User’s Guide
CONSTRUCTION MASTER
®
IV
For Today’s Construction Professional
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INTRODUCING:
THE CONSTRUCTION MASTER IV
®
Designed for busy construction professionals,
the new Construction Master IV lets you solve
hundreds of dimension-related problems
quickly and accurately in Metric or feet-inch
formats!
◆ Solve Dimensional Math with Ease
◆ Instant Dimensional Conversions
◆ Complete Metric/Imperial Conversions
◆ Calculate Square and Rectangular Areas
◆ Find Cubic Volumes
◆ Solve Right-Triangle problems
◆ Find Regular and Irregular Hip/Valley
Rafters
◆ Find Regular and Irregular Jack Rafters
◆ Calculate Stair Risers, Treads and Stringers
◆ Solve Rake-Wall Stud Lengths
◆ Convert between Volume and Weight
◆ Estimate Board Feet
◆ Find Circular Areas, Circumferences, Arcs
◆ Material Estimations
◆ Paperless Tape Function
◆ And much, much more!
3 — User’s Guide
KEY DEFINITIONS/FUNCTIONS
Basic Functions
[+] [–] [x]
[÷] [=] Arithmetic operation keys.
[%] Four-function percent key.
0 – 9 Digits used for keying-in numbers.
[ • ] Decimal point.
[Off]
Turns all power off. Resets the dis-
play and all non-permanent registers.
[On/C] Turns on power. Pressing once
clears the last entry and the dis-
play. Pressing twice in succession
clears all temporary registers.
[Conv]
Used to convert between dimen-
sions. Dimensions can only be con-
verted within the same convention
(i.e., linear, square or cubic). Also
used to access special functions.
GETTING STARTED
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Used to find the square root of a
number.
[Conv]
x2 — Finds the square of the dis-
played value.
[M+] Memory Plus — Stores the dis-
played number in the semi-perma-
nent Memory. Also adds the
displayed number to any previous-
ly stored value in Memory. The
total stored in Memory is recalled
by pressing [Rcl] prior to [M+].
[Conv]
[M+] Memory Minus (M–) — Subtracts
the displayed value from Memory.
[Rcl] Recall — Recalls values stored in
any register (i.e., press [Rcl] and
then the key you wish to display
the value of). [Rcl] [M+] displays
Memory content.
[]
[]
5 — User’s Guide
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[Rcl] [x] Imperial/Metric Mode — Selects
either Imperial or Metric defaults
for the following settings: pitch,
stair riser height, and on-center spac-
ing for jack rafters and rake-walls.
Note: This is a permanent setting
cleared only by removing batteries
or manually resetting.
******************************************
[Conv]
[Rcl] Memory Clear — Clears the
Memory without changing the
current display.
Dimension Keys
[Yds] Yards — This is an entry and con-
version key (when used with
[Conv]).
[Feet] Feet — This is an entry and con-
version key (when used with
[Conv]). This key can also be used
in conjunction with the [Inch] and
[/] keys for entering in Feet-Inch-
Fractions.
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[Inch] Inches — This is an entry and con-
version key (when used with
[Conv]). This key can also be used
in conjunction with the [/] key for
entering values in Fractional Inch
format.
[/] Fraction Bar — This key is used to
enter fractions. For example, to
enter 1/2, the key sequence would
be: 1 [/] 2.
[Cu] Cubic — This key is used with a
dimension key to identify a value
as being a volume.
Example: 5 [Cu] [Yds].
[Sq] Square — This key is used with a
dimension key to identify a value
as being an area.
Example: 10 [Sq] [Meters].
[m] Meters — This is an entry and con-
version key used to enter decimal
meters or to convert decimal
meters.
[cm] Centimeters — Entry and conver-
sion key for centimeters. Operates
the same as metric.
7 — User’s Guide
[mm] Millimeters — Entry and conver-
sion key for millimeters. Operates
the same as metric.
[Bd Ft] Board Feet — This key is used to
enter or convert cubic values to
board feet (using [Conv]). One
board foot is equal to 144 cubic
inches (1 inch x 1 foot x 1 foot).
[Weight] Weight — This key is used to con-
vert volume to a weight value using
the [Conv] key and the stored
Weight per Volume factor (see
below). Press repeatedly to toggle
between tons, pounds and kilo-
grams.
[Conv]
[%]
Weight per Volume — Used to set the
Weight per Volume factor. Factor
can be entered as Kilograms per
Cubic Meter, Tons per Cubic Yard,
or Pounds per Cubic Yard. To set a
different weight per volume, i.e.,
2150 Kilograms per Cubic Meter,
press 2150 [Conv] [%] [%] [%].
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Right Triangle/Rafter Keys
[Pitch] Pitch — This key is used to per-
manently enter or calculate the
pitch (slope) of a roof (or right tri-
angle). Pitch may be entered as an
inch format (9 [Inch] [Pitch]), or
as an angle in degrees (i.e., 30
[Pitch] for 30°), or also as a unit-
less ratio (0.75 [Conv] [Pitch]).
[Rise] Rise — This key enters or calcu-
lates the rise or vertical leg of a
right triangle.
[Run] Run — This key enters or calcu-
lates the run or horizontal leg (or
base) of a right triangle.
9 — User’s Guide
[Diag] Diagonal — This key enters or
calculates the diagonal leg or
hypotenuse of a right triangle.
[Conv]
[Diag] Rake-Wall — This function finds
the decreasing stud sizes in a rake-
wall based on computed or entered
values for pitch, rise and/or run.
Repeated presses of [Diag] will dis-
play the descending stud sizes from
longest to shortest.
The on-center spacing of a rake-
wall can be permanently stored by
entering a dimension prior to solv-
ing for stud sizes (for example, 750
[mm] [Conv] [Diag]
will store 750
millimeters as the on-center spac-
ing). Default on-center spacing is
600 millimeters in Metric Mode
(16 inches in English Mode).
[Hip/V] Hip/Valley — Finds the regular (45°)
hip/valley rafter length based on
entered or solved values for Pitch,
Rise, Run and/or Diagonal. If this
key is pressed after an irregular pitch
entry (see below), the length of the
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irregular (non-45°) hip/valley rafter
is displayed. Answers will show an
“I” on the display to indicate if it’s
an irregular.
[Conv]
[Hip/V] Irregular Pitch — Stores the irreg-
ular pitch or slope value for calcu-
lating lengths of the irregular
hip/valley and irregular jack rafters.
For instance, to enter a 38° irregu-
lar pitch or slope, press 38 [Conv]
[Hip/V] (or, to enter a ten inch
irregular pitch, enter 10 [Inch]
[Conv] [Hip/Valley]). To recall
the irregular pitch, press [Rcl]
[Conv] [Hip/Valley]. An irregular
pitch is designated with an “I”.
11 — User’s Guide
[Jack] Jack Rafter — Used to find the jack
rafter sizes—from largest to small-
est—for both regular and irregular
roofs based on entered values for
Pitch, Rise, Run and/or Diagonal,
jack on-center, and (optionally)
irregular pitch (see above). Use
[Conv] [Jack] to access the irregu-
lar jack rafter mode.
The default on-center spacing for
jacks is 600 millimeters in Metric
Mode. A new on-center spacing
can be permanently set by entering
a dimension before pressing
[Jack]. For example, 750 [mm]
[Jack] will store a 750 millimeter
on-center spacing.
[Conv]
[Jack] Irregular Jack — Accesses the irreg-
ular jack rafter mode, allowing suc-
cessive presses of the [Jack] key
(after [Conv] [Jack] is initially
pressed) to display the descending
irregular jack rafter lengths—from
longest to shortest. Based on
entered irregular pitch and on-cen-
ter spacing.
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Stair and Circle Keys
[Stair] A multi-function key that displays
the following values when pressed
repeatedly:
Number of Presses
Result
1 Number of Risers
2 Actual Riser Height
3 Riser Overage/Underage
4 Number of Treads
5 Actual Tread Width
6 Tread Overage/Underage
7 Stringer Length
8 Inclination Angle
9 Default Riser Height
13 — User’s Guide
When the [Stair] key is preceded
by a linear or undimensioned
entry, the value will be permanent-
ly stored as the “Desired Riser
Height”. Undimensioned values
are assumed to be millimeters
when in Metric Mode or inches if
in English Mode. Default = 185
millimeters for Metric Mode (7-
1/2 inches for English Mode).
[Circ] Circle — Based on an entered
dimensioned diameter, repeated
presses display the following circu-
lar values: 1) diameter, 2) surface
area 3) circumference.
[Conv]
[Circ] Arc Length — Used to find the arc
length based on an entered diame-
ter and angle. For example: 50
[mm] [Circ] 180 [Conv] [Circ]
would display an Arc length of
78.53982 millimeters for an
entered diameter of 50 millimeters
and a 180° angle.
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Additional [Conv] Key Functions:
When used in conjunction with the follow-
ing keys, the [Conv] key gives access to these
additional functions:
[Conv]
[÷] Reciprocal, or 1/x function.
[Conv]
[x] All-Clear — Clears all values
including Memory. Resets all per-
manent registers to default settings
(pitch, jack rafter and rake-wall on-
center values, stair riser height,
fraction set).
[Conv]
[+] Pi (π) Constant = 3.141593.
[Conv]
[–] +/– Changes the sign of the dis-
played value.
[Conv]
[=] Tape — Accesses the paperless tape
mode.
[Conv]
[•] Per Unit — Allows you to calculate
a total material cost given a unit
dimension and an entered Per Unit
Cost.
15 — User’s Guide
Fractional
Rounding
Settings:
When your calculator is in a
default condition (after a battery
change or full reset), it is set to
round fractional values to the near-
est 1/16 of an inch. However, you
may program your preference for
six different accuracy levels which
remain in permanent memory
until revised or reset. To change the
fractional rounding, press:
[Conv] 1 Fraction set to 1/16
[Conv] 2 Fraction set to 1/2
[Conv] 3 Fraction set to 1/32
[Conv] 4 Fraction set to 1/4
[Conv] 6 Fraction set to 1/64
[Conv] 8 Fraction set to 1/8
ENTERING DIMENSIONS
All examples are performed in Metric Mode
(press [Rcl] [x] to see “METR” on display).
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Linear Dimensions
Below are some examples of how linear
dimensions are entered:
Dimensions Keystrokes
17.5 Meters 17.5 [m]
5 Feet 5 [Feet]
1/2 Inch 1 [/] 2
5 Feet 1 Inch 5 [Feet] 1 [Inch]
5 Feet 1-1/2 Inch 5 [Feet] 1 [Inch] 1 [/] 2
10 Yards 10 [Yds]
205 Millimeters 205 [mm]
Square and Cubic Dimensions
Square and cubic dimensions are entered in
the following order:
(1) Numerical Value;
(2) Convention — Square or Cubic;
(3) Units — Meters, Yards, Feet, Inches.
Below are some examples of how square and
cubic dimensions are entered:
Dimension Keystrokes
33 square millimeters 33 [Sq] [mm]
5 cubic yards 5 [Cu] [Yds]
130 square feet 130 [Sq] [Feet]
123 cubic meters 123 [Cu] [m]
17 — User’s Guide
DIMENSION CONVERSIONS
Linear Conversions
Convert 14 feet to other linear dimensions:
Keystrokes Display Shows
14 [Feet] . . .
[Conv] [m] 4.2672 M
[Conv] [cm] 426.72 CM
[Conv] [mm] 4267.2 MM
[Conv] [Yds] 4.666667 YD
[Conv] [Feet] 14 FT 0 IN
[Conv] [Feet] 14 FT
[Conv] [Inch] 168 IN
Square Area Conversions
Convert 14 square feet to other square
dimensions:
Keystrokes Display Shows
14 [Sq] [Feet] . . .
[Conv] [m] 1.300643 SQ M
[cm] 13006.43 SQ CM
[mm] 1300643 SQ MM
[Inch] 2016 SQ IN
[Yds] 1.555556 SQ YD
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Note: When performing conversions, [Conv]
only has to be pressed once.
Cubic Conversions
Convert 14 cubic feet to other cubic dimen-
sions:
Keystrokes Display Shows
14 [Cu] [Feet] . . .
[Conv] [m] 0.396 CU M
[cm] 396435.9 CU CM
[mm] 0.396 CU M *
[Inch] 24192 CU IN
[Yds] 0.518519 CU YD
* Notice in the conversion to millimeters, the
answer has “Auto-Ranged” and is again dis-
played in meters, as otherwise the number of
digits would be out of the calculator's normal
seven digit display range.
19 — User’s Guide
MATHEMATICAL OPERATIONS
Your calculator uses standard chaining logic
which simply means that you enter your first
value, the operator (+, –, x, ÷), the second
value and then the Equals sign (“=”).
A. 3 [+] 2 [=] 5
B. 3 [–] 2 [=] 1
C. 3 [x] 2 [=] 6
D. 3 [÷] 2 [=] 1.5
This feature also makes the calculator simple
to use for dimensional math, as shown in the
following examples:
Adding and Subtracting Dimensions
1. Add 7 meters to 11 feet 4 inches:
7 [m] [+] 11 [Feet] 4 [Inch]
[=] 10.4544 M
2. Subtract 3 feet from 11 feet 7-1/2 inches:
11 [Feet] 7 [Inch] 1 [/] 2 [–] 3 [Feet]
[=] 8 FEET 7-1/2 INCH
Note: The format of the first value you enter
determines the format of the answer. However,
with the [Conv] key you can change to any for-
mat you desire, provided that you maintain
convention.
Multiplying and Dividing Dimensions
1. Multiply 5 feet 3 inches by
11 feet 6-1/2 inches:
5 [Feet] 3 [Inch]
[x] 11 [Feet] 6 [Inch] 1[/] 2
[=] 60.59375 SQ FT
2. Divide 30 meters by 16 inches:
30 [m] [÷] 16 [Inch]
[=] 73.8189
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