Tape Measures


Mzdadoc

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I used to like Fastcap, but I have come to love the 10' LV cabinetmakers tapes. They are accurate, cheap, and fit well in the palm of my hand.

 

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,43513,43003&p=32562

 

I have several in the shop and just leave them by the machines that require measuring. Every now and then I calibrate the tapes to make sure they all read the same. For stuff that matters I use relative dimensioning.

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I guess I could have searched that.... Lol

Are there tape measures with machinist quality accuracy? I know WW doesn't need that type of accuracy it's just the OCD in me.

I never knew that the slop at the metal hook of the tape was there for a good reason...drove me (and my own nutso OCD) bananas until I realized its purpose.

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@ Eric, apologies, mine are not Fat Max, they are just Stanley. Same company tho..

 

What I like about them is that I get the same simple measurement on both sides for the tape.  I have a tape that has metric on one side or actually writes the fractions on one side of the tape..  

 

Phew!  Okay, good...I was thinking I was gonna have to go out and find them and make them MINE! :D  I would prefer a 12' but I think the 16' is the smallest they make in the Fat Max line.  I like the Fat Max because of the wider, stiffer blades...they don't flop around like the regular ones and they're a joy to use.  Try one out! :)

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My favorite is a16' Stanley Powerlock purchased in May 1974 while working at a lumberyard in Kailua, Hawaii. It has a metal case and at that time you could buy replacement tapes if you damaged the tape somehow. I just checked it against a Starrett ruler and it's dead on. However, I mostly use it for breaking down boards. I use a metal rule and story stick for finished work. As noted above, just use the same measuring device for the project.

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DIY – Fat Max

 

Shop – FT (constantly use the dual SAE/Metric scale)

 

Kitchen utility drawer – Starrett…

 

The FatMax and FT need no explanation… However, the Starrett is a bit of a mystery… I’m not exactly sure how much Starrett kit I’ve got personally, but it’s certainly thirty+ items. We’ve got two or three hundred at the office… Every single piece of kit they make is a work of art…. Except the tape measure… Go figure… I realize a tape measure is only supposed to ‘get you close’ and the machinist’s scale gets you the measure, but that Starrett tape measure is not a thing of beauty – it’s not even very well made… Maybe someday I’ll call Athol, MA to see if it was some sort of April Fool’s joke that got out of hand….

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1"x25" Powerlock for me, with the little belt clip removed.  Any time they are on sale in HD for less than 8.88, I buy one or two.  Right now, there is one on the console in the truck.  One in each of the pockets behind the front seats.  One in each end of the toolbox on the truck.  In the shop they stay on all the saws, drill press, and probably at least a dozen just laying all about.

 

I've been using them for probably as long as they've been made.  The 30s have a spring that's distractingly too strong.  I don't have to think about using these tapes.  They fit perfectly in my modified toolbelt pouch for it, and can find it's way home without me thinking about it, or touching the tight fitting leather on it's way in.

 

When we are starting a build with critical measurements, we check the ones we are going to use, one against the other, and toss any outliers.

 

The FatMaxes are just too big to change to with the many thousands of reps I have in handling the ones I don't have to think about, and I've have to make another pouch-just not worth the trouble to change, and why I keep buying them, in case they ever stop making them.  Sort of like my hoard of Berol Mirado number 4 pencils.

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The main thing that makes one read different that others, is if it's been dropped on the hook, and the hook bent.  I've never seen one where the hook slide wore out, but it is amazing that something can be made that simple, accurate,  cheap, and still work for so long.

 

I am in the habit of always catching the retraction with a finger though, and not just letting it slam home.  I can see where that could wear on one.

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If you alternate between interior and exterior measurements a lot, or let your tape retract with force...the rivet slots in the hook will elongate.

Edit: This lead to the "burn an inch."

 

 

 

Ok yea that makes sense, it also explains why I don't have a problem. As a kid, grandpa and dad made me treat a tape measure just like I would a micrometer or caliper i.e. with care. letting the tape slam back into the case was a big no no.

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