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Author Topic: Measure Twice, Then get someone else to check it before you cut :)  (Read 3030 times)

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Drnick

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Well I'm currently building a new storage shed for the back garden, Being built completely from 2x4.   And once again I went and borked it all up  :laugh2: :laugh2:  The shed should have an inside floor dimension of 4ft x 6ft, so I built my base at 4ft.4in x 6ft.4in.  (Some of you may already have guessed the problem). I then Built the walls at 6ft4 length with double uprights in the corners.  The front and back would then screw into those double uprights through another piece of 2x4. Sure it's probably overkill, but when I sell the house in 20 Years I want to be able to say, keep the shed it should be good for another 30 years :) 

Well I've been doing this all by myself and that is probably where the issue came in,  I built the front and the back panels of the shed 4ft wide.  Doesn't sound like a problem except that is 4 inches too wide, once the walls go on the front and back don't fit between the walls. Luckily it's not the end of the world,  I can either trim 2 inches off each edge of the front or just rebuild.  I'll figure something out with the back, probably add a piece of 2x4 to back edge of base which will make it fit.  I should really have thought to myself that the 2x4 used for the base is actually 4x2 when used as framing and adjusted wall sizes accordingly :)

Oh well, I live and Learn, at least chopping the front down to size won't be too hard.  I'll use some upright  2x4 for the back to take up dead space, Meh, I'm sure I'll add photo's to my other thread eventually :)
     

RandyT

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Re: Measure Twice, Then get someone else to check it before you cut :)
« Reply #1 on: June 08, 2018, 11:37:38 am »
CAD software is your friend.  Also, unless you are buying your lumber from a mill which offers full dimensional stock, the materials aren't really the size they are labeled as.

I modeled a "saltbox" style 12x12 garage for my motorcycle and ATV completely in 3D CAD, before ever cutting a piece of wood.  Of course, as soon as I had something fully designed, one of my buddies offered me a free garage door which I had to redesign for.  The CAD software made this much easier as well.  I then made a list of all of the pieces, and cut all of them before assembling a single part.  It went together like a kit, with the exception of a couple of small things which were simple to fix.  It's been up through two winters, with heavy sustained snow loads, and still looks like the day it was built. 

Unless you are an experienced builder, there will always be something you forget to take into account.  But seeing an exact scale, virtual representation, before you start cutting, can minimize the expensive gotchas.

Slippyblade

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Re: Measure Twice, Then get someone else to check it before you cut :)
« Reply #2 on: June 08, 2018, 04:29:29 pm »
Yep, I always pre-build in SketchUp.  Makes the world so much easier.

nitrogen_widget

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Re: Measure Twice, Then get someone else to check it before you cut :)
« Reply #3 on: June 08, 2018, 10:10:09 pm »
I mark stuff with a pencil before I make cuts.
Measuring rarely works out 100%

Drnick

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Re: Measure Twice, Then get someone else to check it before you cut :)
« Reply #4 on: June 12, 2018, 08:24:44 pm »
CAD software is your friend.  Also, unless you are buying your lumber from a mill which offers full dimensional stock, the materials aren't really the size they are labeled as.

I modeled a "saltbox" style 12x12 garage for my motorcycle and ATV completely in 3D CAD, before ever cutting a piece of wood.  Of course, as soon as I had something fully designed, one of my buddies offered me a free garage door which I had to redesign for.  The CAD software made this much easier as well.  I then made a list of all of the pieces, and cut all of them before assembling a single part.  It went together like a kit, with the exception of a couple of small things which were simple to fix.  It's been up through two winters, with heavy sustained snow loads, and still looks like the day it was built. 

Unless you are an experienced builder, there will always be something you forget to take into account.  But seeing an exact scale, virtual representation, before you start cutting, can minimize the expensive gotchas.
It took me long enough to get my head around Sketchup,  I probably should try Cad at some point, we've probably got a few licences going spare at work :) Luckily none of my gotcha's were expensive in terms of monetary value,  Just my man hours which are basically free because I've got to have something to do at the weekend or the wife will drag me off shopping :)

I mark stuff with a pencil before I make cuts.
Measuring rarely works out 100%
Cant disagree with that although may not have helped me avoid the first snafu :) To have avoided all the issues I should have drawn the wood layout on the base really.  After the snafu below this is basically what I ended up doing so I could rebuild front and back to the correct sizing :)

Probably best if I don't mention that although everything fitted after I trimmed the front and back the entire shed didn't actually fit where I wanted it because both the fence and the wall lean in towards each other by nearly 6" :)  Due to this I had to cut another 7" off the front/back and base to get it into where its going to live, Building this hasn't been fun but it is in there and the top is square (Although nearly an inch smaller then the base).  Just got the roof to do (Should be fun as one side will have overhang and the other will not). I could do a sloped roof instead of an apex, but I need all the storage room I can get :)

danny_galaga

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Re: Measure Twice, Then get someone else to check it before you cut :)
« Reply #5 on: June 17, 2018, 09:19:30 pm »

:duckhunt


ROUGHING UP THE SUSPECT SINCE 1981

lilshawn

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Re: Measure Twice, Then get someone else to check it before you cut :)
« Reply #6 on: July 09, 2018, 10:19:25 am »
I love it when people first discover a 2 x 4 is actually 1 1/2 x 3 1/2 but planed on 2 x 4 dimensions

jennifer

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Re: Measure Twice, Then get someone else to check it before you cut :)
« Reply #7 on: July 09, 2018, 11:43:44 am »
I love it when people first discover a 2 x 4 is actually 1 1/2 x 3 1/2 but planed on 2 x 4 dimensions
I know right? :duckhunt....That and sit around on sketchpad until all bleary eyed, I wrote some plans down on a soggy napkin once, but normally its all out of my head and bolt upright nightmare dreams.