That quote about 'measuring twice' got a whole new meaning today

I heard a contractor tell his apprentice today, 'you aint cuttin wood, you're cuttin money.' Stuck with me hard. He was pointing at a 2x4 they just messed up, about $8 down the drain in scrap. But it's not just the board, it's the 20 minutes of layout time gone too. I think we all get lazy with our tape reads when we're in a rush to finish a job. Has anyone started using a different method to double check their measurements when the pressure is on?

2 comments

2 Comments

victorb7419d ago

Have a buddy who's a trim carpenter. He tapes his tape measure. Literally puts a piece of bright orange tape right on the hook every morning. Says it stops him from guessing. He told me he once measured a window three times, still got it wrong by a quarter inch. Cost him half a day and a whole sheet of plywood. Now he reads it out loud every time. Sounds crazy but it works. The boss even started doing it after seeing the difference.

derekward18d agoMost Upvoted

Man, that orange tape trick is genius. I can barely read my own handwriting on a sticky note, let alone trust my eyes on a tape measure. Last time I measured anything for a shelf I cut it twice and it was still too short, so I gave up and used it as a doorstop. Maybe I need to start taping my measuring tape and also taping my mouth shut so I stop saying "that's close enough.