My tape measure has a secret and I'm 12 years late to it

I was marking studs for a new wall in my garage last Saturday, using the little metal hook on the end of my tape like I always do. Then my neighbor Dave, who builds decks in Boise, asked why I wasn't adding the 1/16 inch for the hook's thickness. I've measured hundreds of shelves and frames thinking the hook was just a stop, but it actually slides for internal versus external measurements. Has anyone else used a tape their whole life before learning the hook moves?

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the_stella16d agoOG Member

My dad has been building cabinets since 1982 and I watched him use a tape for 20 years without ever noticing the hook wiggle. I only found out last month when I dropped mine and the hook bent, then fixed it with pliers and realized it had a little play in it. That was a genuine forehead slap moment. Dave from Boise sounds like a legend though, I bet he also knows why the little diamond on the tape is there and has some wild opinion about it. I'm honestly just glad I'm not the only one who's been flying blind with a tool I thought I knew.