Measuring Tape
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"A measuring tape is the most important and underestimated tool in your arsenal. Your ability to properly read a tape and mark for cuts will determine your accuracy. The first thing you need to understand, are the parts that make up your tape. The obvious of the parts is the case. The point of the case is to protect the blade and spring. It will take all kinds of damage just fine, but be wearing of dropping it from high, it can hurt someone. On the case you will find the lock. There are multiple types of lock. Most common is a switch above the blade that clamps down on it to stop recoil. The other is called "Leverlock." It's a lever under the blade that will only recoil when held.
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The Blade
The blade is the metal tape you will read your measurements from. Be weary, this is called a blade and it is, in fact, very sharp. You will need to understand simple carpentry math to read a tape and the increments of an inch. Each increment in represented by a line of various length. On a tape broken down to the 16th of an inch the lines from smallest to largest are: 16th, 8th, quarter, half, and whole inches. The blade of your tape needs to be taken care of. Make sure to wipe the blade clean every time it comes back in. When it recoils it will bring dust, dirt, and moister into the case and ruin the blade or spring. The end of the blade is hooked to a spring. Do not pull blade out far enough to expose spring. You can use mineral spirits to clean your blade if it gets dirty. Don't just other solvents, they will destroy the protective coating and ruin your tape. Do not bend or kink blade as it can lead to breakage.
The Hook
The hook is the last part you need to know about. The hook is supposed to move. It is called true-zero. The hook wiggles the thickness of the hook itself. This way you can take measurements while pushing or pulling the tape. The hook is arguably the most fragile and important part of the tape. You don't want your hook to bend or your measurements will always be off. When you recoil your tape you need to keep it slow and under control. Constant slamming of the hook into the case will slowly bend out the hook.
Tool Basics
Tool Basics
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