Why Do Tape Measures Have This Jiggle?
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- Опубліковано 21 бер 2024
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basically feels like a bug but is an intended feature.
@@ShawnHawkins666 read again
@@ShawnHawkins666lmao what? That's not the statement he made lol. You're answering the wrong question lol
I've never thought why the wiggle is there, I've just always "known" it needs to have some purpose, and now I know why.
Best excuse for sloppiness ever
@@supremelordoftheuniverse5449 except they need to put more work in for it to work :/
This is what happens when an engineer invents a great feature, but then doesn't tell the marketing team about it.
Underated comment
Why don't they tell?
@@robertocurrlos7470 cause the marketing team would put the price tag higher for such a "innovative" design.. better to not tell the fckers anything
As a developer I could think of several reason why. But also, often the marketing team doesn't care to understand the importance of certain features, or gets their own ideas of what people do or don't care about.
Brehhhhhhh
I take back every insult I have ever thrown to the tape measure manufacturers. I feel ashamed. 😔
Do you insult them very often?
They should have told us about it :D
@@Ryan-op7yd Only every time I use a tape measure. 😂
@@Greedsmithbrahhhh....😂😂
The jiggle is good obviously, but my beef is with the way they consistently break.
I go through a lot of tape measures, and they always seem to break around the 2-3" mark. The strip just starts to bend and eventually a small tear appears there, and inevitably that leads to them being unusable.
I think it's because that part of the tape gets yanked on when it slams shut. The quality tape measures tend to have a really forceful yank when they spool up - so it just chips away at that same spot.
My solution is to slow the tape down when I release it to close it, but I find that a bit annoying.
So that's my tape measure related tip, and maybe everybody else already knew this but it took me a while to figure out - don't let it slam shut. Engage the stopper before it slams or slow down the spooling up with your finger.
I also have trouble finding a tape measure with a clip that hooks into my belt reliably. I'm constantly either dropping these things as they get knocked off my belt or I'm fiddling around trying to get it hooked in for too long.
So if anybody knows a really solid brand that makes the GOAT tape measures, I'm all ears. I also prefer to have the two sided ones (inches on one side, mm on the other) and for the inches side to have the actual fractions displayed in 1/8th increments.
Explained this to a buddy of mine. I thought his head was going to explode. He's a framing carpenter.
wow
It's good that he's not a finish carpenter. 😂
I feel like even if you reverse who explains it to whom, the framing carpenter is still the stressed one.
If I was a DJ id mix "that jiggle is deliberate" into every song
Underrated comment
What do DJs actually do?
@@PremierSullivanThey jockey them discs.
@@PremierSullivanAt the absolute most basic level, a DJ plays vinyl records over an audio system (such as club speakers or a radio station), replacing them as they finish playing.
Club djs can enhance the experience, for example by selecting songs that reflect the mood, working the crowd, or applying live effects (like fading one song into another).
Radio djs often introduce songs or tell anecdotes to make your daily drive a little more interesting.
And yes, we still call them DJs even though music is typically no longer kept on discs.
@@PremierSullivanI understood the reference
I owe my tape measure an apology
They don’t tend to be very forgiving.
@@jamesmcinnis208 I think you might be surprised by their measured response!
@@jamesmcinnis208 when it comes to payback, they do play the long game...
@@goldeneddie Oh my lord, that's so good XD
These replies are golden
Also, another little known fact about tape measures is there is almost always a little number stamped into the side under the clip that says exactly how long the tape measure itself is. Most pro tapes are 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 inches. This allows you to stick the tape in a corner and still know the exact dimensions without having to bend the tape and guess
"exactly" said the carpenter. "off by a mile" said the machinist.
Worked in a steel warehouse. We had to verify our individually issued, numbered tape measures had an accurate jiggle. If it go too lose, we'd have to toss it and get issued a new one.
That’s such a wasteful solution! Couldn't you donate them instead? I wouldn't mind have a tape 1/16" off, or having to punch a new hole in it to recalibrate.
@@IsItOver-xhkxit seems that way until one day $10,000 worth of steel is cut 1/16” too short and is now of no use to the customer.
@@TheGayestPersononUA-cam Or could always be donated and passed on rather than chugged out
@@DjurslandsEfterskoleI'm pretty sure "chugged out" just means they don't use it on the factory floor and anyone who wants it can take it since it's useless now
@@TheGayestPersononUA-cam If the holes become elongated then you'd be cutting long not short.
...also the hook would probably have completely fallen off by the time the holes had elongated by a 16th (1.5mm)
This is one of those things that I didn't know for decades, and when I learned it I was impressed by the humble tape measure.
So many tiny details of our lives have so much thought put into them. I love learning about these things.
Velcro also has some interesting background
Best excuse for sloppiness ever
Is it me or does this feel like a smartereveryday quotes
@@theunknown4834 I'm not sure if I should feel complimented or annoyed. In any event I don't think I was quoting anyone.
"It's not a bug, it's a feature" Final Boss.
Us programmers aren't always lazy.
It took me years to figure this out. I even used to adjust my measurements to "compensate" for the loose tab. Then one day the reality finally dawned on me. I felt so proud of myself 😂
cant imagine how much thought there has been put in in everything surrounding us
Not for long.
A lot of stuff people find weird or annoying has a purpose.
The bumps and groves at crossings are for blind people, fast food uses red because it triggers a minor adrenaline response making you hungrier, etc.
Yet there was no thought in the engineering of the human body. But there must have been thoughts in designing a tape measure.
@mohammedsalimahmed5230 well that's because there were thoughts in designing a tape measure, if not, it would never been designed
when you realize that God is real and created everything by His design
Another feature that some people aren't aware of is the slot on the hook... it allows you to hook onto a nail head.
What?! All this time ...
Cool!
also a pen slot for layouts
For 40 years..
Why would you need that, no way does hooking onto a screw or nail provide an accurate measurement unless you’re measuring a huge space where a few millimetres doesn’t matter
The tape measure jiggle is a hidden gem. It's like a secret code for measuring perfection.
I have been curious about that for decades...thank-you
You just alleviated one of my longest held frustrations and for that I thank you sir
@@dkmutube3314 🤦♂️
I can't believe that some people didn't know this!
@@tonygrowley5275 of course plenty of people didn’t know this. if you haven’t been taught about it, it’s not entirely obvious and you’ll have to think from a different perspective than one intuitively does to figure it out for yourself. or at least actively think about it at all, which is not something that most people would do
@@asdfghyter I figured it out myself at an early age. I know what you mean, though some people don't operate in that way.
@@asdfghyter I have worked with my hands most of my life. A lot of those measuring things on the job. I'm a physical, mechanically inclined person. I was a professional potter for 25 years.
The tape measure also has a number on the bottom that states how long the chassis of the tape measure is so you can take measurements by just placing it against the wall or something without bending the tape in weird poses
It is not always a nice round even number though.
Mine says: "" or about 2 5/8"
@@jamesphillips2285 Mine is 2+3/4 inches. My tape measure, I mean.
@@jamesphillips2285better than nothing
@@jamesphillips2285 well, good thing it's precise!
@@jamesphillips2285 The vast majority of numbers on a tape measure are not nice round even numbers.
You can also use the little notch on the tab for hooking on a nail, and use the grooves to mark softer materials
I learned something today! I can't believe I didn't realize that space accounts for the thickness of the tab... Thanks!
I used to tell my apprentices off, for snapping the tape back into the case, because it elongates the holes that the rivets go through.
At least you told them why. A lot of people just say don't do it and don't give a reason
You sound like the kind of guy that owns very nice toys, capable of great things. That don't have a scratch on them.
they can get bent too, and that will throw it off too
@@droidnickyou sound like you guess too much
A tradesperson looks after their tools, they are the means to their income.@@droidnick
Oh shit, I always wondered if all the measurements were slightly off because of the width of the metal bit. Really awesome to know that it exactly compensates for itself when measuring
lol
Good ones do, for exact measurement normally you reference from the 100mm line (not sure what number the yanks would use, I'll guess 5 or 10")
"That jiggle compensates the thickness"
I can relate to that
game devs explaining why this month's update fixed 0 bugs:
This sort of stuff is like rediscovering forgotten ancient tech left behind by a demigod civilisation that thought of literally everything to the tiniest detail
maybe for a layman
Jiggle physics are the future. I'm glad that you're on board.
the one comment I just had to reply to! good 1!
I knew that *udders* would appreciate my immature side 😅 @@Colonel_Zera
Honestly that's kind of bleak if you think about it.
@@TheThingoftheSky it's the opposite of bleak
@@TheThingoftheSkyboob
Thank you. You single-handedly solved one of my greatest OCD issues.😊
I did not know this and my respect for measuring tapes has increased
My tab doesn't Jiggle Jiggle, it folds.
The fold is intentional
For sure 🎶
@@martinkuliza It's a meme song, look up Louis Theroux Meme. He interviewed a rapper and made a rap for fun,
@@annabiegus lol Anna yes
@@alexojideagu
Why ?
My comment was a joke, why do i need to look up Theroux Meme if you don't understand my comment ?
I always figured that was the reason, but when heavily using them, the wings always bend
What are you doing? hanging from it?
if you let your tape reel itself in at the speed of light every time it flogs it out and causes it to lose accuracy, and if your jambing it inbetween things to take measurements and trying to get it out by prying the tape up causing the bent wings, you need to stop doing that and instead push the tape down and pull up from as close to the tab as possible makint it unhook and come up and out instead of forcing the tab to be more hooked and wondering why it wont let go. moral of the story, look after your tools and they will look after you. one moment of getting frustrated and doing something without thinking just causes more frustration down the line for yourself
Not if you treat it well
@Alacritous It's my handy-dandy 16ft/5M descender!
@@christhorney honestly if the change in play at the end is such a big deal, you shouldn't be using a tape measurer
told this to my dad, he says i'm wrong and still hammers every one in like an idiot lmao
"I owe you an apology, I wasn't familiar with your game", me to my tape measure.
I was working in this joinery factory in Ireland and I noticed the jiggle on my tape so I put some glue on it to keep it fixed but my polish supervisor saw me and he started laughing and explained to me the exact thing that he said in this video.
I wish I could change the voice of Alexa to Steve
“Misogynist” 😜
Yeah no yeah in a heartbeat.
???@@lucbloom
Switch from Alexa to Home Assistant and you could.
Imagine how much money they'd make if movie studios would sell character's voices for phone assistance.
I had this idea a good 8-9 years ago, never seen it get implemented, and now with AI voice recreation, it's totally doable, for FREE!
Good job movie studios and phone manufacturers. You could have made an EASY killing with this idea, and it just never happened. Too late. Get fnked.
I've used a tape measure for work for nearly 20 years, and I never realized that. I just figured that if you needed to be more exact than what a tape measure and pencil can provide, you'd be using a different tool.
Thanks for the knowledge 👍
Cheap tapes don't have a properly calibrated jiggle. If you have to measure a large series of lenghts, the error accumulates and it turns into a problem, depending on the precision you need.
that is true of any measuring device. it’s not a matter of being “properly” calibrated - there is only so much precision you can get, and you get what you pay for
That's what the Roman numerals are there for on many measuring devices.
I. II. III.
Indicating the category of precision.
That's why you measure from the tape itself, start at 1inch/cm. Also, how do you know the tape is accurate? Maybe it's stretched somewhere, a manufacturing defect, The point of measurements is that there is no exact measuring tool, there is just an exact measurement you need.
That's why the sell tapes in different lengths.
@@l.n3187 It matters when you're doing work with others and you all need the same measurements. When I worked construction, there was a "cut guy" and two or three "builders" when we were framing, depending on what we were building. The builders would put things together and take measurements for their next piece, and the cut guy would have just enough time to crown and cut a piece, hand it over, and be ready for the next measurement from the other guy. It mattered that all our tapes read the same, because if they didn't then the cut guy was being set up for failure and you'd all be wasting time screwing around trying to fix mismatched measurements.
"That's not a bug, that's a feature!" - Well done!
That's an interesting piece of information. Thanks man. I had this same jiggle in my tape and that simply annoyed me every time I used it. Finally one day I just hammered down the rivets and locked that metal tab in place. Now I know what I did was wrong ☹️
I love getting helpful info like this!
This makes me feel bad for extending my dad's tape measure as long as possible and then letting it snap back. I probably warped/screwed up that accuracy
The margin is negligible for 99% of the cases
"Guilty" [Sorry, Dad....]😢
And me, as a genius, I rehammered the rivets to stop it from moving xD
It restarted to move a few days later...
I always though my tape measure was broken. 💀
Do you also pretend that your tape measure is a lightsaber when you think no one is looking?
I like to see how far I can extend it horizontally before it "snaps" and bends under its own weight
I have a tape measure that my coworkers find really freaky: the tab is locked in place and the tape itself is flat, not curved. It's made by FastCap and it's to measure and mark flat goods, like plywood. The tab is only for outside edge measurements and the blade lies flat to the wood being measured for easy marking.
Finally find a thing which I already know
I only knew it because of Markiplier
its so ubiquitous that even though it always felt a bit off i never really questioning why its like that
This whole time I’d been using a tape measure from the 100mm point and subtracted 100mm from the result because I thought the jiggle at the front of the tape made it inaccurate.
I remember when my dad told me this years ago. I’m glad to hear it confirmed.
I started off think there's no way this could be particularly cool and then it turned out to be extremely cool
It's amazing how many great design choices are made in products that the general public are oblivious to.
The aliens keep up earthbound by ruining our measurement a tiny bit
Mind blown. This has bothered me for years lol.
Why does UA-cam recommend this to me on the home page but not put it in my subscribed feed?
I am subscribed and have triple checked
Same.
Same
Not notifying your subscribers about UA-cam shorts actually pushes it to more people.
Because if you notify it then it only gets pushed to your subscribers and no one else sees them, while not notifying them tries to find other people with similar interests to your content and brings more new people
Subscriptions and shorts behave kinda weirdly
@@TheVivi13 That's on the creator to click to notify subscribers or not. Many smaller creators click to not notify subscribers so the video is shown to more new people
This is cool. It's the equivalent of taking the curf into account when measuring for a cut.
I've never thought that it was intentional. The jiggle did always bother me. This makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the information!
Somehow I figured that out, but I have been operating with a 'guess' or 'opinion'. Now I have satisfaction. Thank you!
Same I always thought this might be the reason but never knew for sure.
And, as I just learned the other day, the pegs on the top of the tab act as a hook so you can flip the tape over from perfectly straight lines.
Been using these things for 50+ years and never knew that but always wondered.
I realized it was intentional twelve years ago, when husky had to use elongated holes to compensate for the thickness of the magnets on their tape measures.
Thanks for naming my new jam band “deliberate jiggle”
I "fixed" a few of my dad's tape measures as a kid by fixating that tab. I don't know if he ever noticed.
This is when we'd get a family guy style cut, and flash to your house being all lopsided 😂
But hey, I've "fixed" my own tape measures as well.
@@CreamAle Pretty lucky my grandad did most the carpentry :)
Exactly compensates... On a new tape measure. On an older one all bets are off
Some of the fancier jiggling bits have magnets on them, it’s awesome. Get the fancier measuring tape.
I love the way Steve says words like “jiggle” and “gluggle jug”.
I always thought that feature was obvious. I figured it out immediately.
Genuinely interesting, thank you for sharing!
Dang gurl, are you a tape measure tab cuz that jiggle gotta be deliberate XD
🎵Wiggle it, just a little bit.🎵
It's almost scary how many people didn't know this.
I still remember "fixing" my tape measure when I was a kid. Then, because of an annoying series of mismatched measurements resulting in wooden parts that were supposed to be precisely cut, but weren't, I started to investigate and... it clicked.
I was so embarrassed that I broke my own tape measure, haha.
Thanks for this!
My tape don’t jiggle jiggle, it measures.
It jiggle, jiggle and folds. We like to see it wiggle wiggle.
Gee. I knew this in 1952 when i was four years old, but then grandpa was an ace finish carpenter.
The people in the crossover between handyman and scientist already knew this.
My tape measure dont jiggle jiggle
It rolls
Does that mean that you have to get a new one after a while because the jiggle will get worse and worse over time?
its probably not enough of a difference to impact measurements that much
A tape measure isn't really a precision measurement tool in the first place, this little wiggle just helps it be a more consistent one.
I might be accidentally glued them using a super glue.
Things I knew decades ago because my dad taught me that. Of course, my grandfather was a pipefitter and so things like this were passed onto my dad and then to me!
Until the rivets wear more one side than the other
This question has been common knowledge since before the internet existed.
in what circles?
@@theatricult Reader's Digest, Popular Science, Popular Mechanics and other general interest magazines used to have articles like this
@@Palanibert Well, i finished a Carpenter apprenticeship and i didn't know this kinda crucial piece of information.
@@PurplehainWhere I’m from, we learn this in preschool. You’d have never made it to kindergarten in my country.
I’ve worked with dimensions and NDT for a decade now. It’s never been “common knowledge”. In fact very few people, even those over 50, know about this. I was taught this in a machine shop and only a couple of old timers knew about it. Been the same story every shop I’ve been to.
"And thats why we've created this new tape measure that doesnt move around"...
is what i was expecting...
My brain just expanded I think
I thought that was common knowledge
Then you went to a very very very extensive school.
If you ever think an extremely widespread product has a "bug", in 99% of case you're just missing/misunderstanding something.
Wau THANK YOU. You just took away a very annoying feeling every time I use my tape measures. Again *Thanks a lot* .
was taught this at 13 from a framing crew, now i'm always surprised when an adult doesn't know it.
I didn't get it til I thought of thickness
Amazing! Thank you!
Manufacturers are like "Yeah...that's right, we totally made it that way"
I was just looking at my tape the other day wondering if that jiggle played any part
I am now going to check the jiggle on all my tape measures. Thank you!
This reminds me of the bad reviews you’ll come across once in a while because they don’t understand how something works.
I was similarly annoyed for quite some time about that but one day realized the same when making a different measurement. I felt quite dumb.
What a genius.
Commence the jigglin!
Thank you. I had heard the jiggly bit had a purpose but, couldn't for the life of me think of what it was.
Do it jiggle? Yes, i see now
It's actually quite mind blowing how thought out even such mundane items can be. Yes its not a super big thing but still.
I've been answering this question to people for decades. It's amazing how many people think all tape measures are faulty. lol