While I use the same tape / rule / square for a given project I still do other work outside the shop requiring different tape measures.  Do I really need a 25 ft tape to measure most shop projects inside a 16x20 shop, hmmm no.  But work outside doing forms for concrete, building sheds I do need one.  Then of course we come to specialty tapes such as a center finder tape or a metric tape.  Yes I know about the ongoing debate of Imperial verses metric.  Not even going in that direction.

 

Previously I had them laid out in a drawer and that worked well until I got a new 25 ft one and it just was too big to fit. Jammed the drawer more than once and said enough.  While I was at it I also could use a place to put my glasses.  On top of the oscillating sander was not a good place.  Added some pencil storage because I always seem to be needing one and you can never have them close enough to what you are working on at the time.

 

Small project, still takes several days to do finish work and let cure well before installation.  It is all about the details.  Used some rubber backed flooring turned rubber side up to protect the wood from the viscous tape measure ends.  Also keeps them all canted at a slight angle.  In theory this keeps them from falling down.

 

Once done a great addition that will prove useful for years to come. 

 

We like pictures so I took a few as the installation went along.

4 minutes ago, Woodbutcherbynight said:

Used some rubber backed flooring turned rubber side up to protect the wood

Good idea...all of it looks great. Thanks for sharing.

6 minutes ago, Woodbutcherbynight said:

Added some pencil storage because I always seem to be needing one

So that's where all my pencils rolled to?

That'd be great, if I could remember to always put them back!

whoa, you guys use tape measures?

 

my thumb is 1" wide exactly.  my hand is 4" wide, my span is 9", and my cubit is 18".  i'm good to go. right??

 

a royal cubit was one cubit (elbow to tip of fingers) plus one hand (width of hand, not including thumb), about 22" for me.

If I were a Carpenter, I'd sing the praises of a tape measure. I'm not a Carpenter and, I can't sing. Nor do I use a tape measure.

48 minutes ago, DAB said:

whoa, you guys use tape measures?

 

19 minutes ago, Gene Howe said:

Nor do I use a tape measure.

Uhhhh...well then how do you guys measure a project after it's done to see if it will fit through the shop door?

58 minutes ago, DAB said:

my thumb is 1" wide exactly.  my hand is 4" wide, my span is 9", and my cubit is 18".  i'm good to go. right??

Yes!!!!  Whenever we build an ark again!

 

32 minutes ago, Grandpadave52 said:

 

Uhhhh...well then how do you guys measure a project after it's done to see if it will fit through the shop door?

i'd rather not talk about that incident. almost happened.  nice oak standing desk that was going to be too deep, too wide, and too tall to fit out of the basement door.  it got finished in the garage....

23 minutes ago, Woodbutcherbynight said:

Yes!!!!  Whenever we build an ark again!

 

thankfully, that was a one-off project.

 

custom, one-off projects always take longer thank planned.  120 years in that case.

1 hour ago, Gene Howe said:

If I were a Carpenter, I'd sing the praises of a tape measure. I'm not a Carpenter and, I can't sing. Nor do I use a tape measure.

I thought the second line of that song was “If I were a carpenter, and you were a lady....” If you don’t use a tape measure how do you know how long you TRIED to sing?  

1 hour ago, Gene Howe said:

If I were a Carpenter, I'd sing the praises of a tape measure. I'm not a Carpenter and, I can't sing. Nor do I use a tape measure.

 I am guessing you speak of using these?

 

 

1 hour ago, Grandpadave52 said:

 

Uhhhh...well then how do you guys measure a project after it's done to see if it will fit through the shop door?

Let me tell you about the china closet that didn’t fit up the basement steps...

I've been cleaning my shop.

I found 2 tape measures and about dozen pencils. I often wondered what happened to them.

I still haven't found a scraper that I used to use all the time. 

2 hours ago, Artie said:

I thought the second line of that song was “If I were a carpenter, and you were a lady....” If you don’t use a tape measure how do you know how long you TRIED to sing?  

SNORK!!

14 minutes ago, LarryS said:

I still haven't found a scraper that I used to use all the time. 

I'll keep an eye out for it when I clean & reorganize next spring.

I can never find a pencil and yet...

2 minutes ago, lew said:

I can never find a pencil and yet...

I'm convinced it's Russian Aliens colluding with Leprechauns, the troll under the bridge and the monsters under the bed & in the closet that are responsible for all missing pencils & measuring devices.

It's obvious pencil manufacturers are providing pay-offs to these sinister shop hooligans to disrupt activity in the blink of an eye.

3 minutes ago, Grandpadave52 said:

It's obvious pencil manufacturers are providing pay-offs to these sinister shop hooligans to disrupt activity in the blink of an eye

I'm not much for conspiracy theories, BUT you might be on to something.

Won't need an ark next time , find a fireproof bunker. Good idea on the tapes but I like to have one at each work station so I can cross the shop to find where it was actually left.