Inside Measurements by Overlapping Tapes
Adding two tape readings that meet at a round number to read a wall-to-wall span exactly.
Find the Center of an Odd-Width Board by Angling the Tape
On a board that's 11-1/2 wide, don't halve elevenths in your head — hook the tape on one edge and angle it across until the other edge reads an easy number like 12, then mark half of that. The mark sits at the true centerline: 5-3/4 from either edge.
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The Problem
Half of 11-1/2" is easy. Half of 11-7/16" is a mistake waiting to be marked. Centering anything on stock with an awkward width means fraction division at exactly the moment your hands are full.
The Technique
- Hook the tape on one edge of the board.
- Angle the tape across the face — up or down — until the far edge crosses an easily halved number. The demo board is 11-1/2" wide; the tape angles until the far edge reads 12.
- Mark at half that number — 6 — along the tape's angled line.
The mark is the true centerline. The video verifies it: measured straight, the mark sits 5-3/4" from each edge of the 11-1/2" board.
Pro tip: The angle costs nothing
because both halves of the tape tilt equally — any line crossing the
board reads proportionally, so half the angled number is half the true
width. The same move divides a board into thirds or fifths: angle to 15,
mark 5 and 10.
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