On Sun, 04 Jan 2004 02:12:10 +0000, Nick Bozovich wrote:

I was watching Norm today - he was measuring up a piece of lumber, and he
used a tape measure. I couldn't tell what brand, but it made me think about
the worthless tape measure I have in my shop - that I try to avoid using.
Why? Because the end of it is loose, and if you don't push the tape back
toward it, the measurement can be off by nearly 1/8".

I was in Lowes today, and checked out their tape measures - even on the more
expensive ones the end of it was loose! One was even worse than the one I
have.

I've mostly used a folding carpenter's rule with a metal insert for 1" - 6",
because the tape measure isn't reliable.

What does everyone else use?

Thanks -

Nick B

Tapes are cheap. When one begins to wear, get another.

Another solution is to clip off the lose tab. Use the tape as is or
add/subtract the difference each time you use it.

The measuring device or scale you use really doesn't matter as much as
consistency in using it. Units of measure are no more than a convenience.
They do not change distance but merely try to define it.