i'm not sure how others would ask you to do it, but the jig i lay them out on and tie the endsoff on has 5/16" posts. when i'm finished serving and put them back on the jig for final tweak (adding a few twists to get to as exact a length as i'm able, i pull the arm to about 25lbs of tension. the measurement is from the inside of the farthest point loop to loop. so the loops are included in the measurement, but its taken from inside the loop, not outside. wow, hard to explain. basically if you stuck 2 16 penny nails side by side and put1 loop around them, pulled the cable taut, and put the other loop around 2 16 penny nails (soboth sets of nails were allignedperpindicular to the string), then hooked your tape around 1 set of nails and measured to the farthest edge of the other nails you'd have it.