The humble tape measure is often so overlooked and forgotten, until a problem comes up and you need to find out how long and wide an object is. Keep it in a safe place.
It serves so many purposes so check out some of these features.
Features most of us never knew.
1. Serrated ends
You can use the serrations at the end of a measure if you don’t have a pencil near you.
Give it a good firm grip then just slowly but surely pull it down to leave a mark.
2. Hook slots
That strip of metal on the end is a hook and those holes are there for a reason.
Most of us will measure, mark that end with a pencil, then attempt to trace a line from the marked area downwards.
Try to measure and mark that area using the holes by sticking your pencil through one, marking the spot, then tracing down using the tape measure as a handy guide in the process.
3. Case measure
If you’re wondering just how long the case is, it’s actually engraved on the back. so you can use the actual case to help measure a corner instead of curling or folding the tape.
Neat stuff.
4. Notch end
The notch at the end is sued for mounting a screw.
Hook it up tight, lock the tape, and twist until the screw drives.
5. Measure metal with a magnet
Use the metal hook on the end to measure distances by sticking a magnet on it and just pulling from a piece of metal.
Comes in handy when there’s distance in the equation.
6. Make circles
Drive a nail on wood, figure out the size of the circle, lock out the tape and attach a pencil on the hook while the nail sits in between the tape and case then just draw those circles.
Then use the tape to measure the spaces in between those circles. Pretty handy.
7. Circumference with a string
You can’t really measure a bucket or anything round with a tape measure.
But take string, wrap it around that bucket then cut it off before laying it out straight on the tape measure.
8. Don’t waste time
It is a hassle having to measure each piece of wood then writing the results on paper.
Draw lines on the measure instead, using colored pens or markers to differentiate each piece.
You are literally color coding each piece with its equivalent length.
9. Cut smart
It is tough cutting through a board, and more often than not, we end up making a mess of things.
So measure out the part to be cut, using the tape measures hook to help hold the cutter in place.
Make a clean cut downwards, then fold over the board and just cut along that same line.
Like a surgeon!
So what did you think of these neat features? Watch the video below for a visual guide on all the techniques the humble tape measure can do!
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