Measuring the Frame: How to Build a Small Stage

Video Transcript

" Hi I'm Grady Johnson and I'm the producer of Strange Company and today I'm representing expertvillage.com. Now we are going to talk about a little bit about measuring. Measuring is just as important then cutting because if you don't measure right the cuts are all going to be off and nothing is going to work. Now when you are measuring you do need something to mark with. I use a carpenters pencil it is going to make a nice line that I can see but anything that makes a mark will work. Also you could use you need some kind of tape measure. These are really really cheap. There is all kinds of them out there. You could get really fancy with that. On the 2x4 you really need a few inches but I use a tape measure just cause it is easier to work with and some kind of a straight edge. Now a few things was already set for us. The deck is already set it is a 4x8 platform that we are making so we don't have to do any cutting on the ply wood at all. We are going to have to cut a few of the 2x4s but not all of them. They come is 8 foot lengths. Be sure that you buy 8 foot length ply 2x4s they would sell them in 12s but buy 8 it works for us here. So what we are going to have to do is the end pieces and one middle support piece. All of these pieces will have to allow for the thickness of the 2x4s. 2X4s are not really 2 inches thick they are a 1 ½ but you could count on that that is a 1 ½ always with a 2x4 and have two of them so of course that means that we are going to have three inches to deal with. Taking 3 inches off of the 4 foot end that is going to leave us 3 nine inches that is our measurement mark. I go ahead and use the straight edge when I'm making even that first mark just so that I'm sure that mark is exactly accurate were I want it. But once I have that on there and I'm sure that is were exactly what I want then I can remove you could remove the tape measure and then make my final line that I want to make. Just test a little bit be sure that that is right and make yourself a nice straight line. Be sure that it is dark enough so you will be able to see it when you are cutting. Keep the same process on the next one. Once again I want to use my straight edge so I could be sure that even that initial mark is exactly were it needs to be. It gives me a rough idea of the distance that I need for my tools. ...in there I'm going to put that right on that mark. I allow for my distance and it all looks good. So we go ahead and darken that in. okay that is all there is to it so now that we got these boards all mark we are going to do more cutting. Remember when ever you are measuring these it is very important that you get the measuring accurate because when you are cutting you are going to have to be very careful that you stay true to that as well so it is extremely important that you are measuring is accurate if you want to make good cuts. That is all the cutting you are going to have to do to build a frame for your platform."