These are all over the web, but maybe you never thought of using one
in woodworking:

http://www.ceismc.gatech.edu/bp/images/ruler.pdf

(looks funny in the browser, but works fine after printing)

download and print off a few on regular paper on your best print
resolution. In conjuction with spray adhesive, they are great for
measuring inside curves (for the calculus deficient), or anytime you
need a VERY thin measuring device on a flat surface.

Neat idea. Thanks.

Just be aware that most printers do not print exactly to scale, especially
in the long direction on the paper (i.e., the direction that is
perpendicular to the rollers in the printer), which is the direction that
matters when printing this ruler out on anything other than a printer than
can print 13" wide paper and up. So...after you print it out check it
against a ruler that is known to be good.

Of course I got a metal ruler from a well know art & graphic design supply
company and discovered that it was almost 1/16" off, so even metal rulers
can be out of whack!


"todd the wood junkie" wrote in message
om...
These are all over the web, but maybe you never thought of using one
in woodworking:

http://www.ceismc.gatech.edu/bp/images/ruler.pdf

(looks funny in the browser, but works fine after printing)

download and print off a few on regular paper on your best print
resolution. In conjuction with spray adhesive, they are great for
measuring inside curves (for the calculus deficient), or anytime you
need a VERY thin measuring device on a flat surface.

On 13 Oct 2004 12:38:13 -0700, (todd the wood
junkie) wrote:

In conjuction with spray adhesive, they are great for
measuring inside curves

They're also one of Ikea's more useful products, and they're a great
price !

--
Smert' spamionam

"Bruce Hooke" wrote in message

Of course I got a metal ruler from a well know art & graphic design supply
company and discovered that it was almost 1/16" off, so even metal rulers
can be out of whack!

It makes not a whit of difference as long as it is the only measuring device
you use on a project .. or use a story stick and forego "rulers" entirely.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/04/04

"Bruce Hooke" wrote in message
news
Neat idea. Thanks.

Just be aware that most printers do not print exactly to scale, especially
in the long direction on the paper (i.e., the direction that is
perpendicular to the rollers in the printer), which is the direction that
matters when printing this ruler out on anything other than a printer than
can print 13" wide paper and up. So...after you print it out check it
against a ruler that is known to be good.

Actually most printers do print to scale."IF" the software instructs it to.

What I have seen when printing plans is that the same drawing printed twice
will match up EXACTLY in the direction that is parallel to the rollers but
that there will be subtle variations in the direction that is perpendicular
to the rollers. We're talking in the range of 1/64" here so maybe I am just
being too picky -- it mostly shows up when I am trying to tile a drawing and
then tape together the pieces of paper, which shows up variations very
starkly because lines going from one sheet to the next do not match up. What
I have always assumed was causing the problem was the slight variations in
the friction between the feed rollers and the paper. Since I am seeing
variations between printouts of the same drawing printed on the same printer
I rather doubt that this is a software or driver issue...

"Leon" wrote in message
...

"Bruce Hooke" wrote in message
news
Neat idea. Thanks.

Just be aware that most printers do not print exactly to scale,
especially in the long direction on the paper (i.e., the direction that
is perpendicular to the rollers in the printer), which is the direction
that matters when printing this ruler out on anything other than a
printer than can print 13" wide paper and up. So...after you print it out
check it against a ruler that is known to be good.

Actually most printers do print to scale."IF" the software instructs it
to.

"todd the wood junkie" wrote in message
om...
These are all over the web, but maybe you never thought of using one
in woodworking:

http://www.ceismc.gatech.edu/bp/images/ruler.pdf

(looks funny in the browser, but works fine after printing)


Handy to keep folded up in your wallet for use at any time. I've often used
just a plain sheep of paper to estimate a dimension since I know the actual
size.

"Bruce Hooke" wrote in message
...
What I have seen when printing plans is that the same drawing printed
twice will match up EXACTLY in the direction that is parallel to the
rollers but that there will be subtle variations in the direction that is
perpendicular to the rollers. We're talking in the range of 1/64" here so
maybe I am just being too picky -- it mostly shows up when I am trying to
tile a drawing and then tape together the pieces of paper, which shows up
variations very starkly because lines going from one sheet to the next do
not match up. What I have always assumed was causing the problem was the
slight variations in the friction between the feed rollers and the paper.
Since I am seeing variations between printouts of the same drawing printed
on the same printer I rather doubt that this is a software or driver
issue...

On 2 Panasonic dot matrix printers, 2 Canon Ink Jet and 1 HP Ink Jet and
using AutoCAD, I am always able to draw 1"=1" out put on tiled drawings. I
used this on many occasions on all of these printers to produce exact
templates to transfer designs to wood. Using index points to align the
pages all lines meet up exactly and are exact in length. Perhaps you are
not taking into consideration margins of the printers.

On 13 Oct 2004 12:38:13 -0700, (todd the wood
junkie) wrote:

These are all over the web, but maybe you never thought of using one
in woodworking:

http://www.ceismc.gatech.edu/bp/images/ruler.pdf

(looks funny in the browser, but works fine after printing)

download and print off a few on regular paper on your best print
resolution. In conjuction with spray adhesive, they are great for
measuring inside curves (for the calculus deficient), or anytime you
need a VERY thin measuring device on a flat surface.

actually, I have one glued to the fence on my RAS, but I wasn't going
to admit it here before you brought it up..

On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 02:20:27 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski"
wrote:

I've often used
just a plain sheep of paper to estimate a dimension since I know the actual
size.

I've measured plenty of pieces in museums using ruled paper from the
notebook I was writing in. Of course this is easier in the UK with
feint ruling - our lines are printed light, but go the whole width of
the page.
--
Smert' spamionam

On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 03:32:54 +0000, Bruce Hooke wrote:

All I can say is that with the printers I have used I
have seen the variations I have described over and over again and for the
reasons I listed it is pretty clear that this is an issue with the printers
not the computer.

Not saying it's the case with the example you described earlier, but the
moisture content of the paper from day to day can have affect one's
results. (I did DTP for a few years.)

--
"Keep your ass behind you"

On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 10:47:51 +0100, Andy Dingley wrote:

just a plain sheep of paper to estimate a dimension

Simple typos can lead to the most amusing images. I'm thinking Philip K.
Dick, here.

On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 10:47:51 +0100, Andy Dingley wrote:

feint ruling - our lines are printed light, but go the whole width of
the page.

Isn't everyone's?
A4, right?

Too much coffee: feint lines look like regular faint lines, but don't
point where you think they do...

On 13 Oct 2004 12:38:13 -0700, (todd the wood
junkie) wrote:

These are all over the web, but maybe you never thought of using one
in woodworking:

http://www.ceismc.gatech.edu/bp/images/ruler.pdf

(looks funny in the browser, but works fine after printing)

I've just laid my ruler on the photocopier and gotten something that
works for rough measurement.

Tim Douglass

http://www.DouglassClan.com

On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 10:02:54 -0500, Australopithecus scobis
wrote:

feint ruling - our lines are printed light, but go the whole width of
the page.

Isn't everyone's?
A4, right?

No - American paper (well Chinese paper as it is now) is often cheap,
shiny with far too much filler, and ruled with black dotted lines that
stop short of the edges. It doesn't look too bad, but it photocopies
dreadfully.

If you're a fountain pen user it's getting hard to find decent
journals - ink takes an age to dry on this shiny paper. I generally
favour Moleskines, but they're a bit small. I should try some of the
Lee Valley journals.

--
Smert' spamionam

On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 10:20:06 -0700, Tim Douglass wrote:

I've just laid my ruler on the photocopier and gotten something that
works for rough measurement.

I have an "engineering notebook" which is a spiral-bound notebook with
1/4" grid graph paper for sheets. Works great for this sort of thing,
and also for drawing up scale-drawings of projects. Even house-sized
projects, come to think of it; the whole thing is drawn up by hand in
one that I've got to find again "just because".

Dave Hinz

(todd the wood junkie) wrote in message . com...
These are all over the web, but maybe you never thought of using one
in woodworking:

http://www.ceismc.gatech.edu/bp/images/ruler.pdf

(looks funny in the browser, but works fine after printing)

download and print off a few on regular paper on your best print
resolution. In conjuction with spray adhesive, they are great for
measuring inside curves (for the calculus deficient), or anytime you
need a VERY thin measuring device on a flat surface.

If you all want a custom ruler, made up any way you want and rollable,
you can create your own in Illustrator or other apropriate program,
burn to disc and give it to a film house, who will output your file to
film as a positive (black marks on clear film) for a reasonable cost.
Much less than the precision metal rulers, and equally as accurate.
These outputs are accurate in both dimensions and printed at 2440 dpi,
the "dots" (laser exposed squares, actually) are barely discernable at
10x magnification.
Since a ruler is so narrow, perhaps you can work a deal with them for
a particularly long one, as they may be able to gang it with another
job on a normally wasted margin of the film.
These people prefer Illustrator, PDF or Quark files for output, but
some can handle Corel and In Design as well.
I have several of these in my shop, as well as a "protractor", 18"
diameter, that I created for better accuracy in setting angles.

Gary
Graphic Artist (when I can get work!)

"Edwin Pawlowski" writes:
just a plain sheep of paper to estimate a dimension since

I always heard that too baaaaaad measurements.

--
be safe.
flip
Ich habe keine Ahnung was das bedeutet, oder vielleicht doch?
Remove origin of the word spam from address to reply (leave "+")

"Andy Dingley" wrote in message


If you're a fountain pen user it's getting hard to find decent
journals - ink takes an age to dry on this shiny paper. I generally
favour Moleskines, but they're a bit small. I should try some of the
Lee Valley journals.


Never tried Lee Valley. I buy most of my stuff at: www.pendemonium.com

(Gary DeWitt) writes:

If you all want a custom ruler, made up any way you want and rollable,
you can create your own in Illustrator or other apropriate program,
burn to disc and give it to a film house, who will output your file to
film as a positive (black marks on clear film) for a reasonable cost.
Much less than the precision metal rulers, and equally as accurate.

Have you tried this recently?

Very few printing companies use film anymore. It's all
direct-to-plate now-- works like a laserprinter, but puts out an
aluminum printing plate instead of film or paper. A few companies
can still generate film, but it's dying out fast.

A good stainless steel ruler will last forever (unless it gets
stolen), so it's a good investment. If you can't find exactly
what you want, a bit of time with Google probably will.

Bruce Hooke wrote:

Neat idea. Thanks.

Just be aware that most printers do not print exactly to scale, especially
in the long direction on the paper (i.e., the direction that is
perpendicular to the rollers in the printer), which is the direction that
matters when printing this ruler out on anything other than a printer than
can print 13" wide paper and up. So...after you print it out check it
against a ruler that is known to be good.

Of course I got a metal ruler from a well know art & graphic design supply
company and discovered that it was almost 1/16" off, so even metal rulers
can be out of whack!

Can't you get a whack refill kit for when its out?

On 14 Oct 2004 10:52:52 -0700, (Gary DeWitt) wrote:

(todd the wood junkie) wrote in message . com...
These are all over the web, but maybe you never thought of using one
in woodworking:

http://www.ceismc.gatech.edu/bp/images/ruler.pdf

(looks funny in the browser, but works fine after printing)

download and print off a few on regular paper on your best print
resolution. In conjuction with spray adhesive, they are great for
measuring inside curves (for the calculus deficient), or anytime you
need a VERY thin measuring device on a flat surface.

If you all want a custom ruler, made up any way you want and rollable,
you can create your own in Illustrator or other apropriate program,
burn to disc and give it to a film house, who will output your file to
film as a positive (black marks on clear film) for a reasonable cost.
Much less than the precision metal rulers, and equally as accurate.
These outputs are accurate in both dimensions and printed at 2440 dpi,
the "dots" (laser exposed squares, actually) are barely discernable at
10x magnification.
Since a ruler is so narrow, perhaps you can work a deal with them for
a particularly long one, as they may be able to gang it with another
job on a normally wasted margin of the film.
These people prefer Illustrator, PDF or Quark files for output, but
some can handle Corel and In Design as well.
I have several of these in my shop, as well as a "protractor", 18"
diameter, that I created for better accuracy in setting angles.

Gary
Graphic Artist (when I can get work!)

0r, as a less expensive alternative, you can print that file or one
you scan yourself on a transparency sheet in a laser or ink jet
printer..

On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 19:41:41 -0000, (Ron Bean)
wrote:


(Gary DeWitt) writes:

If you all want a custom ruler, made up any way you want and rollable,
you can create your own in Illustrator or other apropriate program,
burn to disc and give it to a film house, who will output your file to
film as a positive (black marks on clear film) for a reasonable cost.
Much less than the precision metal rulers, and equally as accurate.

Have you tried this recently?

Very few printing companies use film anymore. It's all
direct-to-plate now-- works like a laserprinter, but puts out an
aluminum printing plate instead of film or paper. A few companies
can still generate film, but it's dying out fast.

You may be right, but you can always print them out on transparency
film at home. (At least, last time I checked you could) No doubt an
average Kinko's would have some kind of printable plastic, though not
necessarily film.

A good stainless steel ruler will last forever (unless it gets
stolen), so it's a good investment. If you can't find exactly
what you want, a bit of time with Google probably will.

Agreed. I like steel rulers- the aluminum ones I'm not so fond of,
after bending a couple, but the steel ones are nice.

On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 18:30:53 +0100, Andy Dingley wrote:

If you're a fountain pen user it's getting hard to find decent
journals - ink takes an age to dry on this shiny paper. I generally
favour Moleskines, but they're a bit small. I should try some of the
Lee Valley journals.

Drifting OT here, but look into www.levenger.com. They sell paper for
fountain pen users.

--
"Keep your ass behind you"

todd the wood junkie wrote:

These are all over the web, but maybe you never thought of using one
in woodworking:

http://www.ceismc.gatech.edu/bp/images/ruler.pdf

(looks funny in the browser, but works fine after printing)

download and print off a few on regular paper on your best print
resolution. In conjuction with spray adhesive, they are great for
measuring inside curves (for the calculus deficient), or anytime you
need a VERY thin measuring device on a flat surface.

Thanks I downloaded it. Then I thought why? I already have an scan of
my Try-square that I made when testing the focus of the scanner.
We'll see which prints out more accurately, scanners can introduce
subtle errors in size as well as printers.

Prometheus wrote:

On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 19:41:41 -0000, (Ron Bean)
wrote:


(Gary DeWitt) writes:

If you all want a custom ruler, made up any way you want and rollable,
you can create your own in Illustrator or other apropriate program,
burn to disc and give it to a film house, who will output your file to
film as a positive (black marks on clear film) for a reasonable cost.
Much less than the precision metal rulers, and equally as accurate.

Have you tried this recently?

Very few printing companies use film anymore. It's all
direct-to-plate now-- works like a laserprinter, but puts out an
aluminum printing plate instead of film or paper. A few companies
can still generate film, but it's dying out fast.

You may be right, but you can always print them out on transparency
film at home. (At least, last time I checked you could) No doubt an
average Kinko's would have some kind of printable plastic, though not
necessarily film.

Staples, OfficeMax, etc all have transparency film for inkjet and laser
printers that is intended for use with overhead projectors. Make sure that
the one you get lists your printer as compatible--there are some variations
in coating with the inkjet films that make a difference in how the ink
takes. Just check after you print and make sure that it's actually
accurate--some printers leave a little to be desired in the linearity
department and the dimensions aren't always exactly what you thought they
would be either.

A good stainless steel ruler will last forever (unless it gets
stolen), so it's a good investment. If you can't find exactly
what you want, a bit of time with Google probably will.

Agreed. I like steel rulers- the aluminum ones I'm not so fond of,
after bending a couple, but the steel ones are nice.

--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 02:07:17 GMT, "George E. Cawthon"
wrote:


Thanks I downloaded it. Then I thought why? I already have an scan of
my Try-square that I made when testing the focus of the scanner.
We'll see which prints out more accurately, scanners can introduce
subtle errors in size as well as printers.

Do scanners work like photocopiers? If so, there is a slight
reduction in size in the copy that needs to be adjusted for
accuracy.

Thunder

Rolling Thunder wrote:

On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 02:07:17 GMT, "George E. Cawthon"
wrote:


Thanks I downloaded it. Then I thought why? I already have an scan of
my Try-square that I made when testing the focus of the scanner.
We'll see which prints out more accurately, scanners can introduce
subtle errors in size as well as printers.

Do scanners work like photocopiers? If so, there is a slight
reduction in size in the copy that needs to be adjusted for
accuracy.

Thunder

Of course or at least close enough. I think you are referring to a
copy function. But you don't have to use the copy function, just
scan. the result you get is of course a file which has nothing to do
with the size of anything. It is your soft ware and printer that will
determine how accurate the thing will be when you print it.

The paper ruler is just a scan of some ruler. I printed it and the
total length was indeed accurate, but using two different rules some
of the inch lines in the middle didn't line up. That suggests to me
that the ruler ws not flat on the scanner, or was imperfect.

I have tested my 99cent HF (3/4 by 16 feet) tape rule and found it
highly accurate compared to a Starrett Try-square. I could cut that
up and make a bunch of very accurate highly readable scales.

BTW, I have a Starrett that is marked as such and a second Try-square
which I think is a Starrett and looks exactly like my other
Try-square. It is marked on the non grooved side:

No. 23 The L.S.S. Co. No. 4
Athol, Mass. U.S.A

I am wondering if anyone can tell me where this old try-square fits
into the Starrett line and history, if it does. Thanks

They still use film to make printed circuit boards. Check out something
called a photoplotter. Many of them print Postscript files, and they
are quite accurate.


In article ,
says...

(Gary DeWitt) writes:

If you all want a custom ruler, made up any way you want and rollable,
you can create your own in Illustrator or other apropriate program,
burn to disc and give it to a film house, who will output your file to
film as a positive (black marks on clear film) for a reasonable cost.
Much less than the precision metal rulers, and equally as accurate.

Have you tried this recently?

Very few printing companies use film anymore. It's all
direct-to-plate now-- works like a laserprinter, but puts out an
aluminum printing plate instead of film or paper. A few companies
can still generate film, but it's dying out fast.

A good stainless steel ruler will last forever (unless it gets
stolen), so it's a good investment. If you can't find exactly
what you want, a bit of time with Google probably will.

kenR did say:

They still use film to make printed circuit boards. Check out something
called a photoplotter. Many of them print Postscript files, and they
are quite accurate.

You are correct. I make them all the time from postscript output. It's
critical to calibrate your printer/driver. postscript contains scaling
information that make it quite accurate.


--
New project = new tool. Hard and fast rule.