Had to double check my tape measure after a 32nd of an inch cost me a whole day

I was fitting a custom drawer front last Tuesday and kept having a gap on one side. Measured three times, cut twice, still didn't fit right. Finally pulled out my old tape measure and a new one side by side. The old one was stretched a 32nd long over 6 feet. That tiny difference meant I had to remake the whole panel. Never thought a tape measure could wear out like that. Anyone else ever had a tool go bad on them like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

harper_foster4d ago

Man that's brutal, I feel your pain on the tape measure thing. It's crazy how something so small can throw your whole project off and make you feel like you're losing your mind checking everything twice. I got a beat up speed square that's dinged on the corner and I gotta be careful with it or my angles come out all wrong.

the_anthony4d agoMost Upvoted

Whoa, wait - a tape measure can actually stretch over time? That's wild, @harper_foster I had no idea tools could wear out like that.

hart.sage4d ago

Honestly I had a similar thing happen with a level last year. It was off by just a hair but it made every shelf I hung look slightly crooked. Took me way too long to figure out it was the tool and not me. Now I keep a metal ruler on my wall that I use to check my tape measure and levels every few months.