Tape Measures for woodworking

[Roy]

I've had these tapes since Ike hit us, so that was just over 3 years ago, if that helps you compare their age with your tapes. I gave the last of my originals (5-6 years old now) away right after Ike to one of my neighbors and ordered this batch.

I don't remember the previous set having obvious hook slipping problems so can't say if these three are better or worse than the previous ones. There are three shallow grooves on the back of the hook I presume to reduce slippage. If yours don't have the grooves, then Rob must have listened to you and tried to fix the problem.

I don't think these hook quite as well as the bigger tapes, but they are only

1/2 inch wide so not as rigid nor do they have as big a hook as a 3/4 or 1" tape. Having said that, I don't find these difficult or inconvenient to use for cabinet work, but it is pretty rare I need to measure anything much over 4-5 feet. A wider tape is a big advantage when measuring 6 feet or more just because they are self supporting.

Now, having typed that, I had to go out to the garashop to experiment. The little LV tapes are self supporting to 3'9". My little 5' Zippo that lives in my pocket collapses at 21 inches. I tested a brand new Jorgensen, my old standby Stanley and a Kobolt. Each one of these is 1" wide, 25' long and each one of them was self supporting to within a few inches either side of 8' even.

I don't know what in the hell that has to do with your original question, but there ya go.

[-MIKE-]

16th to 3/8" at 4 feet.

[Gerald Ross]

My brother gave me a Komelon 16 footer, self-locking which I like very much. It has the usual marks at 16", which I understand. It also has marks at 19+ inches which turns out to be 1/5 of 8'. Not being a carpenter I don't know why you would want to divide an 8 foot panel into fifths, unless it has something to do with roofing. Can anyone enlighten me on this?

[aeroloose]

Coincidence, perhaps, but 19+ inches is also 0.5 meter (depending on where your + is) :) Any other marking near 39

3/8"?

It's rare, but some tapes offer dual-measure. I have an old inch/metric Stanley, although it's arranged by side.

Aero

[m II]

Those are the ones (one sided measure only) we find everywhere but are slowly making their ways to the $0.99 bins.

Aero

[DanG]

Another centering system just like using 12, 16, 24. To stud out an 8' sheet : @ 12" - 9 studs/rafters/joists @16" - 7 studs @19.2- 6 studs @24 - 5 studs

[Leon]

the marking are what we call the 19-2 layout (19 and 2/10ths inches). used more with floor trusses. the floor trusses are strong enough to be spaced just over 19 inches apart and a sheet of floor decking still works being half on the truss at eight feet. floor trusses are made of

2x4's and steel plates.

Read more:

[tiredofspam]

[Swingman]

Mine do have the three grooves. Where DO they differ from the Stanley's, is that the two rivet heads, on the concentric (bottom) side that holds the hook on, are visibly thicker than my Stanley's rivets ... the result is the hook does not sit as far down on the piece being measured, meaning their hold is not as secure.

A case where more robust is not necessarily better ... perhaps that has been addressed in later versions. I wasn't going to spend the money to find out.

Don't get me wrong, the LV's are the perfect size for shop use and I love the 'right-handedness'. I just got tired of them slipping off the work piece. Not every time mind you, but just about every time damn time I was in a situation where I didn't have one to spare and another hand would have been ideal, the hook would cant upwards throwing the measurement off close to a 1/16".

I'm glad to see they work for you, I sure wish they did for me ... being LV you would almost bet, and win, on the consistency of readings from tape to tape.

[Swingman]

No shit! ... and folks wonder why their projects don't end up being square when they use multiple tape measures on the same project.

As I'm sure you know, the best tape measure is NO tape measure.

I never measure when I can _mark_.

[Larry Jaques]

I finally figured that one out a couple years ago, too. What a difference! No more being 1" off (always short, right?) on a measurement with a tape, even if I wrote it down at the time of measurement...

Story sticks are _happenin'!_

-- The human brain is unique in that it is the only container of which it can be said that the more you put into it, the more it will hold. -- Glenn Doman

[-MIKE-]

Engineered lumber and metric. Some engineered joists are spaced at 19.2" instead of 16". I'm guessing it's because they are stronger and also because it's pretty close to half a meter and engineers work in metric.

[-MIKE-]

I'm glad to hear someone else say that!

I had another guy look at me like I was a nut case when I carried pieces of trim around to mark, then to the saw to cut. He said, "why don't you just use a tape measure?" I answered, "Because I only want to make one cut."

[-MIKE-]

By the way, I have a 30' Stanley 30-997, one of the older, discontinued, Leverlock models. Red. The newer yellow Leverlocks suck, by comparison. If I ever find any of these for sale, new old stock, I will buy half a dozen.

This thing is a perfect tape measure. I also like that the tape takes a pencil or shaprie marker mark very well, but not so much that it can't be rubbed off.

[Josepi]

Crikey!

That could explain a few things over the years. Sometimes you write the measurement down, double check it, be really careful when cutting, twice checked (reread) reaffirm the saw thickness and line-up with the laser line and the damn things is still 1/16" too short. Should have fit like a glove???

More research will be taking place on the tapes I have. I have about 5 or 6 different brands and a few the same brand. I just find this really hard to believe! I can see the end stop gets off or is manufactured badly but then some of my favourites are the cheapo units. A few Stanley's I have paid big bucks for turned out to be garbage and bent within a month of usage.

I still can't use that excuse for the many cuts I have done tat were off by

1" over the years but.... I have a theory that the rivets on the end hook that allow it to slide have been caught and they always seem to be an exact 1" from the end.

---------

By the way, I have a 30' Stanley 30-997, one of the older, discontinued, Leverlock models. Red. The newer yellow Leverlocks suck, by comparison. If I ever find any of these for sale, new old stock, I will buy half a dozen.

This thing is a perfect tape measure. I also like that the tape takes a pencil or shaprie marker mark very well, but not so much that it can't be rubbed off.

[clare]

The VAST majority of tape measures sold in Canada over the last 20+ years are dual scale. Which is why I said the Acuratape was "rare" in Canada, being inch only.

[tiredofspam]

[Swingman]

I'm gonna take your word on this. Never heard of them until now.

AAMOF, needed ten bucks to kick me to the free shipping category on an Amazon gift card so just added two of the 12' model Komelon to the cart as I was checking out.

I was looking for something small that had both inches and mm so I could use it when setting the parallel guides with my Festool guide rails without having to pull out the calculator and do a conversion.

Damn ... two of the 12' puppies for just over ten bucks, in lieu of shipping, total cost zero!

Hope they're not as _cheap_ as the price reflects! :)

[-MIKE-]

They had some at HD on sale pretty cheap. At the time I was looking for a replacement to my tried and true Stanley Leverlock and was impressed with the Komelon's self locking mechanism, albeit not as intuitive as Stanley's. However, I was trying to buy made-in-the-USA, so I didn't get it.

[Josepi]

After buying a few and actually using them I avoid the dual scales like the plague. They become one sided usage tapes and are a PITA.

Same with straight inches type tapes. Measure 5' 4" and then use the other tape at the saw to cut 54". Had to throw a few out that didn't have feet and inches after too many wood pieces ruined.