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The curved blade on steel retractable tape measures allows the blade to "stand out" when taking length measurments. This is helpful when taking meaurements above the surface to me measured or when taking verticle measurements. It also makes it easier to read the graduations.
The usual spacing between 2 x 4's in a wall is 16 inches on center. You'll see an arrow on your tape measure at 16, 32, 48, 64, 80 and 96. The spacing between larger structural members, such as roof rafters and trusses, is often 24 inches. You'll see an arrow on your tape measure at 24, 48, 72, 96 and so on. Note that both series of numbers come out even every 48 inches and every 96 inches. That is because the standard size of a sheet of plywood is 4' x 8', or 48 inches by 96 inches. The ends and edges of every sheet of plywood will have a nailing location with standard spacing.
You might be surprised to hear that weighing yourself isn’t always the best way to measure progress when you’re trying to lose weight. First off, weight can fluctuate quite a bit with your water intake and sometimes a heavier than expected reading is simply a result of good hydration. Second, when you start dieting and working out more, you build muscle, which weighs more than fat. So though you may be making progress with your regimen, the scale might not always reflect that, which can be discouraging.
A great way to keep track of your progress is to take body measurements. As you get fitter and slimmer, you’ll find the circumference of different parts of your body will decrease even if the number on the scale doesn’t always show a loss. Since the muscle you’re building is denser than fat, tracking your body measurements is often more effective than tracking your weight.
So what parts should you measure and how often should you measure them? It’s best to take your measurements every eight weeks, but you can monitor them as frequently as once per month. Any more often than that and you may not see much progress, which never helped anybody’s morale. Here’s what you should measure and how:
Chest: Measure around the broadest part.
Waist: Take the slimmest part, about an inch above your belly button.
Biceps: Midway between your shoulder and elbow, take a reading while your muscle is relaxed.
Hips: Keeping your heels together, measure around the widest part of your hips and buttocks.
Thighs: Taking each measurement separately, cinch the tape around your upper leg at the widest part.
Taking body measurements using a flexible tailor’s tape is best done by two people, which isn’t always ideal. That’s why we created the Perfect Waist Tape, which is designed especially for self measurement. Just loop the tape around the part you’re measuring, fit the peg end into the case end, and push the retract button to cinch. No fumbling with both hands to get an accurate measurement and more importantly, no having to share the body-measurement experience with anybody you don’t want to!
Manufacturer and supplier in the USA of quality linear measurement products since 1912.
Contact us for all your specialty, wholesale and promotional tape measure needs.
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Phone: 1-800-631-1052 Fax: 419-243-8298 Address: 1116 Summit Street
Toledo, Ohio 43604
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