I learned this trick by listening to drywall hangers call out dimensions to each other. When my crew calls out dimensions, all are given in whole inches and in sixteenths. Hence, 4-1/2 in. is written as 4 and 8. One thirty-second over that is written with a small plus sign, and we call that measurement 4 and 8 strong.
We never mistake 5/16 for 5/8, and adding the two together is a breeze. Three and one fourth plus 5-5/8 becomes 3 and 4 plus 5 and 10. Bingo — 8 and 14. One dimension easily could have been strong, too, or if both are, you know to add another sixteenth. You get used to certain frequent equations, and you really can fly then.
Mark Padbury, Orcas Island, WA
