# Home made rulers



## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

My plan for my new drill press and router tables is to have t-tracks and sliding rulers embedded into the top on both sides of the bit so that I can easily and accurately set the fence. I have set aside 1 1/2" slots for those rulers.

My original idea was to use the Home Depot yard sticks, but thay have only 1/8" granulation, so they are now out.

After looking around a while, I finally decided to give up on buying them and made my own using Sketchup and double sided tape. They are just printed out and stuck to paint stirrers (of course!) with carpet tape, and covered with clear packing tape. I need some legal paper to be able to make 12" rulers, or I can splice them together if I need to. 

I think this is going to give me what I'm looking for. The thing I like the most about it is that I can change them to be exactly the way I want.

Here is what I have so far:


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Like these?
Lee Valley Tools - Important Announcement


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## Dodis (Dec 13, 2011)

I have done the same, but since i have access to larger printers and plotters, I have made a PDF of rulers to print on 11x17 paper (attached). Then apply double stick tape to the surface, then carefully apply the ruler desired to the tape, being careful NOT to pull too hard and stretch the ruler.

Best to print one and check with an accurate scale (such as a draftsman's scale) to make sure the printer is not distorting the output. Since I made these in MicroStation (CAD) I was also able to make a scaled version that printed correctly on my printer at home, scalng by very minute percentages.

Note that the text describing the rulers will not print...

Mike


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

You mean this?

Lee Valley Tools - Important Announcement

Yes, those are pretty close to what I was looking for, but they are only 1/2" wide and 8 feet longer that I need. Also, I am such a cheapskate that after shipping, I'd wonder if it was worth the cost.


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

Mike, I used sketchup and the 1:1 scaling for the printout, and it comes out exact.

We do have a large plotter at work, maybe I can use that for a couple of printouts.


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## Dmeadows (Jun 28, 2011)

Chris Curl said:


> You mean this?
> 
> Lee Valley Tools - Important Announcement
> 
> Yes, those are pretty close to what I was looking for, but they are only 1/2" wide and 8 feet longer that I need. Also, I am such a cheapskate that after shipping, I'd wonder if it was worth the cost.


Chris, that is a very good price! Usually I see 6 foot ones for $6-8 or more. They are accurate and made of steel. 

By the way the measurement that usually matters on a drill press is fence to center of the bit. A $3 6" steel pocket rule works well. I could see a tape for left and right spacing sometimes, but not front to back!


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

Dmeadows said:


> Chris, that is a very good price! Usually I see 6 foot ones for $6-8 or more. They are accurate an made of steel.
> 
> By the way the measurement that usually matters on a drill press is fence to center of the bit. A $3 6" steel pocket rule works well. I could see a tape for left and right spacing sometimes, but not front to back!


shows you how much of a cheapskate i am i guess ...  

i would use the front to back measurements alot because i often want to center the hole on the stock the short way. in that case, i can simple set the fence that distance from the bit's center. then i can put a stop block on the fence to make multiple holes in the same spot over and over.

to center the rulers, i put in a 1/4" rod in the drill and use a straight edge to set the rulers such that the straight edge lines up with the 1/8" mark on both the left and right rulers.

then, to make 1/4" holes 3/4" from the ends of a 12" x 1 1/2" wide piece of stock, i can simply set the fence at 3/4" on the rulers and a stop block on the fence also 3/4" to the right of the bit centerline. then i can go to town.

while i'm sure everyone has their preferred way of doing it, this is currently my preferred way to approach it. over time, that may change or course.


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## biloxi tom (Sep 10, 2012)

How do you do 1-1 printouts of su?


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

in the print dialog, about 3/4 of the way down, on the right there is a checkbox that says use model extents, and below that there are boxes where you can put in the scaling.

you have to be using parallel projection and have the camera at one of the standard perspectives.


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

> By the way the measurement that usually matters on a drill press is fence to center of the bit. A $3 6" steel pocket rule works well.


@DMeadows - thanks for rattling my brain. I just threw a tri square in the trash because it won't measure an accurate 90 deg regardless how many times I try to adjust it. I did keep the metal rule part.  I think I just found a new use for it.


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

a littler more illustrated description of what i did, in the harrysin style ...


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## Admin (Feb 13, 2012)

Chris Curl said:


> My plan for my new drill press and router tables is to have t-tracks and sliding rulers embedded into the top on both sides of the bit so that I can easily and accurately set the fence. I have set aside 1 1/2" slots for those *rulers*.
> 
> My original idea was to use the Home Depot yard sticks, but thay have only 1/8" granulation, so they are now out.
> 
> ...


Excuse me but rulers are people, I take it you are actually referring to a rule or rules


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## Dmeadows (Jun 28, 2011)

Oziray said:


> Excuse me but rulers are people, I take it you are actually referring to a rule or rules


Uh..

_rul·er/ˈro͞olər/
Noun:	

1. A person exercising government or dominion.
2. A straight strip or cylinder of plastic, wood, metal, or other rigid material, typically marked at regular intervals, to draw straight..._

Either definition is correct!


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

Oziray said:


> Excuse me but rulers are people, I take it you are actually referring to a rule or rules


Wow, that might just be one of the more uninformed statements I have heard in the last year:

Define ruler | Dictionary and Thesaurus

Ruler - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

there are not many PEOPLE in this one: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en...i&biw=1115&bih=812&sei=peVuUKG6GYWEyAHhw4CwBA

ruler - definition of ruler by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia. (definition #2)

Custom Printed Promotional Rulers


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## chengiz (Oct 30, 2010)

Terrific idea. Will try getting a print out on transparent acetate paper - the kind they use for overhead slides - from a local laser printer shop. I could stick it onto anything and it should do.


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

chengiz said:


> Terrific idea. Will try getting a print out on transparent acetate paper - the kind they use for overhead slides - from a local laser printer shop. I could stick it onto anything and it should do.


thanks! that is a good idea too. but if it costs more than a little, then that would defeat the purpose for me


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## chengiz (Oct 30, 2010)

Chris Curl said:


> thanks! that is a good idea too. but if it costs more than a little, then that would defeat the purpose for me


Where I live (India), it would cost me roughly 30 US cents for the print-out!


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