I always tell my apprentices to carry 2 tape measures in their tool bag... If one breaks, they would be limited in work that they could do for the rest of the day...
As a commercial plumber i found using a Milwaukee tape measure with a MAGNET on the end works GREAT. it helps hold your measurements on the metal studs, and if your working on a ladder, can help pick up any screws or light hand tools that can fall off the ladder while working.
I use a Stanley fat max with a magnet. I have a spare Milwaukee that I use as a loner/backup or I also like to have two tapes so I have one and have one at the cut station
Speaking of tricks, I bought a prank tape measure one time and gave it to my dad. It’s always off 1/4 inch every time you use it so it was driving him crazy until he finally figured it out 😂
How about finding the difference between two measurements? Take the end of the tape measure and bend it so it lines up with the the higher of the two numbers. Then look at the lower of the two and...the number that is across from it is your difference. It doesn’t keep your math skills as sharp but it works. I love this channel.
Back in the 80's and 90's when I worked in the Sanitary Stainless Pipe industry, technically 0.065 wall tubing, the standard was the Stanley 30 footer as it was known, it seemed like everybody had one. Sometime in the late 90's I went to work in a Union Millwright shop and right off the bat I noticed everyone had a Craftsman 25 footer, when I asked why the said "You'll see". In that environment tape measures got destroyed very often and back in those days Sears would just give you a brand new one when you brought in the broken one, not to mention they were made in the USA. As a home DIYer I've picked up a Milwaukee tape measure and it works really nice, I've still got an old Craftsman that I've been using for over 12 years now. One trick I didn't see is if your tape measure is clipped on your pocket of on your belt and you've go an itch on your back you extend out enough to scratch with, beats asking one of the other guys to scratch you back. ;-)
The black diamond is 19.2” which is 96” divided by 5. This is the spacing you would use if you had, for example, an 8 foot floor space and wanted to use only 6 evenly spaced joists (5 joist cavities) when including the first joist at 0”. 16” spacing would give you 7 joists and 24” would have 5 joists total. It’s the result of wanting an even spacing over 8’ that’s between 16” and 24” centres. Also, best way I’ve found to ruin a tape besides dropping it is letting it recoil at top speed from being a long way out and the end gets warped and kinked so you can’t reach with it anymore. It just flops over like something I don’t want to mention.
Yeah, when I give measurement to my helper and they ask for my tape with it, they get a complimentary scornful look. One guy has said twice that his is in his toolbox. To which I reply, then go get it. If we were doing something that didn’t need a tape and he needed it one time, then okay but don’t tell me that on a top out or rough in.
“Your apprentice has lost everything you own at this point in time” I don’t often comment when I lol, but that was too good. First year apprentice here. My foreman would kill me if I lost anything of his
Coming from a carpenter apprentice here. You may notice some of the numbers on the measure may be red (16 inches, 2 feet, 36 inches, etc.). They're red so that when we go to lay out our studs (either every 16 inches or 2 feet) the measurements are already marked for us and we just need to mark them on our tracks.
I think he forgot to mention at the end the black triangle on the tape measure. Here is what Google said about it: "The small black diamonds, or triangles (diamonds are more commonly found), on the top scale of the tape measure starting at 19.2 inches are for truss layouts for 8-foot sheet goods. They are also known as the "black truss" markings. They provide a quick visual for the tape user and speed up the measuring process."
Only 7? Better get yourself a Lufkin,I poke people from 14 feet away with mine. Edit: I'm not exaggerating either,it really does have a 14 foot standoff.
I definitely learned a couple things, the floor truss fact was interesting and the magic trick was a new one for me too. Since you asked, I use the Lufkin 25' Black Widow. High quality, durable, and always gets a "wow, where did you get that?" from people. Now that I think about it, you should get all of your guys one of them Roger, since the color scheme perfectly matches your company's, how cool.
I just started using Magnusson tape measures. Many times I used other tape measures that I forget How much they hurt when you release them at long length and come back with cuts on my hands. With Magnusson simple self lock and slow retraction with a simple press of a button.
Roger, I learned a great deal from this video. Thanks so much. I’ve never used a top hook or the scribe before ... until now. Thanks to you. Keep them coming.
As a land surveyor, we use engineers scale, measuring to tenths and hundredths of a foot instead of inches. It makes reading the tape and other math a little easier, and has helped me get pretty good at converting between inches and decimals of feet. We also use 100ft long or more steel tape where readings must be adjusted for things such as temperature, slope, sag, although we use nylon tape more often. We use engineer's scale stick-rulers a lot, too. Thanks for the informative video!
Something a lot of people also don’t know is when a number is highlighted red, that’s the measurement for every 16” for when your laying out studs. There’s also a marker for every 2 feet but I can’t remember off the top of my head what it is. If I’m wrong correct me but I think that’s the case
You're right the red blocks are the standard distance that studs in a wall are supposed to be which is every 16 inches but that's also assuming the people that built it were doing there job correctly or if something else wasn't in the way.
How far it will go out before it breaks may seem like a random test but I work in the elevator union and I bought my tape specifically because it was advertised that it could be extended 16 feet and when we’re measuring the overhead space of an elevator shaft (top of elevator to top of shaft distance) i’m telling you that a tape that will extend a long ways is worth it’s weight in gold. Nothing worse than trying to get an accurate measurement and having your tape measure fold up on your head over and over lol
The best one is : tell the new guy if he holds the tape against his chin and runs the end out on his thumb, then reverses it - his arm will be different lengths. Then when he holds the dummy end on the chin, you’re holding the tape to check the measurement, then lock it/drop it and it hits the guy in the nards.
I'm a landscaper, but I do use a tape on certain occasions like when we have to do a fence and such. I will be doing the age test all day tomorrow because that is fun. The only thing I would add is the stud marking at 16 inches. Trust me some people dont know that. Love your videos, one of the highlights of my day.
My biggest trick. Use a metric tape measure. It is much easier for maths. 1 into ten and ten into 100, etc. Put a small hole in the tape at key measure such as 100mm and use it as a way to quickly mark locations for cutting, etc. You can remove one of the rivets at the end of the tape and put a nail through it to draw a circle when needed.
In the UK our tape measures are in inches and cm. If you want feet just divide by 12 ;) Though I suspect if I went and found one of my better ones they would probably also mark in feet and metres, as appropriate. A UK tradesman, especially a plumber, mason, chippie or mechanic has to convert between metric and imperial all day anyway! As our taking up metric was (relatively) recent. I'd bet all the kids being taught in trade schools struggle to get their heads around it though as all they'd learn in previous education is metric, but doing any kind of restoration or working on an old property then the original dimensions would have been in inches and conversion to metric doesn't often give you that 100ths of an inch fit. Easier for me personally to be conversant and equally comfortable with both. Of course, across the pond imperial isn't even imperial, because your and our liquid volumes vary, and a pint here has about 25% more volume than yours, presumably why you don't drink pints over there ;)
My brother just bought one at Walmart. I think it's a hart brand. It even has the idiot marks incase you don't know your fractions, every mark on its labeled
if you have a medium-large pipe and need to cut it freehand, you can wrap the tape around the pipe, align the end with the tape, and mark a guide line for a square cut. if you drop a tool down a stud cavity, you can hang your magnetic torpedo level on the end of the tape and use it to fish the tool out.
I use a rigid tape measure which has the neat feature of the numbers on the back side being sideways which makes it easier to read a measurement from floor up or any vertical measurement.
Not sure if that was the intent behind it. In our industry we use them with a builders level instead of packing a leveling stick. Way more practical, we even use regular tapes as the measurements are more precise than a leveling stick.
Really enjoy the show Mr Wakefield. As far as tape measures go, I like the basic stanley 25'. Usually only around 10 dollars each and I never buy just one. Always losing them or getting them destroyed. BBQed a couple holding copper up to solder.
After numerous tape measures, I’ve found a Milwaukee 25’ or 35’ wide blade tape is the best... I’ve dropped one twice 85’ from a lift. They have a 14’ stand out and magnet end with pipe hook. They are designed so well. Local 112 pipefitter
Stanley fat max is the best in my opinion. I have 3 25ft tape measures at work. I have one komelon TS 25ft tape which I use daily due to me paying less for it and caring about it as much. My other is a 25ft FatMax that I use also when I need a good standout for getting measurements. My last one is Masterforce 25ft magnetic tape that I use when I need to have a magnetic tip when working alone. My tip is always have and extra or 2 in your vehicle or in your toolbox. Because if you only have 1 and lose it then you are screwed so always have an extra 1 or 2
I'm getting better at math but I am learning I like to just stick to to inches vs feet and inches when running pipe. Holding it level and straight is key going to commercial upped my game. Always leaning
@@steakwilliams4448 Well. Once when fixing a pinball machine one screw fell into a rather tight spot. Would've required some serious disassembly without the tape measure being in my pocket at the time. :D
Day 1XX of quarantine. Playing Clue with my lawn chair while binge watching plumbing videos that showed up in my recommendation. Also, I live in an apartment and don’t own a lawn. Why do I have a lawn chair? And why is it so good at playing Clue?
Hey Roger it's nice to see your videos... I have a Stanley fatmax and I have a trick, say you don't have a ladder to measure I pipe or a peace of lumber I bend my tape and shape it into a square shape holding the end on one side and I measure Frome the nearest foot mark
The one I use as a mechanic is a Masterforce imperial/metric tape. I work for Nissan, and use it for aligning cameras. Nissan gives imperial measurements, but they are obviously geared toward metric. It's much easier for me to just go metric all the way and not have to translate to enter values in the computer. And the math is easier.
For inside measurements i only use 3"wide tapes so the measurement is whatever plus 3 inches; otherwise I am scratching my head too much to add the total mark it and make the cut.
Dang ol' apprentices....can't live with em.... lose all your tools with or without them. Its a fine line we tread. Atleast with them we have someone to blame! Lol
The Stanley 1" wide 25 foot model is the best, most durable tape for a plumber. I have been using them for 40 years. I dropped them off ladders onto concrete many times with no damage. I even dropped one once at 13 stories high and it didn't break; I guess it landed just right.
Hey Roger, I like that the clear tape is marked on both sides... That could be handy when measuring and doing layouts overhead. My go to tape measure is the 25' FatMax... I like the reach that it provides... Get a laminate (Formica) color sample, white or yellow work best, Iand trim the corners and glue it to the face of the tape for a scratch pad to quickly write down measurements that can be easily erased... The birthday trick I haven't seen before... Pretty cool... I have used my tape as a calculator, folding it over in the same way... 👍
On occasion I will use a locking tape measure to hold a fitting or valve up onto a vertical pipe so it doesn't slip off when I heat it up. Just don't burn the paint off your tape!
My go-to tape is a Stanley especially the Fat Max lineup, I've used many tapes from Milwaukee to Harbor Freight and Stanley has just always lasted the longest and took so much more of a beating. My second go-to tape would be Milwaukee.
Another really cool trick is using your tape measure as a calculator. Similar to the age trick, bend the tape measure in half. Place the hook on the number youd like to start with and wherever the number you are subtracting lands on the tape measure is, the one directly across from it is the one you want. For example, throw the hook up against 16" and bend the tape measure in half. Youll notice 8 will be right across from 8
I'm a 26 year carpenter I knew all the stuff you showed but was a very good video. One more thing you can do is if you have a long measurement and need to find half, you can bend the tape back to your number and get close to half measurement. The diamond is for I beam floor joists and you missed what the red squares are for. It is for studs and rafters unless you are setting trusses, they are usually on 24s. Oh and of course I like the fat max tape 😂
Tape measure trick: If you take the tape measure and say for simplicity. Measure out 10 inches if you take the end and put it to your 10 inches and bend it all the way down they'll give you exactly half your measurement 5”. So if you're measuring a 2x4 that is 10 inches you want to cut it in half all you have to do is bring your tape measure in half and that will give you. Half your reading. Don't forget to take an account the 16th of an inch movement on the end of the date measure.
I've been in commercial construction over 35 yrs if I see useing a tape that shows you what a freaking 1/4" is you will not be my cut man and I'm going to watch you because you learned simple fractions in the freaking 3 grade
As a metal fabricator we use metric alot enough to buy separate tape measures. It is the funnest thing to do to someone who needs a tape and pass them a metric only. They look at it with confusion 💀
I use my tape measure to do math, you fold it in half just like your age trick and put the end of the tape on the larger number and deduct the smaller number. For example 57"-14 3/8", you would put the end of the tape at 57" and find what number 14 3/8" is next to and there is your answer.
I like trying out different tools and I was surprised how good the Kobalt tape measure at Lowe’s was for the money. The older Klein with the square body was probably my least favorite I have tried. I’m glad there are many great options out there for tape measures.
2 other tricks with the fold over that work well for people who aren’t good with fractions. Put the tip at whatever measurement and the number in the middle of the bend will be half of it. Also if you need to subtract two numbers then put the tip in line with the largest number and then look at the smaller number and the difference will be the other number in line with it.
@J CC Canada deals a lot with USA, including box stores, Canadian wood processing, and so on. So our construction is in both metric and imperial, with the later used a lot in construction. Call it Canadian Courtesy that we don't buy metric products from USA, as the metric variation of construction products are actually a different size all together.
I feel you should have also addressed the difference between stand out and reach. As it looks like most manufacturers are switching to stand out rather than reach. If standout is the maximum blade extension under ideal circumstances, and is dependent on the tape measure blade shape, size, strength, and other factors, what is “reach?” From the numbers, it seems that “reach” is the standout plus 3-feet. Reach = Standout + 3 feet.
I use my tape measure as a calculator. 18+4? Bend the tape so the 4 lines up with the 18, look at the end of the tape...22. Vice a versa with subtracting. It comes in really handy when dealing with fractions.
The tape is curved so that it will retract quickly the tension pulls it back in helping hold it out is a happy side effect also if you cut a snap bracelet open they are sometimes made out of resicled tape measures
Check out the Talmeter measuring tapes, they have a pi scale on the back that lets you measure diameters of pipes by just wrapping it around them. They also have a fold out back scale that’s very precise and an even number so you don’t have to do maths while using it!
My favorites are the ones that STAY pulled out until you push the button to retract the tape. Pushing a button to lock the blade out seems counter-productive to me. The black diamonds can also be used to frame a wall with less studs. I also had to ORDER a metric tape measure off Amazon...TRY to find one in ANY American store!
I used to have a tape (a kameleon I believe) when I had it out past thirty inches and just unlocked it the tip would smack the body just hard enough to make it do a front flip and land perfect. (Ps I broke a lot of tapes so I wouldn’t recommend it if you need yours)
As my mentor Big Bob always says, 'I carry a Tape as a Rule' Also neat trick is to ÷ your measurement in half is to fold the tape hook over to your number and then read the ½ # on the inside. I have an old Black & Decker Power Tape Measure. It takes 4 AA batteries in it. It will self extend out almost 10' before it breaks over. It's 1½" wide. On my everyday use I prefer the plain old STANLEY.
Another variant of this trick, which I did not see in the video, is to use the tape as a subtraction measurement calculator. Let's say you are running pipe and you know the final resting destination of both ends of the pipe but they don't line up. You can take your short measurement and subtract it from the longer measurement from a commonly fixed location. As an example, if you measure from a wall to the terminal location of one end and its 45 5/8" and the measurement from the same wall to the terminal location of the other end of the pipe is 31 3/8". You pull out your tape just past 46" and bend the end over to come back and rest at 45 5/8". look up to the spot on the tape at 31 3/8" and directly across from it on the other bend of the tape will be your measurement which is 14 1/4".
Do you guys use composite pipes in the USA? I have never seen it being used in your videos. Its very popular here in Finland atleast and its great alternative for copper (sometimes the only wise choice in areas where copper corrodes fast). Very fast to install, looks nice and idiot proof joints. Been using Uponor parts and pipes for 10 years now.
It's so hard to stop once you start trying to break 8', then 9', then 109" lol. Nothing new here for me today, but its always fun to check it out and see if something new comes up. I use a 25' and a 35' fatmax until I find that 40 footer ;)
Never understood doing the age trick, it’s faster doing the math. None the less, great video as always, I’m sure some people were able to learn some nice tips.
Im not in the trades but I like 12 and 16ft metal Stanley powerlock. I have the keychain fat max and and old 25ft Lufkin that was my grandpas probly from the 90s.
My dad always took a Sharpie and wrote his name on the underside of his tape at the same increment on every tape because sometimes they walk off the job site.
Or using the 10 mark instead of end for super accurate crown molding measurements..... Just minus 10inches from measurement..... 10 works good cuz u still have same number..... For example 6. 5 from end would be 16.5 from 10 obviously
My magic trick with the tape measure is losing it when I need it most
Mines usually gone until I run to the store to buy another and come back and its magically reappeared
Right on guys 🤣😂🤣
@@Striker9 this is why I have so many damn tape measures. Still cool that they reappear though
I always tell my apprentices to carry 2 tape measures in their tool bag... If one breaks, they would be limited in work that they could do for the rest of the day...
That's magic? I thought that was just life! >< lol
Another trick is that a good tape measure can be used as a hammer, occasionally.
No No No Mr. Genlow, it's a pair of channel locks!
"Every tool is a hammer" - Adam Savage (I think)
Yes, but I would not advise doing so
@@TheRossMadness Well ha ha, I
Use a hammer as measuring tape!
They can also be thrown like a brick at apprentices that refuse to listen, lol.
My boss is a master plumber 40 plus years in and owns his business. He calls tape measures "rulers." Cracks me up. He has me calling then rulers now.
You don’t argue with 40+ years experience when you’re an apprentice. Doesn’t matter what you learned on UA-cam!
@Aaron Owens only bad rulers.. good rulers use a rule to rule
@Aaron Owens good point!
You can throw them at the inspector, there is several other tools good for this technique also
As a commercial plumber i found using a Milwaukee tape measure with a MAGNET on the end works GREAT.
it helps hold your measurements on the metal studs, and if your working on a ladder, can help pick up any screws or light hand tools that can fall off the ladder while working.
Love that magetic grip
I use a Stanley fat max with a magnet. I have a spare Milwaukee that I use as a loner/backup or I also like to have two tapes so I have one and have one at the cut station
Speaking of tricks, I bought a prank tape measure one time and gave it to my dad. It’s always off 1/4 inch every time you use it so it was driving him crazy until he finally figured it out 😂
How about finding the difference between two measurements?
Take the end of the tape measure and bend it so it lines up with the the higher of the two numbers. Then look at the lower of the two and...the number that is across from it is your difference. It doesn’t keep your math skills as sharp but it works.
I love this channel.
Back in the 80's and 90's when I worked in the Sanitary Stainless Pipe industry, technically 0.065 wall tubing, the standard was the Stanley 30 footer as it was known, it seemed like everybody had one. Sometime in the late 90's I went to work in a Union Millwright shop and right off the bat I noticed everyone had a Craftsman 25 footer, when I asked why the said "You'll see". In that environment tape measures got destroyed very often and back in those days Sears would just give you a brand new one when you brought in the broken one, not to mention they were made in the USA. As a home DIYer I've picked up a Milwaukee tape measure and it works really nice, I've still got an old Craftsman that I've been using for over 12 years now. One trick I didn't see is if your tape measure is clipped on your pocket of on your belt and you've go an itch on your back you extend out enough to scratch with, beats asking one of the other guys to scratch you back. ;-)
Tape measures make the best back scratchers
My co worker does this all the time lol
The most common trick I know is when it changes brand after someone "borrows" it
The black diamond is 19.2” which is 96” divided by 5. This is the spacing you would use if you had, for example, an 8 foot floor space and wanted to use only 6 evenly spaced joists (5 joist cavities) when including the first joist at 0”. 16” spacing would give you 7 joists and 24” would have 5 joists total. It’s the result of wanting an even spacing over 8’ that’s between 16” and 24” centres.
Also, best way I’ve found to ruin a tape besides dropping it is letting it recoil at top speed from being a long way out and the end gets warped and kinked so you can’t reach with it anymore. It just flops over like something I don’t want to mention.
All I know about my tape measure is IT'S GONE WHEN I NEED IT
So true!
Yes! It's always hidden JUST when you need it!
Tapes are like pens and cigarette lighters, always growing legs.
Damn tool gremlin always steals
Mine!
Yeah, when I give measurement to my helper and they ask for my tape with it, they get a complimentary scornful look. One guy has said twice that his is in his toolbox. To which I reply, then go get it. If we were doing something that didn’t need a tape and he needed it one time, then okay but don’t tell me that on a top out or rough in.
“Your apprentice has lost everything you own at this point in time”
I don’t often comment when I lol, but that was too good. First year apprentice here. My foreman would kill me if I lost anything of his
Do the same if they lose anything of yours. Believe it or not it's probably easier for them to lose your tools.
Coming from a carpenter apprentice here. You may notice some of the numbers on the measure may be red (16 inches, 2 feet, 36 inches, etc.). They're red so that when we go to lay out our studs (either every 16 inches or 2 feet) the measurements are already marked for us and we just need to mark them on our tracks.
Thank you g
@@jaiddencrazyman12 No problem.
I think he forgot to mention at the end the black triangle on the tape measure. Here is what Google said about it: "The small black diamonds, or triangles (diamonds are more commonly found), on the top scale of the tape measure starting at 19.2 inches are for truss layouts for 8-foot sheet goods. They are also known as the "black truss" markings. They provide a quick visual for the tape user and speed up the measuring process."
My favorite trick is poking your friends from 7 feet away when they arnt paying attention.
Only 7? Better get yourself a Lufkin,I poke people from 14 feet away with mine.
Edit: I'm not exaggerating either,it really does have a 14 foot standoff.
I hate it when I'm on the ladder and hear " 8 Ball corner pocket" and then get racked by the end of someone's tape measure. Tradesman problems
Get a Stanley fat max to increase your range
I definitely learned a couple things, the floor truss fact was interesting and the magic trick was a new one for me too. Since you asked, I use the Lufkin 25' Black Widow. High quality, durable, and always gets a "wow, where did you get that?" from people. Now that I think about it, you should get all of your guys one of them Roger, since the color scheme perfectly matches your company's, how cool.
Lol I was about to go off about how everybody needs a Lufkin tape.
@@captaincanuck4576 I got a shockforce night eye, super easy to read in dim lighting
Fun fact: in Taiwan we call a tape measure 捲尺 (pronounced kinda like june chair) which literally means "rolled up ruler".
This is actually a fun fact!
I just started using Magnusson tape measures. Many times I used other tape measures that I forget How much they hurt when you release them at long length and come back with cuts on my hands. With Magnusson simple self lock and slow retraction with a simple press of a button.
Roger, I learned a great deal from this video. Thanks so much. I’ve never used a top hook or the scribe before ... until now. Thanks to you. Keep them coming.
As a land surveyor, we use engineers scale, measuring to tenths and hundredths of a foot instead of inches. It makes reading the tape and other math a little easier, and has helped me get pretty good at converting between inches and decimals of feet. We also use 100ft long or more steel tape where readings must be adjusted for things such as temperature, slope, sag, although we use nylon tape more often. We use engineer's scale stick-rulers a lot, too.
Thanks for the informative video!
Just use metric system ffs
@@MrBreakthewalls we do lol just not as often. It is hard-headed America after all =]
My favorite trick is bending it in half to add and subtract fractions.
can you explain?
Please explain
Something a lot of people also don’t know is when a number is highlighted red, that’s the measurement for every 16” for when your laying out studs. There’s also a marker for every 2 feet but I can’t remember off the top of my head what it is.
If I’m wrong correct me but I think that’s the case
You're right the red blocks are the standard distance that studs in a wall are supposed to be which is every 16 inches but that's also assuming the people that built it were doing there job correctly or if something else wasn't in the way.
How far it will go out before it breaks may seem like a random test but I work in the elevator union and I bought my tape specifically because it was advertised that it could be extended 16 feet and when we’re measuring the overhead space of an elevator shaft (top of elevator to top of shaft distance) i’m telling you that a tape that will extend a long ways is worth it’s weight in gold. Nothing worse than trying to get an accurate measurement and having your tape measure fold up on your head over and over lol
Hey you should check out laser measuring gadgets. A good one is accurate to 1/16 of an inch, and can measure 100'or better
The best one is : tell the new guy if he holds the tape against his chin and runs the end out on his thumb, then reverses it - his arm will be different lengths. Then when he holds the dummy end on the chin, you’re holding the tape to check the measurement, then lock it/drop it and it hits the guy in the nards.
I'm a landscaper, but I do use a tape on certain occasions like when we have to do a fence and such. I will be doing the age test all day tomorrow because that is fun. The only thing I would add is the stud marking at 16 inches. Trust me some people dont know that. Love your videos, one of the highlights of my day.
My biggest trick. Use a metric tape measure. It is much easier for maths. 1 into ten and ten into 100, etc.
Put a small hole in the tape at key measure such as 100mm and use it as a way to quickly mark locations for cutting, etc.
You can remove one of the rivets at the end of the tape and put a nail through it to draw a circle when needed.
8:37 is me at every hardware store tape measure display......
Ive done this at work with my co workers, whos is longest
In the UK our tape measures are in inches and cm. If you want feet just divide by 12 ;)
Though I suspect if I went and found one of my better ones they would probably also mark in feet and metres, as appropriate.
A UK tradesman, especially a plumber, mason, chippie or mechanic has to convert between metric and imperial all day anyway! As our taking up metric was (relatively) recent.
I'd bet all the kids being taught in trade schools struggle to get their heads around it though as all they'd learn in previous education is metric, but doing any kind of restoration or working on an old property then the original dimensions would have been in inches and conversion to metric doesn't often give you that 100ths of an inch fit. Easier for me personally to be conversant and equally comfortable with both.
Of course, across the pond imperial isn't even imperial, because your and our liquid volumes vary, and a pint here has about 25% more volume than yours, presumably why you don't drink pints over there ;)
That clear one is cool, I have never seen on with the measurements printed on both sides.
My brother just bought one at Walmart. I think it's a hart brand. It even has the idiot marks incase you don't know your fractions, every mark on its labeled
if you have a medium-large pipe and need to cut it freehand, you can wrap the tape around the pipe, align the end with the tape, and mark a guide line for a square cut.
if you drop a tool down a stud cavity, you can hang your magnetic torpedo level on the end of the tape and use it to fish the tool out.
I use a rigid tape measure which has the neat feature of the numbers on the back side being sideways which makes it easier to read a measurement from floor up or any vertical measurement.
Not sure if that was the intent behind it. In our industry we use them with a builders level instead of packing a leveling stick. Way more practical, we even use regular tapes as the measurements are more precise than a leveling stick.
Really enjoy the show Mr Wakefield. As far as tape measures go, I like the basic stanley 25'. Usually only around 10 dollars each and I never buy just one. Always losing them or getting them destroyed. BBQed a couple holding copper up to solder.
After numerous tape measures, I’ve found a Milwaukee 25’ or 35’ wide blade tape is the best... I’ve dropped one twice 85’ from a lift. They have a 14’ stand out and magnet end with pipe hook. They are designed so well.
Local 112 pipefitter
Stanley fat max is the best in my opinion. I have 3 25ft tape measures at work. I have one komelon TS 25ft tape which I use daily due to me paying less for it and caring about it as much. My other is a 25ft FatMax that I use also when I need a good standout for getting measurements. My last one is Masterforce 25ft magnetic tape that I use when I need to have a magnetic tip when working alone. My tip is always have and extra or 2 in your vehicle or in your toolbox. Because if you only have 1 and lose it then you are screwed so always have an extra 1 or 2
I'm getting better at math but I am learning I like to just stick to to inches vs feet and inches when running pipe. Holding it level and straight is key going to commercial upped my game. Always leaning
My Favorite tape measure is definitely WHICHEVER ONE I CAN FIND
Magnetic tip on the tape measure is pretty useful too.
Yeah, like when you’re trying to square something up and it keeps pulling itself to the nearby nail 🤣
@@steakwilliams4448 Well. Once when fixing a pinball machine one screw fell into a rather tight spot. Would've required some serious disassembly without the tape measure being in my pocket at the time. :D
Day 1XX of quarantine. Playing Clue with my lawn chair while binge watching plumbing videos that showed up in my recommendation. Also, I live in an apartment and don’t own a lawn. Why do I have a lawn chair? And why is it so good at playing Clue?
I always went by measure once cut twice or I just eyeball it because I can never find my tape measure when I need it.
Hey Roger it's nice to see your videos... I have a Stanley fatmax and I have a trick, say you don't have a ladder to measure I pipe or a peace of lumber I bend my tape and shape it into a square shape holding the end on one side and I measure Frome the nearest foot mark
I tried the birthday trick at a party, they just handed me my keys and showed me the door.
I hammer a nail with the Milwaukee tape measure.
Thank You Roger. Everyday Is A School Day. I Learned A Lot Today.
The one I use as a mechanic is a Masterforce imperial/metric tape. I work for Nissan, and use it for aligning cameras. Nissan gives imperial measurements, but they are obviously geared toward metric. It's much easier for me to just go metric all the way and not have to translate to enter values in the computer. And the math is easier.
What do you think of the tapes that have the fractions on it? I got one, rarely use it..don't wanna make me lazy lol
We call them idiot tape measure or retard tapes.... construction workers don't care if we hurt your feelings
For inside measurements i only use 3"wide tapes so the measurement is whatever plus 3 inches; otherwise I am scratching my head too much to add the total mark it and make the cut.
Dang ol' apprentices....can't live with em.... lose all your tools with or without them. Its a fine line we tread. Atleast with them we have someone to blame! Lol
The Stanley 1" wide 25 foot model is the best, most durable tape for a plumber. I have been using them for 40 years. I dropped them off ladders onto concrete many times with no damage. I even dropped one once at 13 stories high and it didn't break; I guess it landed just right.
It"s never a 13 th. floor number in a hotel (nothing to do with you"r coment)
@@isidroenriquez4845 It was a 21 story building under construction at the time, I don't know what they ended up calling the 13 floor officially.
As a kid I would extend the measure tape more than 6 feet or so, then let go, and watch it spin in place when it retracts.
I still do that for fun😆
one of my favorite tricks is if you try to do that with a 16' fat max, it will often break the end right off the tape.
I knew most of these. A tip I use having bigger hands is a braid loop off the belt clip. Most have a hole to braid up a nice loop with some paracord.
Hey Roger, I like that the clear tape is marked on both sides... That could be handy when measuring and doing layouts overhead. My go to tape measure is the 25' FatMax... I like the reach that it provides... Get a laminate (Formica) color sample, white or yellow work best, Iand trim the corners and glue it to the face of the tape for a scratch pad to quickly write down measurements that can be easily erased... The birthday trick I haven't seen before... Pretty cool... I have used my tape as a calculator, folding it over in the same way... 👍
with the tapes with the top hook, if you flip them over they make a great straightedge
Mine has a heart at 19 3/16" . It a toolsmith .Also mine has every 16" red for stud when doing drywall.
On occasion I will use a locking tape measure to hold a fitting or valve up onto a vertical pipe so it doesn't slip off when I heat it up. Just don't burn the paint off your tape!
That birthday trick was cool I'm gonna have to try that.
My go-to tape is a Stanley especially the Fat Max lineup, I've used many tapes from Milwaukee to Harbor Freight and Stanley has just always lasted the longest and took so much more of a beating. My second go-to tape would be Milwaukee.
Another really cool trick is using your tape measure as a calculator. Similar to the age trick, bend the tape measure in half. Place the hook on the number youd like to start with and wherever the number you are subtracting lands on the tape measure is, the one directly across from it is the one you want. For example, throw the hook up against 16" and bend the tape measure in half. Youll notice 8 will be right across from 8
I'm a 26 year carpenter I knew all the stuff you showed but was a very good video. One more thing you can do is if you have a long measurement and need to find half, you can bend the tape back to your number and get close to half measurement. The diamond is for I beam floor joists and you missed what the red squares are for.
It is for studs and rafters unless you are setting trusses, they are usually on 24s. Oh and of course I like the fat max tape 😂
Tape measure trick: If you take the tape measure and say for simplicity.
Measure out 10 inches if you take the end and put it to your 10 inches and bend it all the way down they'll give you exactly half your measurement 5”.
So if you're measuring a 2x4 that is 10 inches you want to cut it in half all you have to do is bring your tape measure in half and that will give you. Half your reading. Don't forget to take an account the 16th of an inch movement on the end of the date measure.
I've been in commercial construction over 35 yrs if I see useing a tape that shows you what a freaking 1/4" is you will not be my cut man and I'm going to watch you because you learned simple fractions in the freaking 3 grade
As a metal fabricator we use metric alot enough to buy separate tape measures. It is the funnest thing to do to someone who needs a tape and pass them a metric only. They look at it with confusion 💀
I use my tape measure to do math, you fold it in half just like your age trick and put the end of the tape on the larger number and deduct the smaller number. For example 57"-14 3/8", you would put the end of the tape at 57" and find what number 14 3/8" is next to and there is your answer.
My tapes always grow legs and walk off, I combated that’s from happening by buying hot pink tapes
😆😆😆👍
My seven tape measures never leave me tool box and i always have two others at work
On most there are fraction that are marked also to help read the measurements and market every 16 or 24 inches for typical measurements for a stud
I like trying out different tools and I was surprised how good the Kobalt tape measure at Lowe’s was for the money. The older Klein with the square body was probably my least favorite I have tried. I’m glad there are many great options out there for tape measures.
The black diamond is referred to as 19.2 inches. I was told back in the older days that was the wall stud spacing as well.
It is used to cheapen construction.
I have met really old school plumbers that used the wooden 6 foot folding rulers.
2 other tricks with the fold over that work well for people who aren’t good with fractions. Put the tip at whatever measurement and the number in the middle of the bend will be half of it. Also if you need to subtract two numbers then put the tip in line with the largest number and then look at the smaller number and the difference will be the other number in line with it.
Use the measuring tape hook to fish something out of the water
I use The Komelon TS 25ft and the Fat Max 25ft and my last one is my Masterforce magnetic 25ft.
For thinner material that you need to square up you can use the open notch at the end to measure from corner to corner without the tape sliding.
Correction: all USA tape measures.
Here in Canada, we have usually every 16" marked (to measure studs easy) and a lot have the metric system.
All USA tapes are marked for studs every 16 inches also with large red numbers.
@@dogleg6669 odd he didn't mention it as that is also important for plumbers to know...
@@Maninawig agreed
@J CC Canada deals a lot with USA, including box stores, Canadian wood processing, and so on. So our construction is in both metric and imperial, with the later used a lot in construction.
Call it Canadian Courtesy that we don't buy metric products from USA, as the metric variation of construction products are actually a different size all together.
I feel you should have also addressed the difference between stand out and reach.
As it looks like most manufacturers are switching to stand out rather than reach.
If standout is the maximum blade extension under ideal circumstances, and is dependent on the tape measure blade shape, size, strength, and other factors, what is “reach?” From the numbers, it seems that “reach” is the standout plus 3-feet. Reach = Standout + 3 feet.
I use my tape measure as a calculator. 18+4? Bend the tape so the 4 lines up with the 18, look at the end of the tape...22. Vice a versa with subtracting. It comes in really handy when dealing with fractions.
The tape is curved so that it will retract quickly the tension pulls it back in helping hold it out is a happy side effect also if you cut a snap bracelet open they are sometimes made out of resicled tape measures
A comedian once pulled me up on stage to see which one of us us could extend a tape measure farther without breaking.
And? How far? Who won? That’s actually a better comment then 99% of what I read.
@@brandonhoover2120 Legend has it that he is still extending his tape to this day.
Check out the Talmeter measuring tapes, they have a pi scale on the back that lets you measure diameters of pipes by just wrapping it around them. They also have a fold out back scale that’s very precise and an even number so you don’t have to do maths while using it!
We always set our roof trusses on 19 3/16 and sometimes stair stringers
tape measures with magnetic tips are great for picking up metal shavings!
My favorites are the ones that STAY pulled out until you push the button to retract the tape. Pushing a button to lock the blade out seems counter-productive to me. The black diamonds can also be used to frame a wall with less studs. I also had to ORDER a metric tape measure off Amazon...TRY to find one in ANY American store!
I used to have a tape (a kameleon I believe) when I had it out past thirty inches and just unlocked it the tip would smack the body just hard enough to make it do a front flip and land perfect. (Ps I broke a lot of tapes so I wouldn’t recommend it if you need yours)
As my mentor Big Bob always says, 'I carry a Tape as a Rule'
Also neat trick is to ÷ your measurement in half is to fold the tape hook over to your number and then read the ½ # on the inside.
I have an old Black & Decker Power Tape Measure. It takes 4 AA batteries in it. It will self extend out almost 10' before it breaks over. It's 1½" wide.
On my everyday use I prefer the plain old STANLEY.
Another variant of this trick, which I did not see in the video, is to use the tape as a subtraction measurement calculator. Let's say you are running pipe and you know the final resting destination of both ends of the pipe but they don't line up. You can take your short measurement and subtract it from the longer measurement from a commonly fixed location. As an example, if you measure from a wall to the terminal location of one end and its 45 5/8" and the measurement from the same wall to the terminal location of the other end of the pipe is 31 3/8". You pull out your tape just past 46" and bend the end over to come back and rest at 45 5/8". look up to the spot on the tape at 31 3/8" and directly across from it on the other bend of the tape will be your measurement which is 14 1/4".
Do you guys use composite pipes in the USA? I have never seen it being used in your videos. Its very popular here in Finland atleast and its great alternative for copper (sometimes the only wise choice in areas where copper corrodes fast). Very fast to install, looks nice and idiot proof joints. Been using Uponor parts and pipes for 10 years now.
Pex? Commonly used here in most states. Great stuff.
It's so hard to stop once you start trying to break 8', then 9', then 109" lol. Nothing new here for me today, but its always fun to check it out and see if something new comes up. I use a 25' and a 35' fatmax until I find that 40 footer ;)
Question: why do the old style Stanley tapes have a shiny case...?
I bleieve the black diamonds are there for studs. You check where the first stud is, then the diamonds should indicate where the rest of them are.
19 3/16" odd joist layout. Knew a carpenter that always laid his floor out this way. Made duct work fun.
Roger is King
I still use my fold ruler I have two I keep one in my copper sweating bag but I do have tape measures as well.
Never understood doing the age trick, it’s faster doing the math. None the less, great video as always, I’m sure some people were able to learn some nice tips.
Learned lots!
Im not in the trades but I like 12 and 16ft metal Stanley powerlock. I have the keychain fat max and and old 25ft Lufkin that was my grandpas probly from the 90s.
A yes the magician apprentice, that makes all your markers & tools disappear. He’s that good ...
My dad always took a Sharpie and wrote his name on the underside of his tape at the same increment on every tape because sometimes they walk off the job site.
Great back scratcher.
The black diamond and the birthday ones were the only ones I didn't know
Or using the 10 mark instead of end for super accurate crown molding measurements..... Just minus 10inches from measurement..... 10 works good cuz u still have same number..... For example 6. 5 from end would be 16.5 from 10 obviously
My father died march last year and he was from 1963. He was bold too but he shaved he mustache in 2000's :)
I use Komelon tapes. I like the easy read markings cause sometimes doing fraction math sucks.
I like the Komelon Stainless Steel tape measure, they don't rust and have enough rubber to handle being dropped off a roof.
Plumb Bob! LOL you know youve done it!!! Tool retriever!