Sä-tôr-ee
noun. (Buddhism) A spiritual awakening, often coming suddenly.
Sitting on the back deck this fine Thanksgiving morning, feeling
grateful for all thats been given me, and got to reflecting on all of
those moments during my wanderings through this edenic world of
woodworking that have enabled me to free myself from old ways and
given me the inspiration to grow, to do, to be, better.
There was a singular moment that changed my woodworking life. It was
a _very_ long time ago, but I remember it like it happened yesterday,
and it never fails to make me smile. It was the moment I realized I
didn't have to be a slave to measuring devices.
I was trying to divide something _exactly_ in half. I'd done the
math, using some crappy ruler I'd probably had since kindergarten, and
with the fractions involved, and the "how do I account for the saw
kerf" thing clouding the issue, I'd managed to botch up a couple of
tries. I'd also managed to half convince myself that this woodworking
thing wasn't going to be something I was capaple of doing and I
probably should just give it up.
I got another board, threw the ruler on it, and looked down at the
most amazing revelation since... ever.
You know what's coming, of course. The ruler wasn't square with the
board, it was laying across it at an angle. There were BIG,
HUUUUUUGE, inch marks at each edge of the board. Not little 16ths,
not little indecipherable spaces between the 16ths, but _inch_ marks.
I put a mark at the halfway point, moved the ruler farther down the
board, did it again, connected the lines and cut that board right down
the middle.
I realized that day that it wasn't my woodworking ability that was
flawed, it was my thinking. I didn't need to know what half the width
of the board was, I needed to know _how_ to cut it in half. They're
not the same question at all. If I'm ever going to get the right
answers, I first need to ask the right questions.
That moment was start of a lot of requestioning and today, (although I
own a lot of them), I rarely use tape measures. I use sticks. A lot.
When I build the barn doors later today for the shop, I won't care how
tall the opening is. I'll grab two sticks and a c-clamp and _know_
how tall the doors need to be. The hinges will be right the first
time, because I'll lay them out on the sticks first and use _the
sticks_ to mark the doors and the frame. None of this will involve me
knowing how long or far anything is, because that's not the question.
The question is "Where do they go?" And I'll _know._
Simple. The best, and most useful, ideas and techniques usually are.
It's only my ego that gets in the way. And for realizing that, and
being willing to change, I'm grateful.
You?
Michael
On 27 Nov 2003 11:41:49 -0800, [email protected] (aaron) wrote:
>I'm trying to visualize what you did. I get the gist - you essentialy
>used (I think) "intuitive geometry" to cut the board in half. But I'm
>still not able to visualize the epiphany. Can you (or someone that
>_did_ get what he was saying) post a link to a quick drawing?
It's my fault, Aaron. I shouldn't post on insufficient coffee.
Pretend, for a moment, you have no concept of fractions, and therefore
no concept of what all the little lines between the "inch" marks on a
ruler are. All you know is whole numbers and therefore whole inches.
You want to cut a 3-inch wide board in half down the middle so that
you have 2 strips, each 1-1/2 inches wide. You think you can't do it,
because your limited abilities include only whole numbers.
If, however, you lay the ruler _diagonally_ across the board so that
the "0" mark is on one edge of the board and the "4" mark is on the
other, you can make a mark on the board where the ruler says "2" and
you will have halved the board. Do this a little further down the
board and then connect the marks you made, giving you a line right
down the middle of the board.
Really simple example, but I use it all the time. Did so today as a
matter of fact, when building shop windows. Layed out screw wholes on
some plexi, evenly spaced. Didn't need to know exactly how long the
run was, I just new I wanted 6 evenly spaced screws on each edge.
Used the method above, extended the lines out to the perimeter of the
piece, and had my holes laid out. I don't know how far apart they
are, but...
they're EXACTLY that far apart. :)
Best,
Michael
Michael Baglio mbaglio<NOSPAM @nc.rr.com>
>
>You want to cut a 3-inch wide board in half down the middle so that
>you have 2 strips, each 1-1/2 inches wide. You think you can't do it,
>because your limited abilities include only whole numbers.
A rule, or tape measure, is a pretty informal expedient. If you flip the tool,
and try from either side, that helps to confirm.
But, there's many ways:
For fairly narrow stock there's a shop-made guage that's pretty good for
halving.
Fasten a couple of dowels (1/4 inch or whatever, wood, or metal for longer
lasting) centered in one edge of a length of square stock (one inch by one inch
by, say twelve), so they stick out a half inch, or one inch, or whatever,
depending on use. Put them, maybe six to twelve inches apart, your choice.
Drill a hole exactly between these to hold a pencil, or pointed scribe.
For any given piece of parallel-sided stock within its range, the guage will
scribe a center line for you, once you set it so the insides of both dowels
touch the sides of the stock. There's nothing to read, so the "measuring" task
has vanished. Just run the center point down the middle of the stock, keeping
the insides of the dowels touching the outsides of the stock.
End of sa story. <cough, cough, er, kerf, kerf>
FM
"Scott Cramer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 27 Nov 2003, Fdmorrison spake unto rec.woodworking:
>
> > Fasten a couple of dowels (1/4 inch or whatever, wood, or metal for
> > longer lasting) centered in one edge of a length of square stock (one
> > inch by one inch by, say twelve), so they stick out a half inch, or
> > one inch, or whatever, depending on use. Put them, maybe six to twelve
> > inches apart, your choice. Drill a hole exactly between these to hold
> > a pencil, or pointed scribe.
>
> Umm... how do you find the exact halfway point between the dowels?
> ;^)
Place two boards of equal width edge to edge and apply the centerfinder.
Mark the center finder using the edge-to-edge boards.
Larry
On 27 Nov 2003, Fdmorrison spake unto rec.woodworking:
> Fasten a couple of dowels (1/4 inch or whatever, wood, or metal for
> longer lasting) centered in one edge of a length of square stock (one
> inch by one inch by, say twelve), so they stick out a half inch, or
> one inch, or whatever, depending on use. Put them, maybe six to twelve
> inches apart, your choice. Drill a hole exactly between these to hold
> a pencil, or pointed scribe.
Umm... how do you find the exact halfway point between the dowels?
;^)
In article <[email protected]>,
Scott Cramer <[email protected]> wrote:
>On 27 Nov 2003, Fdmorrison spake unto rec.woodworking:
>
>> Fasten a couple of dowels (1/4 inch or whatever, wood, or metal for
>> longer lasting) centered in one edge of a length of square stock (one
>> inch by one inch by, say twelve), so they stick out a half inch, or
>> one inch, or whatever, depending on use. Put them, maybe six to twelve
>> inches apart, your choice. Drill a hole exactly between these to hold
>> a pencil, or pointed scribe.
>
> Umm... how do you find the exact halfway point between the dowels?
I use a variation of the story stick concept - which I call a "story
piece of paper". I take a piece of 16 pound bond paper exactly as wide
as the square stock, and trim it to fit exactly between the dowels -
touching each of them. Then I bring, alternately, two opposite edges of
the story paper together, and crease a line through the middle of the
page. Each of the two lines goes through the center, and hence the
meeting point of the two creases is the desired " exact halfway point
between the dowels". Fasten the paper carefully to the wood (rubber
cement works well) and then drill the desired hole through wood,
centered on the meeting point. 20 pound bond paper can also be used,
but it makes it a bit more difficult to drill though.
>;^)
--
--henry schaffer
[email protected]
On Fri, 28 Nov 2003 14:47:32 GMT, Scott Cramer
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Umm... how do you find the exact halfway point between the dowels?
You get a copy of Euclid's Geometry and a pair of dividers. It was
enough to build medieval cathedrals and you teach a 6 year old to do
it.
--
Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods
Michael Baglio related the folowing
> Sä-tôr-ee
> noun. (Buddhism) A spiritual awakening, often coming suddenly.
> When I build the barn doors later today for the shop, I won't care how
> tall the opening is. I'll grab two sticks and a c-clamp and _know_
> how tall the doors need to be. The hinges will be right the first
> time, because I'll lay them out on the sticks first and use _the
> sticks_ to mark the doors and the frame. None of this will involve me
> knowing how long or far anything is, because that's not the question.
> The question is "Where do they go?" And I'll _know._
I only use story sticks when I want things to fit properly. %-)
Dave in Fairfax
--
reply-to doesn't work
use:
daveldr at att dot net
<snip waxing poetic>
> You know what's coming, of course. The ruler wasn't square with the
> board, it was laying across it at an angle. There were BIG,
> HUUUUUUGE, inch marks at each edge of the board. Not little 16ths,
> not little indecipherable spaces between the 16ths, but _inch_ marks.
> I put a mark at the halfway point, moved the ruler farther down the
> board, did it again, connected the lines and cut that board right down
> the middle.
Michael-
I'm trying to visualize what you did. I get the gist - you essentialy
used (I think) "intuitive geometry" to cut the board in half. But I'm
still not able to visualize the epiphany. Can you (or someone that
_did_ get what he was saying) post a link to a quick drawing?
("Concentrate grasshopper, concentrate!")
thanks!
-aaron
I'd take a picture for you, but my digital camera battery needs recharging
so let me try and explain in more detail.
Grab a 1x6. Put the zero mark of a straightedge on the 1x6 and on the
opposite side of the 1x6 put the 10 inch mark of your straightedge. Your
straightedge will be sitting diagonally on the 1x6. Since the middle of 10
inches is 5 inches, the 5 inch mark of your straightedge is the halfway
point or in other words the center of your 1x6.
This is just an example, you don't have to use a 1x6 and in the example
above you could put the straightedge at another mark besides 10 inches. The
idea is that to find the center you just divide your straightedge distance
in half. If you used 8 inches instead of 10 then the center would be at the
4 inch mark (1/2 of 8 inches).
This can also be used to divide a board into any number of equally spaced
sections. Just measure diagonally on the board using a distance that is
easily dividable. For example, if you wanted to divide a board into 4 equal
spaces, just lay your straightedge diagonally so the 8 inch mark is on one
side of the board. I used 8 inches because 8 is easily divisible by 4 and
is of course 2 inches. Therefore each space is 2 inches on your
straightedge. Mark your board at 2", 4", 6", and 8"(i.e. the far edge of
the board).
--
Larry C in Auburn, WA
"aaron" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> <snip waxing poetic>
>
> > You know what's coming, of course. The ruler wasn't square with the
> > board, it was laying across it at an angle. There were BIG,
> > HUUUUUUGE, inch marks at each edge of the board. Not little 16ths,
> > not little indecipherable spaces between the 16ths, but _inch_ marks.
> > I put a mark at the halfway point, moved the ruler farther down the
> > board, did it again, connected the lines and cut that board right down
> > the middle.
>
> Michael-
>
> I'm trying to visualize what you did. I get the gist - you essentialy
> used (I think) "intuitive geometry" to cut the board in half. But I'm
> still not able to visualize the epiphany. Can you (or someone that
> _did_ get what he was saying) post a link to a quick drawing?
>
> ("Concentrate grasshopper, concentrate!")
>
> thanks!
> -aaron
So you use story sticks, and Michael uses Satori sticks. Hmm.
Bejay
--
re. email: I have no equal.
<[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Michael Baglio related the folowing
> > Sä-tôr-ee
> > noun. (Buddhism) A spiritual awakening, often coming suddenly.
> > When I build the barn doors later today for the shop, I won't care how
> > tall the opening is. I'll grab two sticks and a c-clamp and _know_
> > how tall the doors need to be. The hinges will be right the first
> > time, because I'll lay them out on the sticks first and use _the
> > sticks_ to mark the doors and the frame. None of this will involve me
> > knowing how long or far anything is, because that's not the question.
> > The question is "Where do they go?" And I'll _know._
>
> I only use story sticks when I want things to fit properly. %-)
> Dave in Fairfax
> --
> reply-to doesn't work
> use:
> daveldr at att dot net