Heard a guy at the lumber yard say he never uses a story stick anymore

I was picking up some maple for a built-in last week and this guy was telling his buddy that story sticks are old school and a waste of time. He said he just takes all his measurements and puts them straight into his phone, then cuts. I almost laughed out loud. I've been doing this for fifteen years, and I've seen too many jobs go sideways from trusting a digital number over a physical stick you can hold. Last fall, I did a kitchen where the walls were out by over an inch corner to corner. If I hadn't transferred the real wall onto a stick first, every single upper cabinet would have been off. My phone can't feel a bump or a bow in the plaster. How do you guys handle big runs of cabinets? Do you still use a story stick or are you all digital now?

3 comments

3 Comments

stellachen19d ago

Phones are way more accurate if you know how to use them.

the_susan18d ago

Wait, are we talking about the same phones that tell me I'm in the middle of a lake when I'm clearly on a road? My experience is they get the general area right, but the exact pin can be way off. I've had maps send me to the back of a building instead of the front door more times than I can count. That doesn't scream "way more accurate" to me, even if you know all the tricks.

wendy39116d ago

My old phone was terrible until I turned on high accuracy mode in the location settings. It uses GPS, wifi, and cell towers together and the pin got way more precise. Now it puts me right at the driveway.