Rant: Seeing a lot of new guys skip the story stick

I watched a crew in Denver last month try to build a whole kitchen without one and the reveals were a mess. How many of you still use a story stick for every install?

4 comments

4 Comments

kelly4701mo ago

Oh man, my buddy learned this the hard way. He helped his cousin do a bathroom vanity without a story stick, just measuring each cabinet as they went. The drawer fronts were all over the place, like a full quarter inch difference on some gaps. They had to shim and recut so much it took twice as long. He won't start a box without one now.

beng512d agoTop Commenter

Flip that story stick idea around and use it for the wall side too. I scribe the back of the stick against the studs and mark any bows or dips, then carry those wall imperfections right onto my cut lines. Saves you from fighting a crooked wall after the fact. You ever try that trick for dealing with out of plumb walls?

hollyscott1mo ago

Yeah that sounds about right. I made a story stick out of some scrap plywood for my last kitchen project and it saved my butt. Just mark everything once and transfer the lines, no math needed.

blair9901mo ago

My neighbor skipped the story stick like @kelly470's friend and his cabinet doors never lined up right.