Figured out a fast way to mark studs with just a scrap piece of plywood

I was working on a closet shelf setup in a house over on Maple Street last Thursday. Kept stopping to measure and mark every single stud for the cleats. After the third try, I grabbed a 2-foot scrap of 3/4 ply from the truck, lined it up with the first stud, and just traced along the edge for the rest of the row. Saves me about 45 seconds per mark, which adds up fast on a long wall. Anyone else got a go-to trick for speeding up layout work?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_lisa22d ago

Alright, I've gotta admit I used to think that was overthinking it, but you just changed my mind. That "45 seconds per mark" math is hard to argue with when you're staring down a whole wall of cleats.

mark_carr722d ago

Yeah that "45 seconds per mark" breakdown clicked for me too after I heard a coach break down time management on a podcast I was listening to.

the_jake21d ago

Scored a $300 job last week just by pacing myself with that exact rhythm, @mark_carr7. Caught the homeowner watching me and he ended up throwing in a tip because I wasn't rushing.