How to Make Measuring Stick Gallons
A gallon measuring stick is used to convert cubic inches to gallons. The measuring stick is used mainly for measuring water, gas, oil and other liquid amounts. The measurement stick is used everyday or as needed to determine the amount of gallons inside of a container to prevent the container from running out of the liquid. When the stick is used to measure the liquid, the liquid inch measurement must be converted to the closest cubic inch before it can be converted to gallons. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 1- 10-foot long, 1-inch thick by 4-inches wide piece of wood (1x4)
- Measuring tape
- Pencil
- Chalk line
- Safety glasses
- Protective gloves
- Band saw
- Oil based varnish
- Paint brush
- Permanent marker
- Clean rags
- Notepad
- Pen
- Cubic inch to gallon conversion chart
Instructions
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1
Place a 10 foot, 1-inch-thick by 4-inch-wide piece of wood on a flat surface. Starting at the top of the 1x4, measure 1 inch from the edge of the 1x4 and mark it with the marker. Move to the bottom of the 1x4 and measure 1 inch from the edge of the 1x4 and mark that with the marker.
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2
Hook one end of a chalk line to the top 1-inch mark. Hold the other end of the chalk line on the bottom 1-inch mark. Pull the chalk line tight with one hand and use the other hand to pull the chalk line up about 3 inches. Release the chalk line and it will make a straight line from the top 1-inch measurement to the bottom one-inch measurement. The key here is to create a 1-inch by 1-inch measuring stick.
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3
Place the marked area of the 1x4 face up on a band saw table. Turn on the band saw and cut the 1x4 across the measured mark. Discard the larger section of 1x4 and keep the smaller section of 1x4. The smaller section of 1x4 is the measuring stick. You now have a one-inch by one-inch measuring stick.
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4
Lay the measurement stick on a flat surface and place the end of your measuring tape at one end of the stick. Stretch the measuring tape to the other end of the stick. Make a mark every one-inch on the stick from the top of the stick to the bottom of the stick with a permanent marker. Example: Make the first mark 1-inch down from the end of the stick.The first mark will be the 1-inch mark. Measure down 1-inch from the 1-inch mark. The second mark will be the 2-inch mark and so on until you reach the end of the stick. Remove the measuring tape and you will now have a measuring stick that has 1-inch measurements on it.
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Varnish the measurement stick with a lightly stained oil-based varnish and a paint brush. This will allow the liquid to stick to the measurement stick better without obscuring the measurement indicators. When ready to measure the container of liquid, lower the end of the measurement stick into the liquid container.
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Slowly pull the stick out of the container and make a note of where the liquid line is across the inch mark on the stick. Write the inch number down on a notepad. Measure the liquid a second time to ensure that the measurement on the stick is correct. Wipe the liquid off the stick with a clean rag.
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7
Use the cubic inch to gallon comparison chart to determine the gallons of liquid inside of the tank. The chart will consist of a column for inches, a column for cubic inches and a column for gallons. Use the inch mark that you wrote down on the notepad to determine the cubic inches by looking at the cubic inch number beside the inch number on the chart. Once the cubic inches is determined, use the chart to determine the gallons from the cubic inches by looking at the gallons number beside the cubic inch number on the chart. The chart is set up to calculate inches to cubic inches and cubic inches and gallons. The chart is self explanatory. Once you locate the inch measurement on the chart, the cubic inch measurement number and the gallon number will be directly beside each other. The final gallon number will be the exact amount of gallons that are inside of the tank.
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Tips & Warnings
One gallon equals 231 cubic inches. When measuring liquid, use the closest inch mark to use when determining the cubic inches.
A calculator can also be used to calculate inches to cubic inches and cubic inches to gallons.
A inch to cubic inch/cubic inch to gallon comparison chart can be printed off the internet.
Never smoke or use open flames around flammable liquids.
Make exact measurements as outlined by the measurement chart or the measurements will not be correct.
References
- " The Metric Conversion Tables Book; Inches, Cubic Inches and Gallons;" Barrons Education Inc.; 1980
- Eco-Tech: Energy Measurements and Conversions
