A 20 year veteran told me to stop trusting my tape measure, he was right

Was doing layout for a storefront remodel in Portland last month. Had my measurements dead on for the door frames, or so I thought. This old timer walks by, looks at my marks, and says "you're measuring to the wrong side of the blade hook." I'd been pulling the tape tight every time and reading the inside edge. For 12 years. He showed me a 1/16th difference on a test cut. Changed how I mark every single cut now. Anyone else get a basic habit corrected after decades of doing it wrong?

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amyh128d ago

Gotta laugh at the old dogs still schooling the young ones. Twelve years of pulling that tape tight and you never once tested it against a known cut? That's like driving with your parking brake on for a decade and wondering why the gas bill is high. The hook wobble is the first thing they hammer into apprentices, but I guess some of us learn slower than others. At least you got the lesson for the price of a few crooked door frames instead of a whole wall of cabinets. Keep the hook loose and the math honest, or just buy a damn ruler and pretend you're fancy.