slide rule of sorts

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well i often need to measure from A-B like most of us and needed something a lil more accurate then a bent tape  and i needed something a lil bigger than a regular slide rule so i got 2 pieces of 1/8x2"x4' aluminum a 1/4 carriage bolt and wing nut.  drilled some holes  then cut a 1/4 inch slot on the table saw and ive got a slider. i just use it with a tape but i guess you could add numbers its a lil wiggly so for the next one i will use 1/4 instead of 1/8    350P 30A spool gun cut master 51  syncro 250 other stuff " take a dog off the street and make him prosper and he will not bite you sad the same cannot be said for man" i didnt use punctuation just to piss you off
Reply:very handy idea there!although, I was a bit confused by your post title at first. My kind of slide rule is used for math!
Reply:I've frequently built units like that out of wood to do finish trim on stain grade windows. I usually use 2 bolts so it doesn't bend. Slide out the stick till it hits solid, then lock the screw and take a measurement of it with a tape, or transfer directly to the trim. Tight no gap joints every time. I've also used the same trick to cut angled braces with coped joints. I tack a precoped piece to one end of a piece of tube, and then one to the  other end of a piece of tube that slides inside the 1st. Position both coped ends and mark where the two tubes meet. Then cope one end of the new piece and use the sliding one to give me the measurements for the 2nd end. Cut it a hair oversize and then grind to fit. Works well when you have a bunch of joints to do that are close, but not exactly the same length..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Ditto.Wood works good.