Ensure accuracy with these triple-threat story sticks

My furniture-building accuracy im-proved dramatically when I started using story sticks—scraps of wood on which I lay out all of a project's critical dimensions and details. But I've carried the concept even further, making these three-in-one story sticks. I did it by spray-painting the backs of my 36" and 48" steel rulers with white satin paint. After the paint dried, I scuffed the paint lightly with 320-grit sandpaper so penciled story marks would show up well. Because the marks erase easily, I can use the rulers over and over as story sticks. Each one doubles as a straightedge. And, with a flip, triples as a ruler. —Patrick Conroy, Erie, Colo.