I’ve been a carpenter for 50 years now, I’ve learned to measure as little as possible. He’s showing how! Measure twice cut once still prevails though. He knows his stuff!
I was doing TI (tenant improvement) work with a partner in the 90's. We were into sticks and other tricks to avoid using our tapes. We played a game; first guy to pull out his tape buys lunch. We got so good the bet became dinner. ;0)
When I was 17 I started doing carpentry work and an old timer taught me these tricks to save time. The best thing about this method is that it doesn't take much practice to do it right. I haven't been a carpenter for many years now but occasionally I do still get to use this trick in my home wood shop.
That was wonderful! I worked as a Journeyman electrician for 39 years until retirement, and I appreciate all the techniques trades people utilize in their everyday work life. Thank you for sharing with those of us who are life long learners.
Yeah but a lot of newbie’s will find information like this valuable…. Seems many young people don’t have any guidance anymore in learning what we thought is basic, heck most young guys don’t even have a toolbox or knowledge of how to use tools.
I am retired now but used that method to mark cut lines. I also was using a folding rule as well. The folding rule takes it to an even higher level. You rarely see a folding rule on the job anymore. I would be lost without one if I was able to work again. Thanks for the video. I am sure some up and coming wood worker will appreciate learning this method of marking a board.
Learned this trick in 1969 wood shop. It's something I take for granted. Happy that you are bringing it to a new generation. We call it a finger gauge. I bet you know how to use a thumb gauge, very helpful with a razor blade knife. Glad men like you exist.
member when i learned this trick but been using it for years and years, cant even count how many times or ways i use this on a daily basis for working, it is so valueable in countless applications the less you have to pull out a tape measure the faster the process
Very useful tool. In addition to using a tape, a yardstick or ruler can be used, too. Back in my high school days, I saw a carpenter building canvas set panels for a play, and used a yardstick with a paint brush fixed on its end (using your method), and glided along the panel edge to paint parallel lines for a stage set depicting building fronts.
I use that trick all my life, I paid attention when my father used in his shop,I was about seven or eight years old. Can’t say thanks enough to him showing me all those tricks I use now ✊🏻✊🏻
Just straight up great advice - especially for drywall where you don’t have to be so precise. Is saw a builder doing this once. He was so efficient it was nice to watch. This vid is inspiration to just start doing it, thanks.
Thanks for the vid, keeping these old tricks & tips alive is priceless. It also used to amaze me watching them cut in a roof with compound angles, figuring the slope, pitches and degrees without a day of trig or geometry class under their belt & no calculator. Now days it comes to the jobsite precut, just stick the puzzle pc.'s together & nail it down. We are being dumb-downed with pre-fab & the old-arts are being lost .
These old Carpenter's, farmers, old school mechanics, Grandmas and Grandfather's. They are all a wealth of knowledge. Young kids learn all you can from these folks if you have them in your life.
Excellent tutorial. I am not a carpenter but i do some diy and this video is so helpful. This method will speed up the measuring and cutting. Thanks - from the Phils.
Yup. Great tip. Most often I use this for ripping drywall with knife and my tape, but also ripping 2 bys using my fingers as a guide for circular saw, best with gloves for splinters.
Brilliant. I'm not a carpenter - I make guitars. I use this technique all the time for scraping finish from an edge (we call it a finger fence) - and you can get accurate to a thou with ease. Funny I never thought to use it for larger dimensions. I can tell you that after seeing this I'm going to use it for whole lot more applications. Also nice to hear feet and inches (originally called Imperial - I'm proudly British!) instead of metric. I'm now off to binge on your other videos, starting with the fractional numbers ones. I'm from a generation where we were taught to just do this stuff in our heads, but it will be interesting to see your 'trick'. I see this is a couple of years old and I may be speaking into the ether, but if you are out there montoring, thanks a lot.
I'm a carpenter and used this technique for years but great to see this video, it will help a lot of people. I use a finger on a saw to rip boards that look like they were cut on a table saw lol
I was working for a new guy when he broke out the table saw to rip some plywood, I laughed and said not only can I rip it straighter with my skilsaw but I can rip it faster than the two of you on that craftman tablesaw. The race was on! Well if you could call it a race. It was hard not to laugh as that table saw rocked all over the place and listening to the blade bind. My freehand cuts were laser straight. Theirs +- 1/4 inch. I said "its called a SKILSAW for a reason" lol. Framers Lives Matter!
I’ve been doing construction for 40+ years and have used this technique several times. Collected a few splinters on the edge of lumbered through the years.
My grandfather worked as a surveyor and spent the last 30+ years working in a steel mill, the last of those years as foreman. When he was living, he used to amaze me with his ability to eyeball measurements, sometimes to literal pinpoint accuracy. Miss you Paw-paw!
Great tip with the thumb holding the tape to the blade! I think it only works with a reasonably wide tape, or tends to flex - especially on wider cuts. Thanks for taking the time to share.👍
Standard procedure for me - it's fun when someone who doesn't know sees you draw a straight line using your finger as a guide and they're impressed and then they think you really know what your doing
thank you kindly for sharing this.I've been using the same myself and was taught it by my grandfather.another one I found particularly handy was when subdividing a piece of timber by using a ruler at an angle that gives me the qbility,when used in conjunction with a t square to accurately divide odd widths of timber,rather than trying to work out dividing something,say would be 17 toand 3 /16 of an inch.May the Lord bless you and ylurs.stay safe and lucky my fdiend.maddog.woodworker,Turner and tree surgeon.I have a headache 395xp.running a 36" bar( she will take a 50" ,but the three footer is good enough for planning most trees I dea! with.it's 97.8cc,so plenty of power and I grind every third tooth off as cheaper than buying a skip chain.thank you and respect.you've a new subscriber anyway and I look forward to viewing more of your information.maddog
Great reminder that you have “tools” literally at your fingertips. Other tips that work in rough framing is to measure the width of your fingers, length from inside your elbow to longest fingertip, and the length of your foot.
Your video came up in my suggestions. I like the way your saw horse is made. I remember using this technique in setting out gauges around steel frames in plastering. You have a very stable hand as you run your pencil along the wood. I like the carpenters square which you showed at the beginning of the video. Once when I was a young man working on a site, I walked past a carpenter kneeling hanging a door. I accidentally kicked his knee with my boots. I said sorry. The carpenter said that's alight, I like been kicked in the knee. I worked with carpenters setting up dry wall and used the technique you showed in this video. Great video, well done and thankyou for posting the video.
I'm an experienced enough Surveyor that I know in order to get better at my trade, my time spent learning about carpentry will go much farther than learning more about surveying. This one is amazing. I learned a lot from an older surveyor, who even 18 years ago was using "old techniques", that I'm still using to this day. Technology is killing the skill and understanding behind my trade, and it's such a shame, because it's small things like this that brings so much personal satisfaction from the job. Thanks a bunch for sharing this.
I’ve been a carpenter for 50 years now, I’ve learned to measure as little as possible. He’s showing how! Measure twice cut once still prevails though. He knows his stuff!
I was doing TI (tenant improvement) work with a partner in the 90's. We were into sticks and other tricks to avoid using our tapes. We played a game; first guy to pull out his tape
buys lunch. We got so good the bet became dinner. ;0)
When I was 17 I started doing carpentry work and an old timer taught me these tricks to save time. The best thing about this method is that it doesn't take much practice to do it right. I haven't been a carpenter for many years now but occasionally I do still get to use this trick in my home wood shop.
That was wonderful! I worked as a Journeyman electrician for 39 years until retirement, and I appreciate all the techniques trades people utilize in their everyday work life. Thank you for sharing with those of us who are life long learners.
Started doing this at 15 ...55 years ago. Moving on............
Yeah but a lot of newbie’s will find information like this valuable…. Seems many young people don’t have any guidance anymore in learning what we thought is basic, heck most young guys don’t even have a toolbox or knowledge of how to use tools.
I am retired now but used that method to mark cut lines. I also was using a folding rule as well. The folding rule takes it to an even higher level. You rarely see a folding rule on the job anymore. I would be lost without one if I was able to work again. Thanks for the video. I am sure some up and coming wood worker will appreciate learning this method of marking a board.
Oh yeah, the folders! I haven’t used one in years. I’m going to look for one of those... perhaps save a trip to town and just make one.
Learned this trick in 1969 wood shop. It's something I take for granted. Happy that you are bringing it to a new generation. We call it a finger gauge. I bet you know how to use a thumb gauge, very helpful with a razor blade knife. Glad men like you exist.
I learned this technique hanging drywall n have continued to use it ever since learnin it. Excellent tip Sir, thank you for sharin it n God bless
You can lock your finger similar as a quide while using a circle saw too.
You have blown my mind
So simple, but I would have never thought of it without your video.
Voice of experience talking here...not book learning. Love it. Thanks for sharing.
Saw a carpenter doing this a few weeks into being an apprentice, practiced it a bit and I've never looked back. I must use it near daily on site
same exactly
member when i learned this trick but been using it for years and years, cant even count how many times or ways i use this on a daily basis for working, it is so valueable in countless applications
the less you have to pull out a tape measure the faster the process
I’ve also done this for years as a carpenter, it’s fine on smooth surfaces but you get a few ‘skiffs’ in your fingers on rougher lumber
I have gotten some bad ones on rough plywood edges !
My fingers feel and remember 🤕 prkle!!!
Sewing thimble could help?
I always individually tape my first 2 fingers at about the 1st joint. No ragged fingers that way
I wear a work glove on my right hand if I want to use this
nice job teaching , I am an old carpenter and use all of these tips .
Figured that out myself many years ago, works great
Very useful tool. In addition to using a tape, a yardstick or ruler can be used, too. Back in my high school days, I saw a carpenter building canvas set panels for a play, and used a yardstick with a paint brush fixed on its end (using your method), and glided along the panel edge to paint parallel lines for a stage set depicting building fronts.
My old man taught me that trick , he's an old school drywaller.
I use that trick all my life, I paid attention when my father used in his shop,I was about seven or eight years old. Can’t say thanks enough to him showing me all those tricks I use now ✊🏻✊🏻
God bless your dad, Yevgeniy, and mine too, and all the dads that passed their wisdom down to their sons and daughters.
Your video was very well done, and I am especially grateful how many different applications you demonstrated. 👍👏
Just straight up great advice - especially for drywall where you don’t have to be so precise. Is saw a builder doing this once. He was so efficient it was nice to watch. This vid is inspiration to just start doing it, thanks.
Fantastic to know this handy short cut. Thank you SO MUCH! Just like you've always remembered Bob, we'll all be thinking of you forever 😄🙏
Used it all the time. Great to see it shared.❤
Thanks for the vid, keeping these old tricks & tips alive is priceless. It also used to amaze me watching them cut in a roof with compound angles, figuring the slope, pitches and degrees without a day of trig or geometry class under their belt & no calculator. Now days it comes to the jobsite precut, just stick the puzzle pc.'s together & nail it down. We are being dumb-downed with pre-fab & the old-arts are being lost .
Very helpful. Thanks
I can see this method will save tons of time. Thank You.
Great shortcut!! But now I see why you need a Whiz Bang Splinter Removal Kit.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Great tip
Great technique for measuring with a tape measure and pencil wow. Thank you.
great video, i do all these myself as a carpenter of 27 years, my Dad taught my all these tricks.
That $7 Stanley tape measure is still the best one I ever had.
Thank alot for video. I like the carpentry bag u r using.very usefully. Not freely available or used here in south africa
I've been using the trick for years now... very handy and efficient... very accurate also... keep up the good work brother... God bless
Great video thanks 😊
I Miss You My Old Shop Teacher. You're Now My Replacement. :)
8:33 the method on plywood is also very good for filling your finger with splinters! 🤣🤣
Using on OSB will make you woodpecker bait too....
These old Carpenter's, farmers, old school mechanics, Grandmas and Grandfather's.
They are all a wealth of knowledge. Young kids learn all you can from these folks if you have them in your life.
Great Job 😉👍🏽✏️📐🔨🪚
Excellent tip. Subscribed.
Out of despiration to finish a job but still work with quality as tradesmen we are always coming up with new methods
Piekna sprawa. Dziekuje
Excellent tutorial. I am not a carpenter but i do some diy and this video is so helpful. This method will speed up the measuring and cutting. Thanks - from the Phils.
Thanks . Been using that for about 50 yrs.
Yup. Great tip. Most often I use this for ripping drywall with knife and my tape, but also ripping 2 bys using my fingers as a guide for circular saw, best with gloves for splinters.
Thank you!
So much wisdom in experienced carpenters. Thank you!
I’m very experienced but watched anyhow and enjoyed your show. I pray that you are providing your knowledge to the younger folks. Thanks
What a great video! Thank you Herrick...man this is so cool!!
Brilliant. I'm not a carpenter - I make guitars. I use this technique all the time for scraping finish from an edge (we call it a finger fence) - and you can get accurate to a thou with ease. Funny I never thought to use it for larger dimensions. I can tell you that after seeing this I'm going to use it for whole lot more applications. Also nice to hear feet and inches (originally called Imperial - I'm proudly British!) instead of metric. I'm now off to binge on your other videos, starting with the fractional numbers ones. I'm from a generation where we were taught to just do this stuff in our heads, but it will be interesting to see your 'trick'. I see this is a couple of years old and I may be speaking into the ether, but if you are out there montoring, thanks a lot.
You can stick your imperial where the sun don't shine.
It is so messy for want of a better word.
Great tip. I also love how he went a lil bit 'carpenter gangsta' with his cap... 🤣
I greatly appreciate you sharing this technic. Its going to come handy with all the cutting I am going to have to do to build an enclosed garden.
I'm a carpenter and used this technique for years but great to see this video, it will help a lot of people. I use a finger on a saw to rip boards that look like they were cut on a table saw lol
I was working for a new guy when he broke out the table saw to rip some plywood, I laughed and said not only can I rip it straighter with my skilsaw but I can rip it faster than the two of you on that craftman tablesaw. The race was on! Well if you could call it a race. It was hard not to laugh as that table saw rocked all over the place and listening to the blade bind. My freehand cuts were laser straight. Theirs +- 1/4 inch.
I said "its called a SKILSAW for a reason" lol.
Framers Lives Matter!
learnt this at school in wood work class back in the late 60s, used it most my working life i
I’ve been doing construction for 40+ years and have used this technique several times. Collected a few splinters on the edge of lumbered through the years.
Great trick for centering screws and more.
I am an apprentice carpenter and my journeyman won't even allow me to use another technique than this one! Great technique indeed.
@@johnfischer_2I was a Union Carpenter in Chicago for 22 years. You can kiss my ass!!
I've known this trick for years as an artist..
My dad demonstrated this technique 50 years ago. I still use it often.
Brilliant.
My grandfather worked as a surveyor and spent the last 30+ years working in a steel mill, the last of those years as foreman.
When he was living, he used to amaze me with his ability to eyeball measurements, sometimes to literal pinpoint accuracy. Miss you Paw-paw!
Great tip with the thumb holding the tape to the blade! I think it only works with a reasonably wide tape, or tends to flex - especially on wider cuts. Thanks for taking the time to share.👍
Seems like every carpenter uses that Stanley metal tape measure.
yeah, you need a sturdy tape.
love it thank you
Awsome thank you very much
In England we call that the "Finger Gauge"
Excellent. The best ideas are usually the simplest!
Cracking video thanks very much
Wow!
Thank you.
Standard procedure for me - it's fun when someone who doesn't know sees you draw a straight line using your finger as a guide and they're impressed and then they think you really know what your doing
Excellent lesson!
Very Cool
thank you kindly for sharing this.I've been using the same myself and was taught it by my grandfather.another one I found particularly handy was when subdividing a piece of timber by using a ruler at an angle that gives me the qbility,when used in conjunction with a t square to accurately divide odd widths of timber,rather than trying to work out dividing something,say would be 17 toand 3 /16 of an inch.May the Lord bless you and ylurs.stay safe and lucky my fdiend.maddog.woodworker,Turner and tree surgeon.I have a headache 395xp.running a 36" bar( she will take a 50" ,but the three footer is good enough for planning most trees I dea! with.it's 97.8cc,so plenty of power and I grind every third tooth off as cheaper than buying a skip chain.thank you and respect.you've a new subscriber anyway and I look forward to viewing more of your information.maddog
Fantastic, thanks for sharing ❤
Thank you so much for sharing this helpful measuring skill.
Thanks!
Lovely intuitive way to work. ❤
that is 10 minutes of my life i will never get back
Great reminder that you have “tools” literally at your fingertips. Other tips that work in rough framing is to measure the width of your fingers, length from inside your elbow to longest fingertip, and the length of your foot.
I agree, and I have a video about "hand measuring." 👍 th-cam.com/video/ZQ_zJ7Pbgrw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ybBK2asENcbj62Vm
My dad showed me that when I was a kid, and I'm 73
Drat, Stan, I was about to write the same words, 'cept 71 years.
Good Dad 🙌
My dad did this too. He was a carpenter from 1945 to 2008
That square looks more like a rectangle.
*Thanks Mr Herrick Kimball.*
Always wondered why I was never a fan of the marking studs. Preferred my roofers square over a set square too.
Informative, thank you.
This old-timey trick is such a time saver. I’m fairly certain I learned about it from my dad as youngster.
I grew up working with my uncle and he used that method all the time , growing up and working with him he taught me a lot . May God rest his soul . 🇺🇸
Thanks for the handy tricks.
Your video came up in my suggestions. I like the way your saw horse is made. I remember using this technique in setting out gauges around steel frames in plastering. You have a very stable hand as you run your pencil along the wood. I like the carpenters square which you showed at the beginning of the video.
Once when I was a young man working on a site, I walked past a carpenter kneeling hanging a door. I accidentally kicked his knee with my boots. I said sorry. The carpenter said that's alight, I like been kicked in the knee. I worked with carpenters setting up dry wall and used the technique you showed in this video. Great video, well done and thankyou for posting the video.
I used my ringers and hands as a measuring tool all the time shaping surfboards,thus not having to make home made jigs.awesome video sir
Beautiful...Thank you!
Excellent tip! Thank you!
This way is very similar to how you would scribe a countertop in as well
It'e even more fun digging the splinters out of your fingers
Thanks for stating the obvious 😂
well anyone that doesn't know this elementary trick probably has never gotten a splinter while woodworking. @@rogershaffer1
It’s called a finger gauge in Australia
Not just Australia but any English speaking country
Great video.
My father taught me that at about 8 years old, I'm 70 now. I like that old speed square!
The more you know the less you need. Thanks!
Learned this as an apprentice very helpful trick
Facts do this a lot lol excellent video
Learned that technique in the 60,s. It was very commonplace
I'm an experienced enough Surveyor that I know in order to get better at my trade, my time spent learning about carpentry will go much farther than learning more about surveying. This one is amazing. I learned a lot from an older surveyor, who even 18 years ago was using "old techniques", that I'm still using to this day. Technology is killing the skill and understanding behind my trade, and it's such a shame, because it's small things like this that brings so much personal satisfaction from the job. Thanks a bunch for sharing this.
useful ,,,thanks
That’s awesome! Thank you for sharing!
My father was a carpenter. My name is Bob. I approve this video. I'm also very happy to be a subscriber😀😀