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weird sentence

English translation: 1/2" less (inch or cm?)

20:37 May 21, 2005
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Furniture / Household Appliances
English term or phrase: weird sentence
"For custom shades mark holes 1/2 less than bracket to bracket measurement"

This is from an owner's manual, the section explaining how you should mark the holes for the 4 screws holding the thing.

Can someone help me make sense of this sentence? I just can't picture what is involved here.
TIA
sarahl (X)
Local time: 22:51
Selected answer:1/2" less (inch or cm?)
Explanation:
possible explanation
"bracket to bracket measurement" must be the standard - but for custom orders, they need to mark holes (indicate where the holes will be drilled) 1/2 inch less

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Note added at 9 hrs 35 mins (2005-05-22 06:12:17 GMT)
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Custom Solar Shades Sun ShadeBackyardcity offers quality outdoor Custom Solar Shades Sun Shades built with ... Cloth width will be slightly less than Bracket to Bracket measurement by: ...
www.backyardcity.com/window/ shades/Custom-Solar-Shades-Sun-Shades.htm
Selected response from:

RHELLER
United States
Local time: 23:51
Grading comment
merci m'dame !
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
3 +111/2" less (inch or cm?)
RHELLER
3Another possibility
Balasubramaniam L.
1Try this...
Tony M


Discussion entries: 15





  

Answers


4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Another possibility


Explanation:
It could also mean the first hole of a pair.

1/2 could be referring to the first hole as we do in numbering pages in a document. For example, 4/7 would mean the fourth page of a seven-page document.

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Note added at 4 hrs 46 mins (2005-05-22 01:23:58 GMT)
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In this case, if there are pairs of holes, the first hole of each pair should be marked less than the bracket to bracket measurement.

But don\'t ask me how to decide which is the first hole of a pair, I don\'t know!

But if there is a diagram or something showing the hole positions, probably one could figure this out.

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Note added at 5 hrs 0 min (2005-05-22 01:37:54 GMT)
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I don\'t think any exact measurement is involved here. Otherwise in a manual type of document, this would be clearly indicated. The manual leaves it to the judgement of the user, and just says keep the holes closer together by about half the normal distance, as Dusty has suggested, or keep one of the holes more inside, as is my conjecture.

Balasubramaniam L.
India
Local time: 11:21
Native speaker of: Native in HindiHindi

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  RHELLER: less by how much?
4 hrs
  -> With nothing to go on, my guess is as good as yours.
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3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +11
1/2" less (inch or cm?)


Explanation:
possible explanation
"bracket to bracket measurement" must be the standard - but for custom orders, they need to mark holes (indicate where the holes will be drilled) 1/2 inch less

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 9 hrs 35 mins (2005-05-22 06:12:17 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Custom Solar Shades Sun ShadeBackyardcity offers quality outdoor Custom Solar Shades Sun Shades built with ... Cloth width will be slightly less than Bracket to Bracket measurement by: ...
www.backyardcity.com/window/ shades/Custom-Solar-Shades-Sun-Shades.htm


RHELLER
United States
Local time: 23:51
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16
Grading comment
merci m'dame !

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  MPGS: :) welcome :)
1 min
  -> thank you!
agree  Can Altinbay
24 mins
  -> thanks Can :-)
agree  Martine Brault
1 hr
  -> merci :-)
agree  zaphod
1 hr
  -> hi Peter :-)
agree  jennifer newsome (X)
2 hrs
  -> thanks trickilyclever :-)
agree  Anna Maria Augustine (X)
3 hrs
  -> merci Anna!
agree  gtreyger (X)
3 hrs
  -> thanks Gennadiy :-)
agree  Alfa Trans (X)
10 hrs
  -> thanks Marju :-)
agree  Tony M: Yes, I've just realized this MUST be AE, as it's shade = blind [BE] (I was reading it as 'lampshade'!). In this case, Rita's idea of its meaning ½" is the most likely - makes sense given the way shades are fixed // Seems likely, tho V. poorly expressed!
11 hrs
  -> thanks, I think it means 1/4" at each end since they are referring to "bracket to bracket" which is the overall measurement
agree  Saleh Chowdhury, Ph.D.
11 hrs
  -> thanks Saleh!
agree  Charlesp
12 hrs
  -> thanks Charles :-)
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 1/5Answerer confidence 1/5
Try this...


Explanation:
First of all, it would be a great help if you told us, Sarah, if this is AE or BE, and if the units used elsewhere in the text are metric or imperial?

Personally, I wouldn't start by assuming a typo (i.e. missing symbol for inches); suppose it means that the holes have to be marked at some distance or another that is 50% of the bracket-bracket distance? This is entirely feasible, if the shade / bracket system were designed like this. Do you have a diagram you could e-mail me?


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Note added at 11 hrs 17 mins (2005-05-22 07:54:52 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Given that it\'s now confirmed as AE, I think Rita\'s idea is the more likely. If these brackets are turned-inwards L-brackets (often the case), the overall width of the shade will determine the bracket spacing, and the holes in the \'foot\' of each bracket are quite likely to be closer together than the outside edges of the bracket. The phrase remains so wolly, however, it is diffiuclt to know whether the holes should be marked ½\" in from the outside edge of the bracket AT EACH END, or (as it kind of implies, but wrongly, I think), that the hole spacing should be ½\" less than the overall bracket spacing, i.e. ¼\" in from each end!

Tony M
France
Local time: 07:51
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
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