Pro tip: A weird trick with a 3D printed jig fixed my constant dimension drift on long runs

I kept having this issue on big commercial jobs where my string of dimensions would drift maybe an eighth over 50 feet, just enough to throw off a whole bay. I was checking my tape, my scale, everything. Last week, I was working on a warehouse in Tacoma and got desperate. I modeled and printed a simple L-shaped jig that clips onto my scale bar. It forces my pencil to hit the exact same spot every single time I mark from a dimension line. It sounds dumb, but after three days using it, my check measures were spot on. The problem wasn't my math, it was my hand wobble adding up. Has anyone else found a physical fix for a tiny error that snowballs?

3 comments

3 Comments

aaron_gonzalez2mo ago

Genius. My chisel guide fixed the same wobble.

palmer.jana1mo ago

Ever notice how a lot of life's problems are just things being a little off track? Like a wobbly table leg or a door that sticks. You don't need a whole new thing, you just need to find the right little fix. A chisel guide for a tool, a shim for the table, a bit of grease for the hinge. It's all about that one small adjustment that makes everything work right again.

kim_martin2mo agoProlific Poster

Wait, you had a chisel guide, @aaron_gonzalez?