Rant: Messed up a whole kitchen cabinet run because I trusted my tape measure

I was building out cabinets for a house remodel over in Oakwood last month and each one measured perfect at the shop. Got to the site and nothing lined up right, like off by like 3/8 on the final run. Turns out my Stanley tape measure had a rivet that wiggled loose and was throwing off the hook by about a quarter inch. Anyone else ever trust their tape too long and pay for it in scrap?

2 comments

2 Comments

eva_lewis6h ago

Nah, I gotta disagree here. Tape measures are pretty solid tools and most issues come from user error not the tool itself. If you're building cabinets you should be checking your tape against a standard (like a known good ruler) every few jobs anyway.

graytorres1h ago

I used to be one of those people who blamed the tape measure for everything. After I bought a cheap one at a hardware store and it was off by almost a quarter inch over 6 feet, I just assumed all tapes were junk. Then a buddy let me borrow his Starrett and showed me how to check it against his shop rule. Realized my whole issue was I was buying the wrong tapes and not checking them. You're right, most problems are on the user side once you have a decent tool.