What color is your tape measure

[Novascotiamill]

I bought a couple of arange lufkin 25ft tape measures the other day on sale for 6 bucks. Thought these would not becoome part of the woodwork. i was wrong they just happen to be the same color as my tractor,saw,safety helmet etc etc. Everytime I set one down the tape measure gremlin hides it. Think I need a beeper on it.

[SawyerTed]

At the mill I use a silver Stanley 25' tape.  I prefer the metal case on a tape measure.  My sawmill tape stays in a magnetic mechanic's tray on the box that has the up-down assembly.

When I'm measuring and marking/cutting logs, I have a 50' logger's tape on my belt.

I'm a retired industrial arts teacher.  For me, tools need a place and they need to be put back every time.  If I used orange tape measures, they would blend in too! 

Maybe neon green would be better.

[rjwoelk]

Black and orange are no better, we have a neon orange no good, i like the beeper idea. :DI can use set it down, turn my back and it will be come invisable. Spend more time looking than using some days, smiley_huh unless I have the carpentor apron on and stick it in the pocket, The trouble with that is the aparon keeps dropping lower and lower and soon I feel like those kids with their pants below their buts  :embarassed:

[Satamax]

At the mill I use a silver Stanley 25' tape.  I prefer the metal case on a tape measure.  My sawmill tape stays in a magnetic mechanic's tray on the box that has the up-down assembly.

When I'm measuring and marking/cutting logs, I have a 50' logger's tape on my belt.

I'm a retired industrial arts teacher.  For me, tools need a place and they need to be put back every time.  If I used orange tape measures, they would blend in too!

Maybe neon green would be better.

Well, two reasons for me, to put things back into their place. I was a pot smoker, looonnnngggg time ago, and ended up more than once, starknaked, going through my pockets for the third, or may be fifth time. To find my flat's keys. I tell you, it gets old fast! 
And, when i started roofing, well, you know, you get on the roof with no hammer, or no tape measure. There won't be any of your mates passing what you forgot back to you! They would rather hide it to make you go nuts!  ;D So, metal cased stanley, in my left leg pocket. And why metal (plastic) cased? Because it slides in the pocket and out of the pocket easily. Give me one of those rubberized thingies, and i go mad! 

[D6c]

You wouldn't think so but florescent green shows up best...even against grass and leaves.  When I did survey work we had a green prism target....it was the easiest one to find looking through the instrument when in trees and brush.

[barbender]

Satamax, thut must've been some crazy stuff if you got naked from it!😂😂😂

[sawguy21]

 :D I have a silver metal tape measure as well as a bright orange one. Guess which one goes missing on the bench first!

[esteadle]

I keep about 9 of the Stanley Silver 25' tape measures around the yard, in the truck, in my personal vehicle, in the bushes, and two in my sock drawer. When I'm sawing, I will have one sitting between the hydraulic control sticks on my saw station. 

The cheap tape measures are cheap for a reason. Plastic housing will bust, or break eventually when dropped, even with the rubber. The rubber edges come loose and sometimes that comes off anyway. And the metal tape wears down the slot when the tape is retracted and pretty soon it jams up. Waste of money. Stanley's are 9 bucks and sometimes 2 for 15 on Amazon. 

Embarrassing story: I was about to enter a cut on a very long log, and was uncertain about the mill's dial gauge reading (standing so close to it). I didn't want to mis-cut because I was trying to match another piece I had just cut. So I "bumped" the cant with the blade, and backed it up, and took my nice new Stanley and put it up underneath to check the cut was where I wanted it. When I brought the tape back down, it bent ever so slightly, and touched the spinning blade and ripped it right apart at 3.5" (nice sharp blade too -- took it right off, in the blink of an eye). DANG. My nice new tape, useless. I let it spin itself around the inside of the housing... no way to fix a tape measure. 

[47sawdust]

The Swedes paint their small tools kind of Log-Rite blue,shows up good in all ground conditions.

[Magicman]

I favor the Stanley 25'X1¼" tape, but I hate to be the one to tell you guys that that (Tom) shiny is plated plastic...not metal.

[78NHTFY]

Whenever a tape of mine breaks (mostly Stanley 25's) I chop off the tape at 25" to 30" and slide it under the bungie cord holding my Woodmizer water tank.  That's plenty long to measure log butts, cutting height, cants, etc. Works for me.  And for some reason and most importantly, rarely gets lost or broken.  8) 8)All the best, Rob.

[Peter Drouin]

I have all the colors, When I come across a deal on them I get all they have. ;D

[DPatton]

Working for a commercial general contractor I have so many measurements that are over 25' so I use the standard Stanley 30' or 35' depending on what the jobsite is best suited for. I like the Stanley's because they seem to be well built and consistent. But I simply won't heft around the additional weight of their Fat Max tapes.

[Dave Shepard]

I use the Stanley 25'. I think they call them Powerlock II or something. I do have a 35' for longer timbers. I will not tolerate any of the Fatmax or other bulky mis-shapen junk. The Powerlocks are square backed, +3" for the 25', and they fit in a joist hanger. I used a cheap tape once that was +2 4/9". :D

[Satamax]

Satamax, thut must've been some crazy stuff if you got naked from it!😂😂😂

No choice Barbender. You go through your trousers, shirt, vest, jacket pocket once, remember i live at 5000 feet above sea level, in the alps. So except in the summer, you're well covered.  Then do it twice, still no signs of the keys. I was young, 16/17. Well, try again, no keys another time. So, the solution was to get all clothes off in the corridor,  lay these flat on the floor, and pass my hand over every part of the clothes, to find the hump, where the keys were. 
 Ever since that period of time,  i've had my keys in the front left pocket of the trousers, wallet in the back left pocket. Knife, lighter and a few bits and bobs in the front right. Cigs in the back right pocket, now replaced by the smartphone. And every now and then a pack of rollies. 

[Novascotiamill]

One thing I hate about buying tape measure in canada is finding ones with no metric scale markings on them,they split the tape with metric on the top and standard english on the bottom. No one ive ever known has said 'oh great its metric !"  I would like to see the scale on one of the 50ft purpose biilt measures for logging and see if there easy to read.
Also wonder what the stanley tapes made for the US market look,like ,are the scales easy to read ,I dont ever see me needing anything more accurate than eighth of an inch.

[SawyerTed]

Here's a photo of the Stanley Powerlock on top and a logger's tape below (Protape I think is the brand).

Yes MagicMan is 100% correct. After looking I've realized the shiny "metal" case on the Stanley is plastic.  I still prefer the silver.



 

[Dan_Shade]

I have a (not big enough) stash of new "old style" plastic 12'x1/2" Stanley Leverlock tape measures.  I carry it every except to bed. 

[WV Sawmiller]

   I now have the Stanley 35' tape for most of my use with a cheap plastic 25' one in my truck box in case I forget one. I had a Kobalt from Lowes and every time I'd break it they'd swap with no questions asked but now they don't make them any more so they gave me the Stanley last time. Supposedly they offer the same warranty of the Stanley. We will see the next time I break it.

[Dave Shepard]

I have a (not big enough) stash of new "old style" plastic 12'x1/2" Stanley Leverlock tape measures.  I carry it every except to bed.

I have a couple of the original 25 ' Leverlocks. One is mia, the other needs a new tape. They are absolutely my favorite. Don't like the new Fatmax style, for above mentioned reasons. 

[Lawg Dawg]

Yellow Stanley Fat Max...16' on the mill console in a magnetic tray. Its plastic cased, but the tape inside is metal and stays put in the magnetic tray...never leaves that spot.  I have a 25' Fat Max in my logging tool set. I have had good luck with these tape measures over the years...I never buy cheap tapes. 

[WDH]

I have them stashed in every vehicle, in every nook and cranny, and on my belt . 

[DPatton]

I have at minimum half a dozen Stanley tapes but still managed to make the full 25 mile trip to the farm where my mills was this summer without one, twice. :(

[Sawmill Man]

Fluorescent green seems to work for me. I have been able to keep up with a couple till they have faded to pea green.

[WV Sawmiller]

   You guys hoodooed me even posting this thread!  >:( I grabbed my primary tape today and measured a bench or two I was loading for an event this weekend then noticed the return button was gone and it would not rewind. I guess now I will really see how Lowes return policy is on this one.

[Klicker]

Black at the mill and orange in the shop. I lose or break them regularly so when on sale I get a couple to have extra when I can't find one

[DDW_OR]

I bought a couple of arange lufkin 25ft tape measures the other day on sale for 6 bucks. Thought these would not becoome part of the woodwork. i was wrong they just happen to be the same color as my tractor,saw,safety helmet etc etc. Everytime I set one down the tape measure gremlin hides it. Think I need a beeper on it.

how about a GPS tracking tag
:D

[Lawg Dawg]

Tape measure holder...harbor freight. Cost was 0$ 8)



 

[Bruno of NH]

I have used the Tajima tapes for years they last longer than a Stanley. 
They are in a rubber case and I like the white back ground.
I have no use for all the fat tapes.

[WDH]

I don't like carrying a 2 pound tape on my belt, so I generally stick to the 16' ones as they are lighter to carry around, and it serves my needs 90% of the time. 

[Brucer]

I buy cheap plastic "throwaway" tapes to lend to the customers. About half of them go for walk before they break.

My working tape is a 25 foot "Silver" Stanley. It's in feet & inches on both sides, and it stays in my sawmill "operating toolbox" when I'm not sawing. When I'm running the mill the belt clip holds it to the open control panel cover. Nobody borrows the sawmill tape. Ever. Not even me :D.

I have a Spencer 20 metre (66') tape in a 75' housing (it's called a stinger) for measuring logs. Metric on one side because logs in BC are sold by the cubic metre, feet on the other side because I buck the logs in feet.

[caveman]

In SawyerTed's picture of the tape and the logger's tape, the logger's tape should be in 1/10's of feet while the tape is in inches (10.5 is 10' 6" on the logger's tape).  I was just pointing this our for those who are new to using a logger's tape.

In the shop I typically use Stanley tape measures.  I have a Klein that I really like but it was used so much that the paint has warn off of it.  Around the mill we have several of the orange and black Harbor Fright  :D tapes.  They get sappy and the side clips on them are slightly better than useless but they are free and do the job - until they don't.

[Chuck White]

On the sawmill, I use a 25 foot Cam Pro.

Rubber coated plastic case!

Around the house and garage, generally 16 footers, mixed brands!

[SawyerTed]

In SawyerTed's picture of the tape and the logger's tape, the logger's tape should be in 1/10's of feet while the tape is in inches (10.5 is 10' 6" on the logger's tape).  I was just pointing this our for those who are new to using a logger's tape.

In the shop I typically use Stanley tape measures.  I have a Klein that I really like but it was used so much that the paint has warn off of it.  Around the mill we have several of the orange and black Harbor Fright  :D tapes.  They get sappy and the side clips on them are slightly better than useless but they are free and do the job - until they don't.

Spencer's makes the logging tapes that are typical for the industry - they are in 8ths.  Check Bailey's and look at Spencer's tapes.  I have surveyor's tapes in 10ths and half foot at .5.

[caveman]

I checked Spencer's website and they do have a lot of tapes.  The one that I have been using for years is divided into 1/10's of a foot and 1/10's of an inch and on the other side it is marked to measure diameter (one inch every 3.14").  It is what I have become used to and I would hate to have to change now.  I use it for measuring diameter quite a bit in addition to setting up slope courses for FFA land judging practices and pacing practices for the FFA forestry teams.  

[SawyerTed]

Looks like a great investigation for the Tool ID Team to compare logger's tapes and surveyor/engineer's tapes.  It would be interesting to see what the students think.  I can see how the 10ths would be useful at times but since lumber is usually in 8ths it works for me best.

I'm an old Voc. Ed./CTE guy.  I always enjoyed the FFA events I was invited to attend as a Local CTE Director.

[Don P]

  I now have the Stanley 35' tape for most of my use with a cheap plastic 25' one in my truck box in case I forget one. I had a Kobalt from Lowes and every time I'd break it they'd swap with no questions asked but now they don't make them any more so they gave me the Stanley last time. Supposedly they offer the same warranty of the Stanley. We will see the next time I break it.

That's interesting. The lifetime warranty used to come from Stanley, I've traded in quite a few over the years. Lowes said that Stanley no longer honored it and refused to trade the last time I took one back a year or two ago. They said at the time their Kobalt did have the same lifetime warranty. The tape isn't very good so I declined but am down to my last couple stanleys... I hope they do switch back to lifetiming those. The left pocket edge of most of my jeans is badly frayed, that's where my tape lives.

Years age a new coworker borrowed my tape and returned with it a few minutes later in a double handful with no piece longer than about an inch, the case beat and gnawed. "What in the world happened?" He had tried to adjust the fence on a running tablesaw. Safety meeting! :D

[terrifictimbersllc]

Look what the postman just brought.  FF impulse buying. 



 

[SawyerTed]

I can't imagine you will ever use all those!  :D :D  I need a couple more myself.

[terrifictimbersllc]

Stuff happens. Amazon prime $9 each incl. shipping.

[Lawg Dawg]

I like to use a FAT MAX for FAT pine logs



 

And that 16' one don't weight you down

[WV Sawmiller]

   Well, I finally went back to the store where I got my tape and took my broken FatMax 30' back to exchange. it was not a pleasant experience. I had bought a Kobalt with a lifetime warranty and it broke so I took it back. They no longer made or stocked Kobalt tapes so they gave me the Stanley.  I asked the customer rep if the same warranty continued and she said yes. A couple days ago the rewind button fell out. Today the tool room guy said the warranty was voided when I swapped for the Stanley. We went a few rounds and they gave me another one.

   The worst part was when the tool room guy said not to listen to the customer service reps but go to the department head. I told him the customer service guy represents the company and they would always be the guy I went to. The Customer rep was standing there and did not seem to appreciate the man's comment which I still think were out of line.

    Anyway I am back in the measuring business for a while.

[scsmith42]

I use a variety of tapes around the farm.  Inventory room has chrome Stanley's, my lead has a 35' Fat Max, and I prefer the 35' Milwaukee.  The off-bearer has a 25' Milwaukee.

I don't recall ever breaking a tape measure myself, buy my employees sure do.

[Magicman]

Mine sometime break, but I don't break them.  They bend so many time that metal fatigue gets them.  I only use 1¼" wide tapes with this type of end:


 
Top view.


 
Side view.  Notice that there are "wings" to catch the log/lumber no matter which way the tape is turned.  Also they are quite large and aren't prone to slip loose.  

[Bruno of NH]

Mr scsmith42
This summer my young helper broke 4 nice tapes and one out of my woodworking shop that I told him was off limits.
The shop tape ment a lot to me my Pepere' gave it to me when I was 13 years old. >:(
He no longer works with me he lost or misplaced half my mechanics chest.