Throw Away The Tape Measure!

by | Jun 7, 2013 | 14 comments

This little primitive looking stool is one of the earliest pieces I built which my mother still has so it’s well treasured. It was built with little more than an axe, a hard point saw, bit & brace and a chisel. It certainly isn’t grand nor something to be proud of but I think it’s a nice simple piece which can still illustrate many of the principles that  I aim for when I’m building furniture. It was built while the oak was fairly green after being riven straight from the log which isn’t something that I do too often but it was well suited for this stool. I built it so that the whole assembly would to go together and stay together without any glue – something which I find particularly satisfying. The main point though which I’d like to focus on today is that the stool was built without any plan, known dimension or even a measuring device.

There are many reasons for wanting to build furniture this way. I find the processes flow naturally so are more enjoyable and it allows for the available timber to dictate some of the sizes; why cut down a lovely wide board if you could make use of it’s full width instead? I also find it’s a great way to hone your ‘eyeballing’ skills especially when drilling out those angled holes for each leg.

The main reason though is the look of the finished piece and by this I mean it’s proportions. When selecting dimensions on the fly without any tape measure to hand your guidance comes from the size of the rough timber along with the size of yourself; for a stool like this you will ensure that the top is large enough to sit on and the height is comfortable. So the dimensions of the finished piece end up relative to the human form but the other very important factor to be aware of is that it’s overall proportions have been chosen entirely by what looks pleasing to your eye.

Pleasing proportions can always be calculated scientifically but in practice when we’re using a system of measurement off a tape i.e metric or imperial then we’re going to choose dimensions which fall on a nice solid number such as 15″ x 18 1/2″. Working by eye takes away the rigid guidelines of a system and we end up with subtly different proportions which are much more pleasing for it.
When Helen wrote a post on Metric vs Imperial a little while back there was a great input from commenters about their own preferences. There were a couple of comments which really caught my attention written by MStone and Jeremy. Each of these noted something which hadn’t really occurred to me before; that the divisions present in imperial measurements (2,3,4,6,8,12,16) are the much more pleasing ‘artistic’ divisions and it is much easier to think proportionally using them. I think this is a fantastic point and so perhaps if you’re uncomfortable throwing the tape measure away completely then you could consider working with imperial measurements when laying out your designs.

And if that all sounds like an over complication of a nice simple piece then here’s my final and favourite reason for building in this way – if you’ve got no plan then you can’t go wrong!

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About Richard Maguire

About Richard Maguire

As a professional hand tool woodworker, Richard found hand tools to be the far more efficient solution for a one man workshop. Richard runs 'The English Woodworker' as an online resource and video education for those looking for a fuss free approach to building fine furniture by hand. Learn More About Richard & The English Woodworker.

14 Comments

  1. Jeremy

    Thanks for the shout-out! It’s interesting that MStone had a similar comment 1 minute ahead of me, I’m a slow typist, so he beat me to the punch…

    I also agree totally with your sentiments here and would even go a bit farther to extend it to CAD usage. Many of my designs have improved after moving away from fully-detailed CAD models to seat-of-the-pants designs & sketches and models. For the same reasons that “nice units” add mental constraints, so too do the typical CAD tools (lines and arcs.) For instance, you are more likely to get a gracefully blended “french curve” arc of hand sketching, instead of perfect, constant radii curves and round-overs that CAD loves. This can make a significant difference in an intangible “feel” of a piece being warm vs sterile.

    Reply
    • Richard

      Hi Jeremy and thanks for the great input 🙂
      The CAD models are another good point along the same lines; whilst they give you a very quick way to create something that looks half decent they restrict you from thinking beyond the guideline and as you put it can make everything somewhat sterile.

      Reply
  2. Chris Buckingham

    Absolutely right! why be a slave to man made dimensions when you have a eye for proportion,the stool should be around for at least another couple of hundred years,that is more of a testiment to the way it has been constructed,we only really need accurate measurement when making an object that is to be fitted closly to an aready existing piece that is remote from the workshop (then we can use a rod).
    Chris,
    France.

    Reply
    • Richard

      Thanks Chris, I’m a big fan of using a rod or stick to note measurements off an existing piece. Very simple and avoids the risk of reading the wrong measurement.
      Cheers, Richard.

      Reply
  3. Paul Chapman

    It’s interesting that when repairing old furniture – a table for example – it may look right but when measuring the four legs, they will all be slightly different. I think precision and exactness only came with machine tools.

    I prefer the “can’t go wrong” approach 😉

    Reply
    • Richard

      Thanks Paul, I’ve always found this on old furniture and it’s quite surprising how much variation there can be within a piece without it looking odd. The slightly differing sizes definately add a lot to the handmade charm .

      Reply
  4. Ken

    Throw Away The Tape Measure, I work like this all the time. I have cut this piece of wood three times, and It’s still to bloody short. My stool dose not have a leg to stand on. Hmmm!

    Sorry guys 🙂 😉

    Reply
    • Richard

      Hah! I seem to have that principle with the tape measure… measure twice cut once? More like measure six times and still read the tape wrong!

      Reply
  5. Sylvain

    I perfectly can follow your line of thought except the paragraph starting with: “When Helen wrote …”
    First if you are against measurement why try to find in the text above a justification for the imperial system while the logical conclusion would be to reject any system.
    Secondly, as the International System of Units (official name) doesn’t privileges any ratio, it will give complete freedom to its user as to the choice of proportions.
    I would not call division by 2,3,4 etc. “artistic” but “commonplace”.
    I don’t buy the argument of 2, 3, 4,… being simple and easy as most of the time, people using imperial system use weird fractions like 7/8 etc.
    The imperial system is not less “man-made” than the SI system. I have never and probably will never use my foot to measure anything.
    When I extend my hand, the distance between the tip of my thumb and the tip of my pinkie is about 25 cm (about 10″ not 12″). This is something I use from time to time as a crude measurement.
    Having said that, if you are accustomed to it, use it in your workshop, you are free.

    Reply
    • Richard

      Thanks Sylvain, I don’t think I could go so far as to reject all measurement systems as, whilst I’d love to build this way all of the time many projects just don’t suit it. I feel it can add a lot to the overall aesthetic of an individual piece of furniture especially if it’s a piece that you intend to work entirely with hand tools as you end up with both the very natural finish of the tool marks and the more organic dimensions selected by eye. However For many other projects I need to use a measurement system to enable me to communicate with the customer i.e with a workbench they will be anticipating a specific length, width etc and the vices need to be fitted very precisely.
      I mentioned the imperial in this article because the previous comments made seemed to relate well here with regards to the proportions. This doesn’t refer to the units relating to body sizes but the divisions that are used within. In metric there are ten divisions and the number ten can divide evenly only by 2 and 5 as opposed to the divisions usually shown on an inch as noted above.
      I hope this makes sense 🙂

      Reply
  6. Ken

    Crude Measurement…….How far is your head from your arse? 🙂

    Reply
  7. Sylvain

    English is not my mother language.
    “approximate” might have been more appropriate?

    Reply
  8. mihai

    >Ramses and Keops ‘ guys didn’t have the faintest clou about metrics and imperial stuff , and yet…
    >Try this , if you can spare some minutes :

    >watch?v=AtX2Mh8VmRE<

    … and , with the risk of repeating myself , it's not what units you're using , but what you're doing with it…

    Nice stool , Richard.

    Reply
    • Richard

      Thanks Mihai.

      Reply

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