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| What Scales or Rules do you use? http://www-.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=41841 |
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| Author: | naccoachbob [ Sun Nov 03, 2013 4:24 pm ] |
| Post subject: | What Scales or Rules do you use? |
What type of rules or scales do you prefer for guitar building? How exact do they need to be? Do you use mm's, decimal inches, fractional inches, what combinations? What increments are needed - 64th", .1mm? How long are they? I'm going to start building #5 in the next month or so, and thought I'd get some rules or scales (some refer to the very accurate ones as "machinist scales" - but I don't want to bog down in names if it can be avoided) buying one every couple of weeks or so. My thoughts are to have one that is 6", 2 ft, and 3 ft. As I might start making some classical guitars, it might be good to have Inch/Millimeter on one or more of them. Is it more important to use the same measuring scale - is it enough to use the same one if you do it the same way all the time? I'd appreciate insight on what you choose and what makes you choose a particular type or brand. Thanks in advance. By the way, what brought this on is that my eyesight has been changing over the past several years, and I couldn't see accurately enough anyway, and although I tried to be very precise, often it was hard to see enough detail for precision. I had cataract surgery this past Mon, and will have the other eye done tomorrow. Gosh what a difference. I won't be going overboard on this, so if there's such a thing as too much precision, I won't go there. Oh, I do recommend the surgery if you have cataracts. It's very, very safe and the whole world looks way better to me than it did a week ago. Bob Edit: corrected the title |
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| Author: | Trevor Gore [ Sun Nov 03, 2013 5:42 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: What cales or Rules do you use? |
For the smaller stuff, if you haven't already got one, a 6"/150mm digital calliper will save a lot of eye strain. Probably the most used tool in my shop. In these parts its easy to get rules that are inch one side and metres the other, but that seems rare in USA when I've visited peoples' shops there. I asked one guy for a metric rule and of the 20 or so measuring sticks he had in his shop, there was nothing with metric on (and he was building classicals)! |
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| Author: | DennisK [ Sun Nov 03, 2013 6:23 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: What cales or Rules do you use? |
I have a 36" graduated straightedge like this http://www.garrettwade.com/product.asp?pn=05S11.01&&SID=W4011000&EID=W4011001&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=ProductAds&utm_campaign=Google1&cvsfa=3928&cvsfe=2&cvsfhu=30355331312e3032&gclid=CO3H6f7Y4bcCFc5DMgodwGkALg Use it for fret slotting, bridge placing, checking neck angle, flatness of various surfaces, as a knife guide for slicing veneers... it's cheap and it works. 7 inch combination square, which is a square, short ruler, and straightedge all in one. I also have a 24" flexible steel rule, but I don't use it very often. It does have metric on one side, at least. |
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| Author: | B. Howard [ Sun Nov 03, 2013 7:00 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: What Scales or Rules do you use? |
I prefer those marked in 64ths. the metric system is not so good for measuring by eye in woodworking. I can see and mark a 64th with accuracy and estimate a 128th pretty well, that's a resolution of .016" accurately and .008" with a plus or minus of.003" or so. Compared to the metric system where 1mm is the finest resolution you can see by eye as the next division would be ten segments within that. So there you can accurately measure .040" and guesstimate at .020" for the half millimeter. I have one rule marked in 100ths but seldom use it. |
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| Author: | Michael.N. [ Sun Nov 03, 2013 7:31 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: What Scales or Rules do you use? |
Some rules have 0.5 mm graduations, usually for the first section of the rule. You can split that by eye (if you really need to) to get 0.25 mm's. The only time I can think that I require that kind of accuracy is when making a fretting rule - and I use magnification for that. Perhaps it's just my age but I find find the very fine markings more of a hindrance. A 1 mm division is perfectly adequate for me. I can guess the rest. Digital calipers ![[:Y:]](./images/smilies/smiley20.gif "Thumbs Up")
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| Author: | Trevor Gore [ Sun Nov 03, 2013 7:40 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: What Scales or Rules do you use? |
B. Howard wrote: ...the metric system is not so good for measuring by eye in woodworking... I've never had a problem using it for building everything from sheds to boats to guitars. I suspect most of the rest of the world hasn't, either, as it's what gets used virtually everywhere but the USA. I have Toledo brand satin SS rules, 150mm, 300mm, 600mm, 1000mm all graduated full length in 0.5mm increments, eye-ballable to 0.25mm (10 thousandths) on one edge, 1mm on the other. All the accuracy needed for the longer lengths on guitars. (They're also part graduated in 50th and 64th inches on the other side, which I never use). I slot fretboards using CNC'd templates. If more accuracy is required, it's usually on small parts, which is digital calliper country. For measuring out string lengths for intonation purposes I use a precision 600mm brass measuring "stick" and measure out from that for the extra length with digital callipers. Michael.N. wrote: Perhaps it's just my age but I find find the very fine markings more of a hindrance. 1 mm division is perfectly adequate for me. I can guess the rest. I can relate to that! |
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| Author: | the Padma [ Sun Nov 03, 2013 9:48 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: What Scales or Rules do you use? |
6", 12" and 18" satin chrome flex or rigid rules. metric and imperial One center ruler, local hardware store. A couple of wooden 18" steel edge rulers from public school. one Stumack attack string spaceing rule...highly recommended...especially if you into building all different sorts of things with strings. Me hates doin the maths. One surveyors tape...has 10 inches to the foot... Two wooden and one aluminum yardstick from the 1950's with silk screened numbers...real funkie. Every once in a while me will joint the edge of the aluminum one...Just to have somthin thats somewhat really straight around here.  Lets see...bout a half dozen or so assorted tape measures from the local lumberyard, hardware or Wally Mart . And finally, about a year or so ago me breakded down and bought some digital calipers. Yes is true.  Truth be knowen me uses the 18 inch and the wooden yard stick the most. |
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| Author: | Rodger Knox [ Mon Nov 04, 2013 12:05 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: What Scales or Rules do you use? |
the Padma wrote: 6", 12" and 18" satin chrome flex or rigid rules. metric and imperial One center ruler, local hardware store. A couple of wooden 18" steel edge rulers from public school. one Stumack attack string spaceing rule...highly recommended...especially if you into building all different sorts of things with strings. Me hates doin the maths. One surveyors tape...has 10 inches to the foot... Two wooden and one aluminum yardstick from the 1950's with silk screened numbers...real funkie. Every once in a while me will joint the edge of the aluminum one...Just to have somthin thats somewhat really straight around here. Lets see...bout a half dozen or so assorted tape measures from the local lumberyard, hardware or Wally Mart . And finally, about a year or so ago me breakded down and bought some digital calipers. Yes is true. Truth be knowen me uses the 18 inch and the wooden yard stick the most. That would be tenths of a foot, not inches. I much prefer tenths of a foot over inches... |
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| Author: | the Padma [ Mon Nov 04, 2013 12:22 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: What Scales or Rules do you use? |
Rodger Knox wrote: That would be tenths of a foot, not inches. I much prefer tenths of a foot over inches... I accord you your privilege to prefer what thou wilt. However the correct term for one tenth of a foot on a surveyors measuring tape is still called one inch. When ever me use to have a smart azz on site, me would hide his tape and say "here use mine" Let them do a few cuts, then say, "hey, theres your tape, give me back mine" Then watch the smart azz try and figure why non of his cut don't fit.
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| Author: | Rodger Knox [ Mon Nov 04, 2013 12:36 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: What Scales or Rules do you use? |
the Padma wrote: I accord you your privilege to prefer what thou wilt. However the correct term for one tenth of a foot on a surveyors measuring tape is still called one inch. Now that's a concept I can appreciate, imperial metric! Ten inches in a foot, ten tenths in an inch. Incidentally, that is exactly the system I use in my day job as a civil engineer/surveyor. I do recall some of the oldtime surveyors using survey inches.... |
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| Author: | the Padma [ Mon Nov 04, 2013 1:16 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: What Scales or Rules do you use? |
Ya Roger...real old timers...like me eh... Oh ya me forgot....when doing break out me prefer to use a No. 68 Upson or a No. 61 Stanley Same difference. |
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| Author: | Alex Kleon [ Mon Nov 04, 2013 8:34 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: What Scales or Rules do you use? |
My rule is to never use a scale that reads over 175 lbs.  Alex |
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