Ping Robert

I have seen them on TV, most recently on the show "Ax Men", a show about lo ggers. Never seen one in person. When I have something large to measure o r layout, I have a steel bladed Milwaukee model I use that is in a steel fr ame with rubber corners as armor.

That's a true logger's tape, made to have the crap beat out of it all day l ong. Hopefully I wouldn't be the one using it....!

Robert

Now that is bad ASS!

Nice looking tape for builders. I'm not a builder, but I'd think if one were laying out a building of 1 or 200' or more, they would use a transit to measure, not a tape.

I'd like to find anyone that makes a nice tape for cabinet makers? Lots of decent short tapes (12' or less) but they ALL have the first foot or so marked in 32's which is stupid. I want the whole tape, especially the first foot or so in 1/16's. Don't want 1/64's or 1/32's anywhere on the tape. If anyone knows of such let me know.

BTW, last I checked my Stanley tapes all measured the same. Other tapes were all over the place.

That's a harsh value judgement, indeed. One might consider that if one were to use every other mark on such measuring devices, one could easily get precision to 1/16th of an inch.

Have you heard of FastCap? They have several style tape measures. You want to look at the green one, it is on 1/16" increments on both sides and reads left to right and right to left and labels each marking if you are not proficient reading a tape measure.

HTH

Nevermind :/

Not near harsh enough. After using tapes for 60 years and never ever once needing 1/32 markings I have zero need for having the marks gum up the first foot or so of the tape. When I was young, my eyes had trouble with those useless markings. Now that I'm old, they are really annoying. I would need a magnifying glass to use every other mark as you suggest.

One thing for sure, I don't need you making harsh value judgements for me...

Not only heard of them, I own the old standby 16' but it has the 1/32" marking on the first foot. I don't see any on their page that shows the style I want, and the "Green one" is "standard reverse" with nothing readable from the looks of it. The Old Standby is advertised as large, readable letters, which is good, except for the first foot where the

You would think they would be common, particularly in short, cabinet shop tapes.

The Stanley's have 1/32" markings. The Komelon looks promising, but, it only has markings on one side of the tape. What's up with that? I'd like markings on both sides, like most all tapes have, but I want no

My eyes are getting to the point where it is very annoying, as well.

But there are other reasons those marks are pretty pointless on a standard tape measure.

1. If you're doing work requiring that kind of precision (real precision, not "Hey, I got lucky!" precision), then you need to be using a rule with a stop, not a tape.
2. You can put a tick mark perfectly in the center of two 16th lines on a tape just as easily as you can on a 32nd line.
3. There's at least a 32" of slop in the hook of the average tape measure anyway. The hooks get bent in and out or twisted. The slots get sloppy and don't always catch at the same place. If you are measuring a decent distance and aren't perfectly perpendicular to the edge, you add distance, or you end up on the bent side of the hook. etc, etc, etc.

Not sure what you are looking for I guess, you mentioned that you wanted a tape measure that has a resolution of 1/16" and no higher.

Here is my FascCap Green measure.

Click on the picture to zoom in.

The Old Standby is advertised as large,

I had one of those and I only lasted about an hour with it. I "thought" the printed "1/8-1/4-3/8-etc" markings would be convenient, but man, it was just the opposite for me.

The printing just confused the heck out of my brain. My mind has been trained for 35 years to know what the fraction is by recognizing the standard lines and heights of the different ones. So when I see that AND the printed fractions, it actually slowed me down. TOO much information. :-)

I took it back.

Next time you're in HD check out the Milwaukee 16'

Or take a chance on the more reasonably priced 12'

I'm on my 4th. ;~0 I break them and Fastcap sends me a new one.

But I mostly only use a tape measure to double check a previously laid out mark.

Yes, that's what I'm talking about. Couldn't see that from their web page. There, those measurements looked closer together (on my screen) than the Old Standby, but were too blurry to see. The old standby was clear as a bell in their photo.

Thanks for that, I'll have to get me one of those. Not sure I want all the extra numbering and would love it in a 10 or 12' rule, but this should do just fine. Do you like all the extra numbering?

That's what I was thinking. You would think someone would just make a simple (short) rule with just 1/16th measurements. How hard could that be, and why on earth do tape makers not know this?

I sent an email to Stanley on this very subject. Lady sent an email back pointing me to one of their tapes on their web page. The tape had

I suggested they should as it would be popular with about all cabinet makers as the 1/32 measurements were nothing but a PIA, and basically useless. She (Charla) gave me an address for development or something which I promptly sent a suggestion.

To tell you the truth I don't really notice the numbers. I only look at the marks, much faster. IOW I don't find them to be in the way.

And FWIW I have had a few wear out over the years, an e-mail indicating so and they ask for an address to send you a replacement. So far they have not wanted the broken one back.

Thanks, will do that. Couldn't tell much from their photo's, but will definitely check them out. I saw that one had the actual fractions marked like the Fastcap tapes. Not sure I want that but if they have a

One of the tapes pictured seemed to have no numbers other than at the 1 inch line. What's up with that?

Personally, I like my Stanley short tapes the best, for overall feel and all that. Unfortunately, they seem too damn dumb to eliminate the useless 1/32 crap. I like my Fastcap 16' except for it's a bit too long for a cabinet shop, and the strong ass spring. Like to chop off a finger when that thing retracts.