Overheard an apprentice ask why we still use tape measures

I was at a job site last Thursday and this kid straight up asked his lead why we don't just use lasers for everything. It got me thinking about how I learned to read a tape by sight and feel, not just numbers. That old school habit saved me from cutting a 2x4 wrong twice this week alone because I caught the 1/16th offset on a rough framing job. I'm not against new tools, but there's something about that instinct you build over years. Anyone else got a trick they picked up from old timers that still beats the high tech stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

ivan_fisher991mo ago

Wait, hold on. You're telling me you actually "burn an inch" on rough framing? I've heard guys talk about it but I always thought it was some old myth, like using a framing square to find a rafter angle without math. That's wild. I tried it once on a deck job and my brain couldn't process the subtraction fast enough, so I just went back to using the hook. You must have some serious mental math skills built up from doing that for years.

daniel5111mo ago

Man, that kid doesn't know what he's missing. Lasers are great for long runs but they can't tell you if a stud is slightly bowed or if your tape hook has 1/16th of play in it. An old timer taught me to always "burn an inch" - start your measurement at the 1 inch mark instead of the end. That way you don't rely on the hook staying tight, and you subtract the one in your head. Saved my bacon more times than I can count on rough framing where tape hooks get beat up. Plus you can feel the tape tension against the wood and know if you're reading it right. That instinct just doesn't come from a laser.