All:
In laying out the wall locations for a storage shed, I'm checking my layout for squareness and need some real-world insight on the tolerances, if any, I should take into account when peforming my measurement check. I'm trying to avoid my inherent tendency to be mathematically anal, as I'm used to working on smaller furniture or shelving pieces where tolerances are more critical.
For a building that is just under 10' square, I have my diagonals matching down to about 3/16" difference. I've squared the corners using a conventional 3-4-5 technique, and each corner shows square.
As I measured my diagonals for the umpteenth time, I started realizing that over a 14-foot distance, it may be a foolish proposition to try to reconcile out those last three sixteenths (heck, I was able to show
1/16" inch difference at one point just in the deflection of one piece of wood from not being absolutely flat, to say nothing of any subtle sags in the measuring tape.)In terms of specifics, at 117" (9'9") square, my diagonals should be
165-7/16". I have one diagonal to 165-1/2", and the other to 165-1/4". That's one sixteenth one way, three the other. Do I pursue an absolutely perfect diagonal measurement and chase those 16ths, or have I reached the point where it is close enough to press on?Sorry if this is a naive/stupid question, but I figure I won't know unless I ask...
Thanks, intrepid