Thread: Tape measure idea ????

I agree with your thoughts on tape measure shape,, the colours are bright so that one can find them easily if they are lost in grass/woodchips or the like.

Pete

try aralditing a thin peice of metal to the back of your tape body

Ta Rowie......I gave that some thought,,,,but I've had trouble in the past gluing plastics....... But, I'll give it another go.

It's called a Gunter Batten - we used it in the navy for determining the length of shoring.

Ta Stuart.....you mean it unravels like a tape measure ?..... by the sound of it I gota 'join the navy' to get one of those.....or can you buy them at mitre 10 ?

Originally Posted by apricotripper

Ta Rowie......I gave that some thought,,,,but I've had trouble in the past gluing plastics....... But, I'll give it another go.

Why not use some casting resin to square the back of the measure case - make a mould that fits tight around the back of the tape measure with a base that is 90 degrees to the base of the measure (you could make the side of the box that fits agains the base of the measure as long as the base to make sure that it comes out square).

Thanks....sounds like a good idea.

I'm completely unfamiliar with casting resin though.....a boat builders glue ? ....that resin you paint over fiberglass in boat building...sort of thing

So, make a mould.....pour this resin in.....maybe cut it square for a crisp line....the stuff cut ok ? ........maybe do it on table saw.

I'm with you Jake. Much easier, and safer, to use a measuring stick than a tape.

I dissent on the colours tho. Bring a bit of brightness into our drab lives, I say.

I went to great lenghts to hammer down the rivets on the little thingy at the end of the tape, concientiously measuring the distance against a steel rule. Problem is that the endy thingo isn't at right angles to the tape, so yr measuremnts depends on how far down the endy thiny is when u read off the length.

Measuring stick everytime!

Originally Posted by apricotripper

Thanks....sounds like a good idea.

I'm completely unfamiliar with casting resin though.....a boat builders glue ? ....that resin you paint over fiberglass in boat building...sort of thing

So, make a mould.....pour this resin in.....maybe cut it square for a crisp line....the stuff cut ok ? ........maybe do it on table saw.

Most of the boat stuff nowadays is epoxy which doesn't cast well. But you can get casting resin (clear and colours) at good hardware stores (generally somewhere near the fibreglass repair kits). I don't know whether Bunnies keep it (its about 30 years since I last used it to make fake ice cubes with flies in them....) but Pauls in Sydney do. I think it is a polyester resin like the resin that you make fibreglass out of.

ISTR that Cameron Potter had a thread about using it to make some stuff that he called pseudo-micarta (sp) which was resin and fabric and which he then turned pens out of. I think that thread gave some good info on useful techniques and the fact that Cam could then drill and turn it suggests to me that you could trim of any rough spots and even lap it to make it beautiful and square.

Another tip would be to rough the surfac of the tape measure that the casting will be attached to so that it bonds better.

BTW here is Cam's thread - http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ad.php?t=29736

Good luck

Originally Posted by Bodgy

I went to great lenghts to hammer down the rivets on the little thingy at the end of the tape, concientiously measuring the distance against a steel rule. Problem is that the endy thingo isn't at right angles to the tape, so yr measuremnts depends on how far down the endy thiny is when u read off the length.

Bodgy I was told years ago.. and I haven't questioned it that there was supposed to be movement on the end thingy on the tape measure.
I was told that this was to compensate for inside and outside measurements.
Now that I do think about it it does make sense ie the thickness of the steel on the thingy should be the same as the movement (slide ) of it.

PS My preference is the Fat Max as it is nice and stiff and will hold up at a greater span than others I've had.
PPS The ones I hate are those that have imperial on one edge.

Originally Posted by jmk89

... I don't know whether Bunnies keep it

Yeah, they do, as mentioned with the fibreglass supplies in the paint section.

Job on the gunna list is to try making jig knobs from casting resin.


Cheers.................Sean

Originally Posted by Bleedin Thumb

Bodgy I was told years ago.. and I haven't questioned it that there was supposed to be movement on the end thingy on the tape measure.
I was told that this was to compensate for inside and outside measurements.
Now that I do think about it it does make sense ie the thickness of the steel on the thingy should be the same as the movement (slide ) of it.

Oh? I was told that's why the end thingy is "hooked." Not just to make life easier when measuring... it's bent back in so its' tip is offset by its' own thickness for outside measurements.

I've measured mine and on most the offset's about right, but on one or two the movement in the rivets is way, way too much. About 3mm on the worst! :eek:

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

Oh? I was told that's why the end thingy is "hooked." Not just to make life easier when measuring... it's bent back in so its' tip is offset by its' own thickness for outside measurements.

Are they hooked or do they get bent? why do they ALL have that movement:confused: surely if there was no reason for it the things would be glued??

I'd like to see someone bend it in without using a couple of pairs of pliers or similar! Bending out I could understand, the way some people let 'em retract 'til they clunk. Which might go a long way to explaining the slop, too.