Rick95370

I have been working with wood as a hobby and where needed, most of my life.I have designed and built several projects,but must admit that when I've come to issues regarding Angles,I have always "Winged It"!I would Love to learn the proper ways/tools to figuring and marking correct Angles in general.I would appreciate input on this,at times-Mind Bending issue.
Thanks,Rick95370

woodman42

Welcome to the site Rick!
Angles aren't as hard as they seem. I use one of several speed sqaures and an angle finder. You might try looking in several woodworking catelogs. They usually have several tools for these jobs.

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Check twice!

As woodman42 mentioned, wood working and drafting supply stores carry some pretty good rules. In Canada I use Lee Valley for most rules.

But if you are looking for information of how to, this site has some pretty good information.
http://ca.geocities.com/xpf51/ANGLE_CALCULATORS/

Hope this is of some use.
John

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Graphiti

What kind of angles are you refering to specificly. Given that I am very long winded I could type for hours on the question of angles... But I'm sure it would be more benificial to you if you described exactly what you are after, then I would be less prone to rambling.
I'm happy to be as complete as you'd like.
Randy.

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cabinetman

Simply put protractors in many different forms work well. You may get all kinds of answers which may sound like a PhD is needed to mark angles, whereas, a simple plastic protractor found in the stationary section of grocery stores can fit the bill. There are some differences in how well some are marked, but that's about it. Other than a fixed one there are adjustable ones with arm for marking the graduations.
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allthunbs

"Check twice!" has raised a good issue, rules as in rulers. I inherited some tools from my father who was a sheet metal mechanic. His 4' rule was pretty raunchy so I decided to see if it was "out" at all. I had recently bought a 40" metre stick so I put the two side by each. I checked various points down the rules and by the time I reached the 40" mark, the rules differed by about 1/4". OK, I've got a problem here.

I went to Lee Valley Tools and bought a 4" Engineer's square guaranteed to be accurate beyond anything I could see with a microscope.

Brought this "measuring marvel" home and began to check my measuring devices. My father's rule was bang on. I checked it with a 20x loupe and no matter how I looked at it, it was perfect. That left the 40" metre stick relegated to the dump. I then started checking all of my other devices compared to my father's rule.

Measuring tapes were out from 1/16" to 3/8" (some old, some more recent but none new.) Rules were out as much as 1/4". Framing squares, (none of them newer than 20 years) were all bang on, well off by a few thousandths or so.

I took my engineer's square back to Lee Valley and purchased a 2' rule. Before purchase I compared it to the engineer's square and under the 20x loupe, it was bang on.

So, the moral of the storey, before measuring angles, check your measuring.

Handyman

allthunbs

Thats all good advice. My old grand dad use to tell me all the time to measure twice and cut once. I guess the thing doing the measureing needs to be "bang on". I I have learned through the years its ok to use a tape that is off a little as long as you use only that tape for the whole job.

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allthunbs

Hi Handyman:

Not only to you have to use the same tape measure, that little lip thingy (ok, what else is it called?) is never accurate. I inherited about a dozen or so tape measures and none of them are accurate. Pull on the ??? and you get one measure push on it and you get another. It wouldn't be half bad if it were consistent but it isn't. I've given up using tapes altogether except for the coarsest of work. I have two old Lufkin tapes that are only out about 1/16" that I keep handy in case my wife needs a tape measure. NOONE borrows my rules -- well, maybe my father, if he were still alive.

Check twice!

I use steel rulers and have two of them that I use for my finish work. Who would ever figuer a 1/32" could make such a difference in a finshed product. Like "allthunbs" I have a respect for accuracy and do not allow the household to get at my measuring rulers. This is why I have measuring tapes, for them and rough work.

I always like to keep check on the tool that is using the tool! That is when man/woman and machine become one.

Have a great woodworking day.
John

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Cleaning my glasses will not make me look any better.
But will make what I am looking at better!

allthunbs

Hear Hear!

By the way, Handyman, I like that "Cleaning my glasses doesn't make me look better..."

Handyman

[quote=Check twice!;33160].........

I always like to keep check on the tool that is using the tool! That is when man/woman and machine become one.

Check twice That is deep.

__________________
Collector of Old Tools
Fixer of all things broke
Expert = Drip under pressure