Many of us attribute that adage about measuring twice but cutting once to Norm Abram. The phrase makes sense: Don’t cut until you’re absolutely sure the cutting measurement is correct. But here’s what Norm actually has to say on the subject of measuring in his book Measure Twice, Cut Once.
“Never measure unless you have no choice. Instead, base your marking and cutting on the actual situation. For example, I would never measure an exterior wall for a piece of siding, then go off and measure a length, cut it, and bring it back to install. It doesn’t matter how long the siding needs to be: I hold a length up where I intend to install it and mark it in place for cutting. It’s the actual length that’s important, not the numerical symbols on my tape measure.”
This often doesn’t work quite so easily for woodworking – cutting to fit with no preliminary measurement taken – but it’s definitely food for thought, especially if your ability to read the tape mark or remember the measurement isn’t what it used to be!
Chris Marshall, Woodworker’s Journal
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