who says you can't teach an old dog a new trick?

[myxpykalix]

I learned a new trick from "Ask This Old House"...

Because i always have my X,Y zero in the center of my material and if the material is say 37 5/8" wide X 16 7/16" High trying to do the math to divide it in half and mark it is a hassle.

The simple way without having to measure is to take 2 tape measures and stretch one across the width from the left and the other tape measure from the right.
Now wherever the 2 tape measures read the same measurement is the center.

Repeat the same for the height:eek:

[signsbyjay]

Jack,

You need this tape measure.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=1256

it the only one I use for layout

Jay

[bleeth]

And with your bot and an engraving bit you can cut your own "yardstick" with zero in the middle and inches marked outward in either direction from there.
Make a few of different lengths and hang them on the wall.

[dlcw]

Most of the time I use a straight edge from corner to corner to draw a line, then do the same for the other two corners. Makes an 'X' exactly in the center of the material. Seems to work, at least for me.

One caveat, I do square up (rectangle up) my material on the table saw first.

[Bob Eustace]

Thanks for that Jack - brilliant! I really must be going senile as I have a Rockler catalogue in the dunny (needed for times of intense concentration) and have never noticed that rule that Jay suggested. Its totally stuff up proof provided you always measure from the hook. Anyway I ordered one straight away. I ordered their fluting jig just before we got the Bot. Guess what - its hanging on the wall unopened!

[myxpykalix]

Don...that is the way i usually find my center with an X however.....

How many times have you clamped or jigged up your material only to realize that you forgot to run your straightedge and now you have clamps or other obstructions keeping you from running a straightedge flat across your material and you have to unclamp it or figure out another way to get your measurement?:confused:
Or is that just me??:eek:

[dlcw]

Nope, not just you Jack. Been there, done that, got the dunce cap.....:D

[myxpykalix]

Jay
That's a good link and a good product but here is the fatal flaw....
How many tape measures have you lost or misplaced? At 16 bucks a crack I can't afford to lose too many of those.

that is why when i go up to the dollar store i always pick up 2 or 3 new tape measures for a buck apiece and probably have a couple dozen floating around between the shop, basement, van and junk drawer.

My goal is to have so many of them around that no matter where i am i can see 2 or 3 laying around!:D

[jerry_stanek]

When I was laying out large signs Say on a 21 foot wall I would measure say 10 from each end and put a mark there then I only had to split between the 2 marks

[signsbyjay]

Jack,

That is a high price for a tape measure, but if you keep an eye out you can find them a lot cheaper that that link. that was the only link I could find at the time.

Every once in a while Harbor Freight has them for as low as $5 each, same brand. I usually stock up when they have that sale.

Jay

[twelchPTM]

somre of the "tips and tricks" i see and read are pretty neat but most of them are just ridiculous or overly thought out ways to perform simple tasks, not trying to insult anybody but come on... Is it really that hard to divide by 2?

[beacon14]

I have to agree. If I wanted to use one of those fancy tapes, I'd have to buy 6 or 8 of them to make sure there would always be one within reach, otherwise I'd spend more time looking for the tape measure than it would take me to figger' it out.

I use the subtractive method of dividing. For instance, let's say the part is 15 5/8" wide, that's not an easy number to divide by two without a calcualtor. But 15 5/8" is 3/8" less than 16", and both 16 and 3/8 are pretty easy to divide into two. So half of 15 5/8 is the same as half of 16 minus half of 3/8, or 8 minus 3/16, which is 7 13/16. I would pull the tape off of each edge, mark the tape at 3/16" shy of 8" from each direction, then if the marks are not exactly coincident then half way between the two marks is the exact center.

Tales much longer to explain than to do.

[myxpykalix]

I would suggest that some measurements take more time to figure out and you have to break down your measurements to smaller fractions then divide.

Quickly....whats half of 12??
Quickly...whats half of 17 3/8?

I bet i can stretch out 2 tape measures quicker then you can figure it out in your head or on paper:eek:

[Bob Eustace]

Totally agree Jack. To me the main thing with the rule is it's idiot proof (however this idiot is yet to use one!)

[MogulTx]

I bet you can't, Jack.

I have been doing layouts for close to 25 years using a tape measure... and I used to be FAST at calculating the difference in my head and marking it. And I would mark it down to better than .02".

I used to draw a line through the center of the material, then mark points to check for center in the opposite direction and then make another line square to and coincident with the center of the first line- then lay out X&Y coordinates in four directions from the center. I got very quick at it.

I must admit that I am not as fast on it as I used to be, but the important thing is that I UNDERSTAND what it is that I am doing and translate it from one job to the next, to the next. THAT is the value of understanding what you do and not using a crutch to "get you by" ( not you personally... us in general, as people and workers)

[myxpykalix]

MGM...after 25 years experience i bet you could almost just look at a board and put your finger in the center just by eyeing it! Alot of what you had to do you probably didn't have to figure it out you just remembered it because you did it so many times over and over.

The way i was taught when you had uneven fractions was to break them down into smaller fractions like this

17 3/8
-13 7/16
turns into
16 22/16
-13 7/16
----------
3 15/16
(I hope that's a correct answer!:D)

[Ajcoholic]

I would suggest that some measurements take more time to figure out and you have to break down your measurements to smaller fractions then divide.

Quickly....whats half of 12??
Quickly...whats half of 17 3/8?

I bet i can stretch out 2 tape measures quicker then you can figure it out in your head or on paper:eek:

I bet you cant! I have worked in fractional inches since I was a kid. Even though I was the first generation brought up in the Metric system (started when I was in Grade 2 in 1977) working in the woodworking shop with my father, using nothing but fractional inch measurements - you get REALLY good at it :)

I dont use anything fancy in the shop myself. I did buy a center finding steel rule, by accident - I just wanted a good two foot ruler - but I dont use it for center finding.

But, you can teach an old dog new tricks... I learn something new almost every day!

AJC

[beacon14]

You can't even find the tape measure in the time it would take me to divide those numbers in two in my head. Any number can be compared to the next highest or lowest even number and then divided into two, in just a few seconds once you get the hang of it.

Not diss'ing you at all - just pointing out different strokes for different folks.

I do make a habit of always measuring from both directions, using the same mark from each side, so that if my calculations are off (it has happened!) I still end up with the exact center. And you are right, I can usually guess the center point of most objects to within a few 16ths - sadly that is not a real marketable skill. I'll often put the part "close" to the center, then measure only to find out I'm right on the money or within 1/16".

[myxpykalix]

David,
THAT is exactly why i buy so many tape measures, because I CAN"T find one when i need it!:D

I can usually guess the center point of most objects to within a few 16ths
I can do that, on rare occasion, and frankly that is why i think i have problems with my shoulders...trying to pat myself on the back!:D

then measure only to find out I'm right on the money or within 1/16".
When i do that, i say outloud...."damn you're good!" only not often enough:(