Saturday, November 6, 2021

Shop Reading Material

One of the most commonly used tools in the shop is the decimal chart. A decimal chart contains a roughly logarithmic list of measurements in fractional inches, decimal millimeters and wire and letter gauge drill sizes next to their decimal inch equivalents. A good decimal chart will also have a list of tap drill sizes for the most common threads as well.

They usually come printed on a thin plastic sheet, but for extra durability it's nice to laminate them to a piece of plywood. So the first step was for me to cut out a piece of plywood.

While some people might fret about having to use a table saw with a cross-cut sled to be able to get accurate cuts, I've found that a regular circ saw with a saw guide is more than up to the task. Even just using sharpie marks and not paying all that much attention, I was easily within a mm or its decimal inch equivalent of the target size and shape.

Those of you who have been following this blog for a while might recognize the piece of plywood as some leftover hantavirus shelving. I cleaned it before reusing it.

Anyway, I soaked the board and chart down with some 3M 94ET spray adhesive, let it tack up for a few seconds, then slapped the two sticky sides together.

It may be listed as "low VOC" but do be sure to wear a mask.

The alignment wasn't perfect (because it never is) but it was close enough that I could use a hand plane to shave down the overhanging chart and/or plywood.

So now all that's left to do is pick up some picture hanging hardware and get it up on the wall.

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