@jim said:
Scale the objects to some arbitrary size, and then enter the exact lengths after. You can now enter " marks without the Scale Tool switching modes.
Are you saying the Mac Scale Tool changes modes after completing the operation?
You are right. I hadn't tried that. It is inconsistent with most other tools because they don't use shift as a mode change. For example, when using the rectangle, line, move, etc. you can just do the first click, start the operation, and then type a value. You don't have to complete the mouse operation using a second click before you can press shift!