$6356
:

On 3/3/2011 8:25 AM Vic Smith spake thus:

On Thu, 3 Mar 2011 05:13:18 -0800 (PST), Larry Fishel
wrote:

On Mar 3, 1:26 am, David Nebenzahl wrote:

On 3/2/2011 10:16 PM Mike Paulsen spake thus:

But why are you concerned with running sheeting all the way to
the floor? You _want_ to leave it shy of the floor a bit, and
baseboard will cover the gap.

This is largely because walls tend to be neither square nor
straight, so trying to cut paneling or drywall precisely will just
drive you crazy.

Just an example. A better example would have been cutting studs
to fit tightly betwixt floor and ceiling. Point is that it's good
to know the actual height instead of just guesstimating it.

Use the technique others described in this case. Or if you want to
be even more precise, measure and mark 12" from either end with a
metal ruler or square (because the metal hook on the ends of most
tapes is designed to measure outside) and measure between the marks
with your tape. Of course, this is probably more precise than you
can cut anyway...

Metal square on both ends is good, then measure between those marks
starting at the inch mark on the tape.
Tape is flat then, without the end tab run out screwing up the
measure.

Fine, but how the *hell* am I supposed to get two metal squares to stay
put, one of them upside-down at the top of the wall, plus juggle the
tape measure between them? Upsidasium? Remember, this is a vertical
measurement of wall height.



Upsidasium?

You doubt it exists?! You question Rocket J. Squirrel?! Mistah Big is gonna
get you.

Also be aware that if you are making a cut - say in a 2 x 4 - how you
mark the measurement on the wood, and then cut it can make a
difference!

If you are using a wide marker, then you could cut to the left of the
line, on the line, or to the right of the line. (I like a sharp line
myself.)

Then the saw blade itself. Where exactly does it cut?

And if using a hand held saw, the markings on the saw for where it
will cut might not be exactly right. Put eye goggles on, have good
lighting, then look at where exactly the blade is cutting.

And tape measures have a bit of "play" in the end piece. This is
supposed to compensate for "inside" vs "outside measurements. Be aware
of that.

Then you might measure and cut a 2 x 4 exactly right, but then it does
not fit! This could be because the wood sections above and below where
you are sticking that piece are not "square", rather a bit slanted! So
it will fit perfect on one side, but not on the other. (Hammers are
helpful in this situation.)...

....Then note if you go an take measurements for several 2 x 4's along
a wall, then hammer in the first 2 x 4, this will cause the top piece
to move upwards a bit. So now the other nearby measurements are a tad
longer as the length has changed.

And if cutting paneling or wall board, many times the floor / wall is
not square. So the measurements on the left, center, and right might
all be slightly different!

FYI - you would think when they build a steel beam high-rise building
that they would not have to put up with all this, as all measurements
could then be exact... However they may bring all the pieces to the
job site and they do not fit! That is due to temperature. Cold and the
metal shrinks, hot and it expands. Arrrggg!

It is an imperfect world!

On 3/4/2011 6:59 PM woodworker plans spake thus:

responding to
http://www.homeownershub.com/mainten...on-623993-.htm
woodworker plans wrote:

David Nebenzahl wrote:

Alright, so this is Carpentry 101, but I\'m gonna ask it anyhow.

Question concerns taking measurements where there is an inside
corner: how do you do it accurately? F\'rinstance, say you\'re
sheeting the inside of a closet and are measuring the wall height
from floor to ceiling. You put the bottom of your tape against the
floor, climb up on your stepstool or whatever, then wrap your tape
around the top corner of the wall. What then?

bump your tape into one corner or the other and measure out 10 inches and
make a mark, then measure from the other corner to the mark and add 10
inches. There you go no more trying to read the roll of the tape.

I think we got essentially the same answer about 10 replies up there.
Which you would have known had you read this on Usenet, which is where I
posted it, instead of the god-damned Homeowner's Hub web-scraping
service. (Wonder if they'll post this reply there?)


--
The phrase "jump the shark" itself jumped the shark about a decade ago.

- Usenet

On Mar 3, 1:38*am, David Nebenzahl wrote:
Alright, so this is Carpentry 101, but I'm gonna ask it anyhow.

Question concerns taking measurements where there is an inside corner:
how do you do it accurately? F'rinstance, say you're sheeting the inside
of a closet and are measuring the wall height from floor to ceiling. You
put the bottom of your tape against the floor, climb up on your
stepstool or whatever, then wrap your tape around the top corner of the
wall. What then?

I mean, it's really hard to know just what exactly the actual height is.
It *looks* like 93 5/8--no, make that 11/16--maybe 3/4--WTF?

It almost makes me want to build myself a little "story pole", two long
sticks grooved together with a little clamp to take exact inside
measurements. (I think a sliding dovetail would work nicely here.)

How do you handle this? How did carpenters do this in the olden days?
What tricks do you use? How many times do you just cut a piece oversize,
then trim to fit?

--
The phrase "jump the shark" itself jumped the shark about a decade ago.

- Usenet

So why are you trying to measure it that accurately? Carpenters know
the bottom is going to be covered by baseboard. and molding. It could
be a couple of inches short and not matter. On the other hand if you
really need this kind of accuracy get a folding measure. They have a
little extension that slides out for measuring that last little bit.

Jimmie