How To: Make Your Own Short Metal Rulers

[RonB]

Process is simple:

- Grab your 5' aluminum straightedge/ruler to measure any object in the shop

- Get a cell phone call

- Set the ruler down on your miter saw

- Finish the phone call

- Respond to wife's request for help in the house

- Answer phone again and talk to son for 15 minutes

- Go back to shop and drag 8' piece of Oak off of lumber rack

- Get another call and lay Oak on miter saw while fumbling with the phone

- Talk on phone for a few minutes

- Measure Oak with tape measure

- Cut Oak at mark

- Presto - two rulers.

Note: Some minor tweaking is needed to get ends of ruler to line up with ruler graduations.

RonB

[nailshooter41]

Loved it. Still laughing about that one.

I remember the day I made the adjustments on my old steel miter saw permanent. With a brand new thin kerf Freud blade, I cut through TWO (yes, TWO) bolts right at the base of the knob. Heard a bit of noise, but that was it as the blade sliced through those low grade bolts easily.

My helper actually thought I did that on purpose to keep him from fiddling with the saw once I had it set up.

Thanks for the laugh.

Robert

[RonB]

Yeah. I heard it too.

But it was like that instant when you realize the toilet seat us up, but there ain't a damned thing you can do about it.

RonB

[Larry Blanchard]

Do *not* try this on your new Sawstop :-).

[RonB]

Larry: Instead of replying to your comment, I will respond to your byline.

" Intelligence is an experiment that failed"

Yep.

RonB

[Bill]

I think you were just momentarily confused about the "measure twice, and cut once" rule... It happens.

Bill

[RonB]

Hee Hee. Yes, if I have anything left to measure with :^)

[Zz Yzx]

I can attest to a cool way to divide a shop vac electrical cord into equal halves:

1. Drape the shop vac cord over the the back of a contractor's table saw, without paying close attention to exact placement (i.e. resting on the drive belt).
2. Set up saw fo rthe cut, turn on shop vac, then hit the "On" switch on the saw.
3. Hear the funny sounds, see the pretty sparks.
4. Reset breaker, patch vac cord, act like I meant to do that.

-Zz

[Larry Jaques]

Ron, friends don't let friends use FARKIN' PHONES in the shop.

P.S: Condolences on your expensive lesson.

-- Some people are like Slinkies ... not really good for anything, but you can't help smiling when you see one tumble down the stairs.

[Larry Jaques]

Your modified adage is "Measure twice, cut rule."

-- Some people are like Slinkies ... not really good for anything, but you can't help smiling when you see one tumble down the stairs.

[Bill]

I'd say he got off dirt-cheap. I'd rather have 1000 lessons like that than one expensive one.

Bill

[Larry Jaques]

You obviously haven't priced 5' straightedges, Bill. ;)

I'm still wondering why people have to be glued to farkin' teevees and phones 24/7. Amazing.

-- Some people are like Slinkies ... not really good for anything, but you can't help smiling when you see one tumble down the stairs.

[Lew Hodgett]

------------------------------------ Rule #1: Shut the friggin cell phone off when entering shop.

Rule #2: When in doubt, refer to rule #1.

Lew

[Rich]

Love your Signature... Kinda like Stupidity should be painful!

[Larry Jaques]

Right!

-- Some people are like Slinkies ... not really good for anything, but you can't help smiling when you see one tumble down the stairs.

[Pat Barber]

[Robatoy]

When I saw the subject line, I (wrongly) assumed it was a thread about some sort of small rule, made to please a neander in his quest for perfect dove-tails and superbly balanced scraper blades. What I read was a very funny 'slice-of-modern-life' anecdote. The kind of story which reassured me that something like that neither has, nor will ever happen to me. Like... in my world, sometimes I use a circular saw to cut a countertop, including its build-up, to length on the workbench. That means the blade is dropped below the shoe =B1 1-5/8" which I 'ALWAYS' raise back up to the normal height of 3/4"....unless the cellphone rings. Then I (would) get to destroy expensive aluminum workbench rails.....IF I was to ever forget to raise the blade back up..... more than once. Cellphones do NOT have a place in an active workshop, but DO have a place if you're running a business from that workshop....