stringing

[Susan Kline]

At 08:27 PM 8/4/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>David,
>  You do have to cut for the exact size,with the wire laying beside 
> you.But it is still a lot faster,and easier to keep up with,than having 
> to get the can out every string,pull out the wire,and measure,and you 
> will still end up measuring exactly anyway.That way when the pins,and 
> wire run out,you know it's time to change size.We don't think of losing a 
> minute here or there,but when you do it 200+ times it adds up.I was 
> taught this way,and it seems I pick up,and put down tools less times this way.
>Best,
>Hazen Bannister

You know, I could imagine a simple fixture which might work quite well for 
this. You take a rubbing, and tape the long tenor end to a cylinder, so 
that the long tenor is parallel to the cylinder, and a foot or so away from 
it. You drape the rubbing over a long narrow table, with the agraffe end 
near a simple clamp which could hold wire, like a visegrip mounted to the 
table. You put a big magic marker slash between the changes in size, and 
mark the size numbers on the rubbing in big numbers. The film can stays on 
a dowel on the far end, just beyond the rubbing. You grab the wire, pull it 
to the agraffe end, clamp it with the vise grip, then take the cutters, 
down at the film end, and clip just beyond the rubbed hitch pin. Actually, 
you keep the cutters in your hand ... After the end of a size, you roll up 
the rubbing a little way, change the film cans for the next size, and carry 
on ... oh, one other thing you'd need -- a series of places, like maybe 
narrow saw kerfs, to lay the wire on in order. with sizes marked.

hmmmmmmmm

Susan