Don't leave home without one, or rather, don't work on your home without one. Tape measures are a necessity for do it yourselfers and paid contractors alike. Spring tape measures have been around since the 1860s and they are pretty much the norm for any construction site measuring. All you have to do is pull the steel tape out and it extends, 100 feet. Most are self retracting, meaning you simply press a button and the tape zips back into the roll. Watch your face though, the tape can fly around a lot. To minimize the risk of injury, never retract a tape measure too fast and keep you fingers away from the blade.
Types and Uses
Here are some of the many uses for tape measures:
* Surveyors use long tape measures to measure the distance between points on land.
* Tailors use fiberglass tape measures.
* Weight watchers use tape measures to see if they are losing inches off their waists.
* Construction workers and carpenters use the types of tape measures we usually see. Their steel blade, self retracting tape rolls are used for measuring door and window frames, boards, and wood support beams. They can be easily retracted into the housing and carried on a belt. Construction workers also use 300 feet.
