On July 30, 2020 at 11:55, Ernie Gilman said...
But I have proof that being able to read doesn't mean people are sensible. I had a tech...
So there's this piece of 2x4 about 18" or maybe 20" long. Exact length was not crucial. I need another one for whatever I was doing. I hand my tech the one piece and tell him I need another one the same size.
He gets out a tape measure, carefully measures the length of the one I give him, and writes down the measurement. The dimension included sixteenths.
He then uses the tape measure to make a mark on another piece of 2x4, then puts a square over the mark and draws a line. Lastly he clamps the wood and cuts it along the line.
He hands me the two pieces. I ask him why he didn't just put the right-sized one on the other one and draw a line from that.
It didn't occur to him.
I have to confess I've done things like that.
Ever heard anyone say "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."?
You didn't specify its length, so no measurement was needed but if he had cut to a pencil line, the second one would have been a bit longer than the first. That's why some woodworkers use a knife to mark the line- it's a much more accurate way to mark the piece but it ignores the fact that the wood is unstable WRT humidity, although it does minimize stacking tolerance errors. Even if the line is only 1/64" wide and each successive piece is marked using its predecessor, the 64th piece will be an inch longer than the first.
