Month: March 2017

  • 16-Inch Centers

    In the past two weeks, we've been busy building, assembling and installing bookshelves, and today we hung artwork. Of course, we've used hammers and screwdrivers, but the most helpful tools for actually actually attaching things to the wall have been the measuring tape and the level.

    Somewhere in my life, I learned that houses are framed with the studs in the walls 16 inches from center to center and that piece of information has been a very helpful. Before we could even purchase supplies for bookshelves, we had to figure out where the studs were so that we would have sufficient materials. We began in the corner of the room and began measuring of 16-inch intervals. After we had that figured out, the installation went pretty quickly.

    As we hung artwork today, the level became our best friend. As we decided where each picture should hang, we'd eyeball the space and drive the first nail. Then the level would be pressed into service to correct our eyeballed guess.

    IMG_20170304_162843648

    The first project I tackled after lunch today was hanging of our clock shelf. My father made and gave this shelf to me 24 years ago for my birthday. And guess what? When he built it, he drilled holes for installation exactly 16 inches apart. I fastened it to the wall after locating a stud, leveled it with my maternal grandfather's level and placed my paternal grandfather's clock on the shelf.

    As I've been working on these projects, I've had to think about how very thankful I am for standards. If the builder had decided that she (Our neighbor told us that the builder was a woman.) didn't want to follow building norms, I would be very frustrated with my inability to find something strong to fasten nails and screws to. Of course, this has lead to some thoughts about the guidance of scripture. I'm glad that I don't serve a fickle god whose whims change over time. As thankful as I am for 16-inch centers and my grandfather's two-foot level, I'm even more thankful for the Word of God which gives me something to center my life on and to keep me level.