DL152279546231 wrote:

I found several 'meter sticks' at the local art supply shop, for drafters,
but
zero was not at the end.

There's a good reason for that. After I dropped my "standard reference
straightedge" a few times the ends got banged up enough to where it
was hard to accurately register zero. More than one homebuilder has
recommended beginning measurements from a reference not at the end
of the stick so that the reference doesn't get banged up/moved. If
I'd've seen a 'zero not at the end' yardstick when I was starting
I'd have gotten it.
Another sorta helpful hint is to get one or two measuring 'devices'
and use them throughout the project. Even if they're a little
inaccurate, at least the inaccuracies will be consistent as
you progress. No two cheap meter/yard sticks will be the same,
so having several and grabbing the closest one is not always the
best thing.
Of course this is all pretty much noise given the level of accuracy
most of us are capable of working to :-)

Dave 'is anal-retentive hyphenated?' Hyde