How important are rulers in cabinet making?

[Gabriel Marusic]

My dad is a hobbyist woodworker that primarily makes furniture for around the house and I recently decided I want to join in the hobby with him. As our first project I decided I want us to build cabinetry for my laundry area (selfish, I know) and in spending time on the forums and youtube to do research I'm experiencing a bit of information overload. As I'm gearing up on this project I've been upgrading and investing in tools to work on the project but I need to pump the brakes a bit as it's adding up quickly and I'm trying to figure out what's actually necessary.

One part I'm stuck on is measuring instruments, and what I actually need for the job. I'm a bit pedantic with details and don't want to slop something together. I've got a fastcap tape measure that I like, a 6" machinist square and a 12" incra ruler which I thought would be fine until I started doing some research. So in reading up on measuring it sounds like a lot of people are just using the tape measure for rough cuts and then rulers and story boards for everything else? Can I get by with what I have, or should I invest in rulers. If so, what sizes would I need? I think my skillset will be a greater margin of error than any measuring device but I probably don't need to compound things.

Apologies for the very basic question, the amount of information we have at our disposal these days makes for a ton of consideration.

[Ben Grefe]

If you're just getting started then a quality combination square (https://www.amazon.com/iGaging-Combi...dp/B01MRAANT9/) and tape measure will do 99% of what you need. Maybe 99.9%.

I use a Milwaukee tape measure for almost all of my measurement work in my shop, even through I have decades of accumulated measuring/layout devices. Get a cheap layout knife too, although for cabinet making it's even better to plan out all of your cuts, set the fence once and then just plow through material. Being 1/32 off isn't that big of a deal if ALL of the boards/sheets at that length are 1/32 off.

Layout tools are the kind of thing you can use forever. They *shouldn't* go bad (tape measures do get beat up, but squares/guides/etc shouldn't). Buy a quality one and use it, don't go wild before figuring out what styles you like.

[Philipp Jaindl]

To be honest you can get away with just a Tape Measure for the vast majority of things though a Steel Ruler is very handy to have in many applications. Same thing goes with Squares a regular one will do most things fine though a Combination Square is one tool i definetly wouldnt want to miss anymore.

Personally, Tape Measure, Steel Rule(300mm) and a Combination Square is all i use and so far i never needed anything else.

Whats far more important is that you use one tool and stick with it i.e. dont use 3 different tape measures or rulers, 100mm on one Tape measure/ruler might read as 101 or 99,5 on others.

Marking Gauge, Knife and Mechnical Pencil are something you want to get aswell, the latter saving on having to resharpen Pencils all the time.

[Tony Joyce]

Whats far more important is that you use one tool and stick with it i.e. don't use 3 different tape measures or rulers, 100mm on one Tape measure/ruler might read as 101 or 99,5 on others.

This is very sage advice.

[David Utterback]

I posted on the error I made by using a 24" drafting ruler for 30+ years. When I was putting a 2nd tape on my sawstop, the one I had ordered did not line up well with the existing one. It varied +/- 1/32 . When I checked the tapes with my go-to drafting rule, it did not agree with either of the two tapes. I then did interval measures along its length and it was off by more than 1/32" in a couple of places.

Of note, I would read the rule in widely different ways during actual use. Sometimes I would start well away from the end and even at times reading it backwards. Lesson learned: check all your measuring devices against each other. I learned my lesson 30+ years too late.

[Lee Schierer]

It doesn't matter what you use to measure. Just be sure to use the same instrument through out. As you can see from the above comments, various manufactured scales vary. As long as you stick with one device you will have no real issues. I normally use a Stanley 30 foot tape measure for any measurement over 12". For smaller more precise dimensions I use a 12" stainless steel rule which I have checked for agreement with my Stanley tape for 12". When measuring drill bits and other small objects I use my 6" HF digital calipers. Your can't go wrong for $17.99 unless you are a machinist.

[Gabriel Marusic]

I posted on the error I made by using a 24" drafting ruler for 30+ years. When I was putting a 2nd tape on my sawstop, the one I had ordered did not line up well with the existing one. It varied +/- 1/32 . When I checked the tapes with my go-to drafting rule, it did not agree with either of the two tapes. I then did interval measures along its length and it was off by more than 1/32" in a couple of places.

Of note, I would read the rule in widely different ways during actual use. Sometimes I would start well away from the end and even at times reading it backwards. Lesson learned: check all your measuring devices against each other. I learned my lesson 30+ years too late.

I would have never thought to check my measuring devices against each other. Thank you for that.

[Thomas McCurnin]

Not very.

I use a 16’ Stanley Tape measure because it doesn’t have 32nd markings. I use a a 6 and 12” Starrett combination square. That’s pretty much it. If I need a ruler function, the square does the trick. Oh, and a whole bunch of sharp pencils.

[Richard Coers]

Technically speaking, you don't need any measuring device to build a cabinet. You can take a piece of wood and make a story stick. That can define all the major dimensions of the box to fit in the location. After that you just need to be consistent. If you mix different measuring devices, make sure they all match. I also prefer a 3/4 x16' tape. I hate the 1" tapes with the large crown. You have to tip those darned things over so much to get accurate.

[Bill Space]

Technically speaking, you don't need any measuring device to build a cabinet. You can take a piece of wood and make a story stick. That can define all the major dimensions of the box to fit in the location. After that you just need to be consistent. If you mix different measuring devices, make sure they all match. I also prefer a 3/4 x16' tape. I hate the 1" tapes with the large crown. You have to tip those darned things over so much to get accurate.

This^^^

When I want things to be exactly the same I cut a standard length piece for each dimension and use that as my reference when cutting all the pieces I need.

Works for me...generally I just use a standard measure to get close but do not trust myself to be repeatable that way. I also use a knife edge rather than a pencil to mark the cut point, but prefer to use my “standards” to set stops to position the pieces I will be cutting.

[glenn bradley]

These conversations are always valuable since we all tend to do things a little bit differently than each other. I returned the iGaging combination squares because the quality just wasn't that much better than something like a Swanson or an Empire from the BORG. PEC's hit the mark for me at about the same price point. The only Starrett's I have were gifted .

I put a small amount of effort into getting a set of rules and a tape that all matched and were consistent along their length. I certainly wouldn't want to fudge through with only a tape measure. As you noted, the tape is for roughing out things and rules and squares are for specifics. That doesn't mean you need to spend a ton. A set of these for $35 (although some folks like them double sided and square ended at both ends) and one of these for $7 (right to left because I am right handed) meet most of my needs during a build even though I have (Three Amigos reference) a plethora of other measuring and marking tools.

Trust me, everyone else's answers are right too. The best measuring tool for you is the one that let's you make accurate parts and saves you from do-overs and force-fits.

[Robert Hazelwood]

I have 12" rules with fine graduations that get used for anything they are large enough for. For larger stuff I use a tape measure. The rule is more convenient and probably more accurate.

But rulers and tapes are for what I call nominal dimensions, meaning a number off of a plan or that I pulled out of my head. These don't have to be incredibly accurate because they are just setting a baseline that other parts get fit to. There is a limit to how accurately you can mark from a ruler or tape, and some aspects of fine work require more precision.

Tools like marking gauges and techniques like transfer marking offer much more precision when required. Story sticks work great as well. These are low tech ways to get really accurate.

I also use dial indicators, calipers, and feeler gauges to measure small relative distances, like how much fatter is a tenon than the mortise I'm trying to fit it into, and after measuring I can use the same tools to adjust the machine setup to compensate.

Other times I just fit by trial and error, trimming a bit at a time and test fitting. This is inefficient but still effective.

So I really don't find the need for many rulers and tapes or for particularly fancy ones. I wouldn't at all mind having a 24" and 36" rule just to avoid wrangling the tape measure as often, but it's not been a priority.

[Gabriel Marusic]

These conversations are always valuable since we all tend to do things a little bit differently than each other. I returned the iGaging combination squares because the quality just wasn't that much better than something like a Swanson or an Empire from the BORG. PEC's hit the mark for me at about the same price point. The only Starrett's I have were gifted .

I put a small amount of effort into getting a set of rules and a tape that all matched and were consistent along their length. I certainly wouldn't want to fudge through with only a tape measure. As you noted, the tape is for roughing out things and rules and squares are for specifics. That doesn't mean you need to spend a ton. A set of these for $35 (although some folks like them double sided and square ended at both ends) and one of these for $7 (right to left because I am right handed) meet most of my needs during a build even though I have (Three Amigos reference) a plethora of other measuring and marking tools.

Trust me, everyone else's answers are right too. The best measuring tool for you is the one that let's you make accurate parts and saves you from do-overs and force-fits.

The responses here have been incredibly helpful. I'm leaning towards getting a set of rulers like you suggested and then I think I'll have to go to the store and find a tape measure that matches the ruler's measurements. I like that cabinet makers tape measure though, hopefully they have something similar at the BORG.

[Jon Endres]

My go-to devices for most measuring around the shop are a set of Utilitas hook rules from Lee Valley, a 16' Stanley Leverlock tape measure, an old Stanley combination square, an Empire aluminum "speed square", and a Starrett dial caliper. I have other stuff but those are my go-to devices. Also, the heavy acrylic drafting triangles (Alvin, K&E, Staedtler Mars) are generally considered to be very accurate, I keep a couple in my shop to set square and 45° on my saws and fences.

[Jim Becker]

Gabriel, I have a set of the steel rules from Lee Valley...and they all match. I picked up a 40" from Woodcraft (house brand) and got lucky that it also matched. What I really like about them is they are dual scale...inches and metric. I work mostly in the latter, but for some clients have to work in the former. One set of rules to do it all.