Pro tip: Check your tape measure for that 1/16 inch gap at the hook

I was framing a wall last week and kept ending up 1/16 off on every cut. Drove me nuts for two hours. Finally I checked my tape measure and noticed the hook rivets had loosened up. That little wiggle room added up to over an inch of error across 20 studs. Tightened them with a punch and a hammer and everything lined up perfect after that. Has anyone else dealt with a tape measure hook throwing off their layout?

2 comments

2 Comments

piperr586d ago

Did you try using the tip of the hook pressed flat against the end of the board for your cuts too? That's what fixed my error issues when I started paying attention to how I was holding the tape.

perry.karen6d ago

Wait a minute there. That 1/16 gap on the hook is actually designed on purpose. It accounts for the thickness of the hook itself when you hook it over something. If you tighten those rivets so there's no play at all, you'll be off by a 1/16 the other way on inside measurements. The real trick is knowing whether you're hooking over an edge or butting up against it. When you hook it, the hook slides out the thickness of the metal. When you butt it, that slack takes up the hook thickness. You gotta push the hook in tight for inside measurements too, not just let it hang loose.