Best Tape Measure For Woodworking Home Workshop And DIY

A tape measure is a tool used by DIYers, hobbyists, and professionals alike. It comes in many sizes, from small designs that measure six-feet or less up to 100-feet or more in length. The best tape measure for woodworking will be 25-feet or less, as most woodworking projects do not use lumber longer than this.

A long measuring tape uses a hand crank on the side of the tape housing to collect the ribbon after you take the measurement. That might be fine if you are a surveyor or taking readings across your property, but it is slow for the shop or around the house. I feel that the best tape measure designs use a spring-loaded return.

A spring-loaded return allows the housing to be more compact, a feature that leads to the alternative name of “pocket tape.” These designs have a lock button that keeps the ribbon extended until you are finished. When you are ready, the ribbon (which is under tension) is pulled back into the case by the spring.

The best tape measure products include extra markings that several tradespeople will find helpful. For example, carpenters have come to appreciate Stanley’s black diamond stud markings, which sit along on the tape at industry standard intervals. You will find that the best tape measure for woodworking will not need these types of markings but should mark smaller increments of an inch instead.

The best tape measure feature you should look for is accuracy. Today’s tape measure designs use laser-etched markings on the ribbon that are precise. You can expect errors of 1/32-inch or less for every six feet of ribbon, which will be negligible in most DIY or hobbyist shops.

The hooked tip of a measuring tape is standard, and it is loose intentionally. The best tape measure designs allow the hook to collapse when pushed against walls on interior measurements or to extend over the edge of materials as you take exterior readings. That provides the inside measurements from the end of the ribbon or outside readings from the ribbon’s end.

Large print and high-contrast markings that are easy to read are a must-have for my middle-aged eyes and are a feature found on the best tape measure for woodworking. The best tape measure ribbon colors are light, usually yellow or white. Most products use black lines and numbers for markings, but I have discovered that the best tape measure designs add red for specialized marks on the ribbon for quick referencing.

Before the measuring tape, folding rulers (or folding rules) were used by amateurs and professionals alike. Tape measures became more popular in recent decades, but the folding ruler has a place in my shop. I use the folding ruler more often than I do my tape measure with most projects.

The design is smaller and remains stiff during use. I can also place it on a board without a ribbon recoiling into a case.

One of the folding ruler tricks that makes it more accurate than a tape is its ability to measure interior spaces. It butts against both interior walls, something that a tape measure can not do.

Several folding ruler tricks increase the layout speed in a shop, including modifications that allow you to use the ruler as a compass or layout a circle.

Using a hinged section of the ruler to mimic an angle of two connecting boards is another favorite among folding ruler tricks and is useful for DIYers and carpenters. I also find the folding ruler easier to control than I do a tape measure.

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Are Garden Timber Cabins Water Resistant?

Are garden timber cabins rainproof is a query we got asked all the time here at Timberdise.

The short simple answer to your query is a definite yes!

Why would they not be?

Well, let’s take a look at some of the potential complications with a timber cabin which would make the timber cabin not rainproof and fairly honestly not fit for purpose. The main thing to look at immediately is the roof, that’s where you would visualize the main problem would start (this is not always the situation but that’s where we will start today).

The main problem with the roof would be to have the felt or shingling to not be mounted properly. This is fairly easily done if this is something you have never done before and why it should always be undertaken by an expert particularly if you are investing a lot of your hard earned money on a timber cabin.

• Make sure that the overlies are overlapping in the proper way. You should always start felting at the bottom of the construction and felt upwards. By doing this you ensure that the felt overlies on top of the piece of felt that is further down the roof. This will ensure there is a natural run off of the water, if you start felting at the top of the roof and you put the overlap from the bottom pieces over the top of the felt higher up when the rain runs off it will work under the felt and therefor trigger a water leak. This is just exactly the same when doing shingles, make sure you install from bottom upwards.

• Make sure the overlies of the felt/shingles are fairly generous. You don’t want them to be just barely overlapping because this could trigger rainwater to get between the felt sheets and this will trigger a water leak

• Make sure you use enough felt nails. Ideally you want to be spacing the felt nails around 6 inches apart from each other. Always do this on both sides of the felt and dependent on the quality of the felt you are using possibly put another row of tack in the middle, possibly two rows but again this depends on the quality of the felt. Failure to put enough felt tack in there could result in the felt blowing off during a bad storm which would then leave your construction subjected to leaks.

• It is in addition crucial that when you reach the overhang of the construction with the felt you pin the felt to side of the roof but DO NOT tuck the felt under the overhang of the roof as this limits the natural run off of the water. This can trigger early rotting of the construction and in some cases trigger the roof to water leak around the top corners of the construction as water could build up.

• Make sure you use the right size fixings. If the roofing system boards on your construction are let’s say 10mm,you don’t want felt nails of 16mm. Doing this would trigger the felt nails to come completely through the roof. This would not look cosmetically appealing and would in addition be a real option of a water leak in the construction. They way felt is now designed, there should be a watertight seal around the nail but throughout the seasons with wear and tear this may fail resulting in a water leak.

• The most frequently ignored area on a timber cabin construction is the felt or shingles on the roof. This is mainly because we can’t see it most of the time and it’s a lot more difficult to get up there and have a look,but this is just exactly what you should do and I would highly recommend at least once a year or if you notice a water leak. Because timber cabins are not built as high as the normal house and the felt and shingles aren’t fairly as tough and resilient as a normal house tile they require a little more focus. They are subjected to more elements on a daily basis because they are lower,this can result in a number of things from falling debris from trees,or another good example would be a children’s toys getting thrown up there which would all trigger harm to the felt/shingles. Not to mention lots of bird excrement can rot the felt if it is in an area where natural rainwater can not pass through it to create a natural run off and cleaning system (for good example if your timber cabin sits under a plant).

Timberdise Garden Buildings install all of our timber cabins, we do this because we know you are investing a lot of money into a timber cabin and you want it to be around for a long period of time. So the best way we can ensure this happens is to take care of the installation and make sure it is mounted properly. We’ve been out to repair timber cabins in the past built by non-skilled people and if the construction is not put together properly then number one it won’t be safe but in addition it could trigger a failure in the construction to be rainproof.

A prime good example of this would be that the logs haven’t been constructed properly on the walls. This would then trigger the timber cabin to differ from the design as it was intended to be. At this point when the roof was mounted there might be openings between the roof and the wall. Spaces could in addition appear on the walls of the timber cabins themselves and in some situations if the initial build of the timber cabin was so bad you would have no choice but to take down the timber cabin and reconstruct it.

This is why Timberdise install all of our timber cabins so you don’t have this to worry about. As you can visualize if there is an opening in the wall or an opening between the roof and the wall this would leave the log cabin open and it would most definitely water leak which is what we want to avoid at all costs.

I in addition want to bring focus to the flooring a second. Having your timber cabin mounted on a proper ground base is a must. That could be a Timberdise ground base, cement base or a paved area. As long as they’re flat, level and solid you should be ok. Be mindful of where you put the log cabin, don’t put it anyplace that is at risk of flooding as just like the house that you live in. If the water level rises and there is no getaway for it then the timber cabin will flood, that is regardless of how thick and tight your logs are.

Lastly let’s talk about sealants around the windows and doors. Make sure after you have treated your log cabin you fit the relevant sealants around the doors and the windows. The cabins don’t come with these fitted as standard,this is so you can treat the log cabin first and then apply the sealants afterwards. By not fitting the doors and windows with sealants then there’s a chance rainwater could pass through the inside of the log cabin,which again is easily fixed by applying sealants.

Additionally, in some cases particularly during the winter months, condensation can occur inside a cabin. This is normal due to the cabins not having any insulation fitted, it is not a water leak and can be fairly normal. We encourage at Timberdise to get a dehumidifier if you have electrical access in there and leave it running during the cooler months. This will help take dampness out of the air and further increase the life-span of your log cabin.

If you comply with all the above ideas you should have a water leak free log cabin for the duration of its life-span which can provide unlimited pleasure and relaxation. Remember prevention is much better than the treatment.

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