Story Stick Pro 96"

Leon wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

If you ever figure out you're rubbish at this whole woodworking thing... You could go into tool sales. Maybe you and Swingman could produce full length Tool Time episdoes. "I don't think so Leon." :-)

Puckdropper

;~) Rubbish? Are you Brit-ish?

But in all seriousness. I only try to use a tape measure for verification, never for layout. So currently I lay my 4' story stick down and the 24" at the end of that or any of my steel rules. Some times I have 3 rules laid end to end. ;~)

Anything wrong with just a pencil and a few strips cut off the edge of a sheet of plywood?

Maybe I'm missing something here, but I keep a few scraps of various lengths around to make story sticks out of. Afterwards I just erase or sand off the marks and put them back in the stack for the next job.

Tom

Damn Leon, you could have taken some T Track and made one for a few bucks. What the heck man, you're a ww , make one.

FWIW, Leon gave me one a few years ago, and, like the local drug dealer, set the hook on another addiction.

(Unbeknownst to him I had already recently ordered the full monte model myself).

I've found the smaller one I have to be much more handy and accurate than the traditional story stick for setting up repeat cuts, and particularly when used as a "bar gauge" for obtaining precise existing interior measurements, and then transferring that accurately to a fence setting.

Since I always carry a couple of homemade bar gauges in the truck, because I use them constantly when adding and subtracting cabinets components in kitchens and baths, I find the story stick pro to be equally accurate, but a good deal more versatile:

Also useful, and makes it much easier, to reset a tool setup for those times when you have to go back and redo a part.

Because they are marked with both metric and imperial, it removes the necessity for doing imperial to metric conversions. which also makes it real handy on site for the initial setup, and as a periodic check, during batch cutting of cabinet parts with my TS75 track saw, and other metric tools, when I don't have access to a table saw and fence.

And for furniture, when marking location of multiple mortises for spindles in chairs backs and table aprons/rails.

Not a tool for everyone, but for someone who often has to make many repeat and varied measurements and transfer them as accurately as possible, particularly from existing cabinetry and furniture, definitely a time, and material, saving device.

To repeat what I said in another comment,,,

But in all seriousness. I only try to use a tape measure for verification, never for layout. So currently I lay my 4' story stick down and the 24" at the end of that or any of my steel rules. Some times I have 3 rules laid end to end. ;~)

I'm a bit busy building and selling furniture to be building a story stick.... ;~) Sometimes it costs you money to save a little money.

These things are dead nuts accurate for transferring measurements and setting a miter gauge fence to make a 72" or longer cut. I did make the miter gauge fence extension however. ;~).

Certainly not for every one but IMHO a bargain if you can use them in the shop to save time and you have deadlines.

First batch sold out on first day. Second batch ships at the end of February but if you still order before the end of the month you get the $20 discount.

Leon wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Perhaps you need something a little more compact?

This has to be my favorite Lee Valley product.

I wonder what those little connectors really are. They look simple enough to make, but that thought often winds up costing me 3 times as much as I figured, sometimes 4 when I go and buy the commercial product I was trying to avoid. I've got a bit of aluminum & steel and a milling machine... it might be interesting to try to make a connector.

Puckdropper

Not surprised.

How much in commission did you get? ;)

LOL.....I'm suppose to hold my breath, I think.

That is still basically a tape measure and inherently has the same problems as a tape measure that I have gotten away from when possible. The end clip gradually slips or doesn't always slip or gets bent. And marks on the measure do not give you a 90 degree edge to mark against.

And I have specific needs to be be able to quickly repeat cuts, set up the miter gauge for long length cuts that are exact. The story stick Pro enables me to do that over and over.

I do use an Incra miter gauge with the mid size fence but cuts over 22" long I have to double check measurement stop settings. Shorter than 22" and the Incra is dead on accurate. I almost pulled the trigger on the

If you are talking about the story Stick Pro, my guess aluminum. But maybe /hopefully steel. I would have made them too but most likely out of Ipe or the like. But again the new Story stick addresses a few more of my wishes, more multiple set ups used along side my 48" and 24" models.

FWIW I did find that Woodpeckers does sell the connectors seperately but you have to go to the older Story Stick Pro accessoies page. That was probably by design to prompt sales of the 96" models.

Anyway they are $20 a pair.

I would have bought the couplings and the new offset for field marking tabs, 4 per pack at $20. But for and extra $60 I get it all.

Oh nooooo Mr. Bill...

To repeat what I said in another comment,,,

But in all seriousness. I only try to use a tape measure for verification, never for layout. So currently I lay my 4' story stick down and the 24" at the end of that or any of my steel rules. Some times I have 3 rules laid end to end. ;~)

Maybe I didn't make my point clear, Leon. I'm not debating tape measures versus story sticks. I just don't see the value of spending that kind of money to do the same job that my approach does almost for free.

Tom

And perhaps I was not clear.

Hummmmm I thought I put more with that....

Any way I have had these two Story Stick Pro's for 3~4 years and have always wanted a way to mate them for a longer distance. They are unique in that they give you an index edge to put your pencil against when placing marks, they can square up to t he material, they give you an indexing edge to place the cut side of a track saw track against rather than place a mark at both ends and align the track to the marks. They can be used to transfer, with adjustable indexing, measurements from an object to set the distance between the TS blade tooth and the TS fence. They can also do the same when setting up a length on a miter gauge fence stop.

I guess the big difference between these and the a length of wood with marks on it is that these can be used to set tools up with out having to use a pencil. They can and are used as a very large set of calipers.

The fact that they offer the movable stops is what makes them more accurate than simply using a story stick for me. And keep in mind that I do sell 90% of my work so increasing productivity speed in the shop always pays for it self.

Dangit! You're about to cost me a hundred bucks.

Transferring marks is most common error making procedure. Never measure what you can mark. I've had two occasions where otherwise "accomplished" woodworkers scoffed at me for taking a piece of trim from the pile to where its being installed, marking it to final dimension, then taking it back to the saw to be cut. Both times I was interrogated as to "why didn't you just use a tape measure?" After saying "never measure what you can mark" I usually follow up with, "you've heard the saying, 'measure once cut twice, measure twice cut once.' Well, I prefer to mark once, cut once."

Those *SQUARE* indexing edges are worth the price, IMO. With a regular story pole, to get a square line to transfer a measurement, there are 3 times when you can advance an error often allowing for it to be compounded. I love the idea of being able to "caliper" the measurement/marks straight from the work piece to the saw.