Measure twice cut once

[Woodworks]

Not that it would have made any difference as I wrote the measurements down wrong

 

It's the top for the dresser I posted some months back. Spent most of the day making up a new side so now I am nearly back to where I was before I got out of bed.

 

If you're looking on a small screen it's a line of biscuit holes not lining up with the shelf they are supposed to.

 

Go on brighten my day up and share your not so bright moments

[Chris Sheppard]

It's easy done though. Ended up in a similar situation when we were cutting the worktops for the kitchen. Still don't know how I did it as both me and SWMBO both checked and double checked and I still cut it a few inches short. Luckily we managed to use that bit for the last bit we needed and the other bit left over was just long enough to do the original gap

 

As for today, was looking forward to a day pottering about at home and woke up to a blocked toilet so spent most of this morning rodding the drains All courtesy of one of the neighbours trying to use flush the world's supply of baby wipes

[Woodworks]

Haha thanks Chris.

 

Had to rod through to our septic a couple of weeks back so feel for you.

[agg221]

Last night I was nailing battens to the extension wall in preparation for weatherboarding. I decided it was time to stop when I cut the longest one (the only one which will fit) 10cm too short. I had measured it in-situ and marked it but I think it must have slipped under my hand. I think the 10cm piece will be fixed down with a couple of screws and nobody will see it under the weatherboards.

 

Alec

[cornish wood burner]

A long time ago I made a large ornamental front gate for a customer to their measurement and design. Delivered it but it was a few inches too wide. Normally I would have visited, measured and agreed a design etc but she wanted to save the cost of this.

Turned out her tape measure had a bit broken off the end and she added the difference rather than subtracted it. Worse thing was she wasn't going to pay for it because it would not fit. "Not my fault it was the tape measure" Luckily her husband said he would hang it on the front of the pillars rather than between. Lucky escape.

[TGB]

Fitting a few panes of glass after vandalism, I measured and subtracted 1/8" off a length & a width for expansion. Popped along to the glaziers, a round trip of 24mls. Gave him the measurements. He asked if I wanted it that size and I confirmed the numbers. He asked if I'd subtracted the 1/8" and I said yes. He cut the panes, 4 or 5 and off I went.

 

I'd prepared the frames and applied the bedding putty but when I offered up the first piece. I found he'd cut all of them 1/4" too small. Back I went to complain and have the new pane redone at his expense. He seemed surprised to see me return. I went over the measurements again! And what did he say, "When I asked you before whether you'd taken into account expansion and reduced the size. I naturally assumed you were lying to me, because everyone does. And subtracted an 1/8" plus a bit all round for your error. Everybody has a tape but no one knows how to use it."

 

I assured him I did and gave him the figures for the third time. Explained that he could have the first panes back and that I wasn't going to pay for the replacements, plus I wanted him to stump up for the extra putty I would now need.

 

He agreed to cut the panes at no extra cost and gave me a tin of putty. But I still had to pay for the extra fuel. I watched as he measured the glass and had to stop him as he nearly cut the first pane 1/4" too small. I then had to check the next four before he cut them. The panes were duly fitted and I had putty left over. An interesting way to spend a morning. But due to his error, it was a more a case of measure once and cut twice, with a bit more measuring in between; 48mls on the road and it threw my schedule out for the rest of the day.

Edited March 23, 2015 by TGB

[CallumA]

The amount of times when measuring the rivet that holds on the end on the tape hooks on the end of the work piece rather than the tape hook and I end up cutting 12 mm short!!

[bobh]

We once had a job splitting a stable yard in half with post and rail fence, it was a traditional type of yard with wooden stables around 3 side of the yard.

We measured it all out and concreted the posts in, came to fit the rails only to find we were 2" short of the stable, ended up cutting 2" of the rail at the other end and telling the customer that we stopped the rails short so there was no way they would ever rub on the side of the stable, she was over the moon with our idea!

[agrimog]

We once had a job splitting a stable yard in half with post and rail fence, it was a traditional type of yard with wooden stables around 3 side of the yard.

We measured it all out and concreted the posts in, came to fit the rails only to find we were 2" short of the stable, ended up cutting 2" of the rail at the other end and telling the customer that we stopped the rails short so there was no way they would ever rub on the side of the stable, she was over the moon with our idea!

 

if you cant dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit........lol