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- čas přidán 7. 03. 2022
- Just a fun experiment to determine if letting a tape measure snap back into its case will actually ruin it...or even diminish its accuracy. Learn how to get started woodworking and set up shop for less than $1000. Download my FREE GUIDE ► theweekendwoodworker.com/tww-...
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#woodworking - Jak na to + styl
The score of this film is fantastic. It showed honor to this soldier's dedication, sacrifice and unflappable consistency to bring us an answer to the age old question of every 7 year old, "why can't I snap this?". Steve, your mind-numbing and finger-bleeding work is much appreciated and very entertaining!
Seriously, Steve’s dedication is impressive. The entire video was amazing from start to finish. I’m boycotting Grrr-ripper until they re-sign him.
@@SoCalKevin this video could have an intro like (what happens if I snap a MICRO JIG
@@SoCalKevin who's that?
I just imagine a neighbor walking by, and seeing Steve talk to himself, snapping a tape measure repeatedly, at which point they walk faster
Matt, I'm thinking that Steve's neighbors all know that he talks to himself and to random pieces of scrap wood. They would not be surprised. They would just walk by while they muttered to themselves, "There's old crazy Steve talking to a tape measure. I wonder if his mom dropped him on his head or if he sniffed too much airplane glue as a child?"
@@ekeller1862 Hey E Keller. I hope that your dad doesn't watch CZcams. If so, he's gonna be quite upset with you.
What other advice from your dad did you ignore? Running with scissors, playing with matches, taking candy from strangers?????
Used to be when I saw someone walking alone, talking up a storm, and gesturing exuberantly, I’d cross the street. Now, I know they are just on their cell phone.
@@pteddie6965 Really??? If your trying to be an ___hole .....you've succeeded! Congrats!
@@pteddie6965 what's your problem?
Not enough hugs as a kid?
Steve: Makes sure to record dewpoint
Also Steve: Gonna pull it back "yay-far"
This comment killed me 🤣😂😂🤣
yay-far is officially a scientific unit of measurement now. i will start a partition for NASA to skip the metric system none-sense all together and start using yay-far on their next mission.
My mom always told me not to snap a metal tape measure because if it catches your hand the wrong way, it can cut you. I never heard about it damaging the tool though.
That is exactly what happened to a neighbor. He cut his hand to the bone on a retracting tape measure. It took months to heal
Dude! Appreciation for the dedication!
You're one of the few people who actually know this pain!
This was a great video Steve. Only reason I was told not to snap the tape measure as a child was my Dad's fear that I'd try and grab onto it and cut my hand...it's actually the same reason I tell my daughter not too.
If you think a paper cut hurts, a tape cut is horrible. Or so I've heard 😉
My dad has cut his fingers a few times letting it snap. Mom too. I have not been cut yet because they warned me. I did get pinched once. I’d say there is a valid reason to not let it snap.
I just don’t snap mine because it tends to flick around and sometimes it can flip underneath as it gets almost all the way shut. That ‘underneath’ area also happens to be where the operator’s delicate little knuckles are located during the snapping operation … or so I’ve been told. 😉
The part of the video where you were recording humidity and temperature made me laugh. Years ago, I worked at a company where everything had to be calibrated yearly. I had a 1m steel rule that sat on a table and was never moved, but it still had to be sent out yearly. When it was returned, it came back with a detailed report that included all of this environmental details.
One year, it was sent back with a report stating that it had failed calibration. Somehow, it mysteriously grew that year!
Depending on the level of accuracy needed, this is not that surprising. It's near impossible to have objects that never change dimensions at all, when measured with high enough accuracy.
I do this in house for a company so no need to send it out. And yes it's done every year for our ISO audit that caterpillar and most companies require. Not so much for your ruler but if you use micrometers or depth gages that's what it's for. Your ruler just falls under that. And yes a ruler can fail mostly from damage and misuses.
Most materials expand with heat, if it was 25C that day instead of the usual 18C then that explains it. Its call the the linear coefficent of expansion, WTC towers got 6" taller on a summers day
I'm an unashamed snapper. I'll do it again too. You can't stop me.
I'm ashamed of the amount of enjoyment I got out of watching this video. Great test, looking forward to more unique content!
I'm not ashamed. :)
I appreciate this man's dedication!! Teaching us all stuff we've wondered, but never had the time to try out for ourselves. Steve is the real workshop hero here today.
First I've heard of it. I've always let them snap and in my experience what ruins them (first) is dirt.
Yeah, it's probably more related to letting it snap after using it to measure something dirty and having it pull a bunch of junk into the tape measure
I agree! I think general use will kill the mechanism faster than the snap!
"It would take 9 years for them to ruin it. I'm gonna guess that they'd get bored with that game before than, or they may end up just moving off to college." That last part is such a dad thing to say. Appreciate the dedication for such a simple video.
Well, that was fun to watch although I'm not sure why.
Nevertheless, as you said a 25' tape has a stronger snap back due to a bigger spring. I have personally had the displeasure of watching the tip of a Stanley 25' tape go flying about 3' in front of me on a job site. It didn't rip the tape, but the rivets broke through the front of the holes.
Being it was about midday, and since I didn't have a spare that led to significantly reduced productivity for that day.
Two lessons learned: Always have a spare, and don't let the tip snap back.
Steve, subtle humor along with practical instruction makes me never scroll past one of your shows. Exceptional as always!
Wow, that was a lot of work. Love the video concept though! Can't wait for Matthais' response video to this. Hope he builds some Arduino-powered contraption that snaps one back while gently returning another for a true control.
I have three points, as a scientist, to make about your tests:
1. Those are good quality measures, the cheapass ones many of us have wreck themselves more easily.
2. The damage I've seen on knackered measures leads me to believe that the problem occurs when the return is off kilter, it's a whipping effect that occurs when the angle of return is off from the angle of the body that kills them. Your rig made them very straight and thus robust.
3. From personal experience, the thing that worries me about snapping back is the time I've cut myself on the rapidly flailing tape.
(Nice video, as always, thanks for sharing)
I wouldn't call the stanley tapes particularly good quality. Their flagship product is the fatmax, which is actually quite an expensive tape. But you will pay significantly more in my area for a fatmax, dewalt, or milwaukee tape, and I think craftsmen are more expensive too.
Sure, it's not a dollar store operation, but the stanleys are not premium tapes (Though the stanley fatmaxes are both quite expensive and relatively high quality, but those are a different model and clearly labeled as such).
Incredible dedication! My Stanley 25 foot tape measure has held up for more than 35 years and while the retracting mechanism has slowed noticeably, there is no visual indication of any stress or wear on the metal. I would expect it to last the rest of my life with the amount of use it currently gets.
Your tape-measure has lasted 35 years???
I wear out a Stanley tape-measure at least once a year. When the moment comes that I realise the measurements have all worn off the face of the tape, I lob it across the worksite (or into the nearest rubbish bucket) and grab my spare out of the toolbox.
How on earth could you possibly make one last for 35 years??!
@@TheIdeasGuy I only use my tape measure in my workshop and around the house. I'm not a tradesman so it doesn't see the same level of use required by a professional carpenter or cabinetmaker. And I am very careful with all my tools, treat them gently, and clean them regularly. My goal is for them to last as long as I do.
Get some graphite into it, it will act as lubrication
The only reason I don't snap them, is because I've experienced that excruciatingly painful whip effect a few times too many. My tape measures wouldn't survive long enough to experience this type of failure. Mostly, they get either gunked up with sand, glue, or whatever, or the printing fades and they become useless. :-P
I struggle to keep hold of a tape measure for much more than a week. Snapping the end off isn't likely to be an issue for me 🤣
Steve (like we're friends *grin*), I absolutely LOVED this! Unexpected, and hilarious! One of the best non-woodworking things I love about you and your channel!
The lengths you'll go for satire never cease to amuse and impress me. Great video! Lol
Enjoyable as usual. Should have had the temp, humidity, etc window going for the entire testing. Especially the wind. For your next testing video, how many 16d nails can you drive before you wear out a hammer.
I doubt that it will be possible to prove that by hand, Hammers are almost eternal, and the oldest technology in history [if I remember correctly it was the first tool that man invented].
-not to mention that among several things would depend a lot on the technique and the material used. and the quality of the hammer, for example in the wooden handles would be the first element to come off or give way but it is only a matter of changing the handle or making a DiY with an iron tube and some welding [and that is almost certain to be indestructible].
although the metal fragments with the pounding or the heads tend to form "mushroom head", and a grinder must be used to revive them, it is the only way I see possible to wear it down
@@camillosteuss Restoring hammers is a fine way to rejuvenate the mind and free up the hands at work... I like extra long handles when I replace them... almost always add at least a couple inches to handle-length, since I'm usually hand-crafting the handles anyway... Sometimes out of a "traditional" wood like hickory or ash... and sometimes "cheaping out" with poplar (since it's almost never in huge demand)... AND from time to time just harvesting my own choices and experimenting with one of the iron-woods, oak, maple, or black locust... When I can get a good straight length of the stuff, mountain laurel is a solid bet, too... Not too heavy in and of itself, but once seasoned, it's almost indestructible... Cedar's pretty and mediocre for purpose but adds that stereotypical aroma that might add or take away from the value, depending on where you keep or show it off... and of course, who sees or plays with it...
A draw knife and vice mounted to a sturdy table is all you really NEED for handle-craft, too... SO not a ridiculous investment... AND while it takes some patience to practice, it's almost meditative in nature once you start to pick up skill at it... AND making strange choices for handles puts a certain air of "mystique" to your hammers... drawing attention and appreciation from those who might've otherwise just walked by and thought "Crazy old fool with a million hammers... what's WRONG with that guy???" ;o)
Thanks, Steve. You have answered one of those thoughts about the tape measure that has haunted me for years. I could not believe how well I slept last night.
1. This is great. Love all the different dramatic lighting, angles, action (the duct tape), the pointless barometric readings, and the music in the montages. This looks like both a lot of fun and a lot of work.
2. Our dads, or my dad anyway, probably had a lot more time under their belts working on a jobsite, and picked up that admonition from actual carpenters. If a carpenter lets every measurement snap back every day, based on let's say a conservative 1 x half hour, and works 8 hours a day, 132ish days per year (in the northeast where work is seasonal), that's less than 5 years on that tape.
3. If this was Mythbusters, there would need to be one more tape that is extended and retracted slowly at the same rate as the snapper, because I suspect the snapping isn't what caused the retraction coil spring to fatigue. I think it was the thousands of extensions.
Great work!
I love when Steve is in a smart-ass mood, some of his most entertaining videos
The soundtrack's main theme reminds me of the old Dune movie :D
This is the content I subscribed for.
Love the humor and the reminder of my own Dad telling me not to snap the tape measure. Made me smile this morning.
Never expected to a woodworking channel to make me chuckle this much. Your personality reminds me of Adam Savage from Tested/Mythbusters, and that's also why your videos an absolute delight to watch. Thank you for brightening up my day.
For the slow down, to really judge that, I think you'd have to pull the other one out and *not* snap it back. It could be that using the mechanism slowed it down, not the snapping.
Also, if you look at the cut closely, it was on the right of the black line for the unsnapped tape measure, but it was on the left of the line for the snapped one. Could just be inaccurate from the factory, though. You didn't try that on both of them from the start to get a good base line.
And yes, I heard your science disclaimer. ;)
This documentary needs to win a film festival!
Boy, Steve you were really kind to that tape. I can tell you exactly how to bugger up a tape nearly instantly: pull it out to 10 feet, let it curve, or roll over, and then snap it. Instant kink in the end. No break, just a permanent bend/ twist in the first 5" or so
What an awesome video Steve, you've demystified so many myths and looks like you had so much fun in the process as can be seen by your taped up fingers. My takeout, yes it annoyed Dad; the tapes last a really long time (9972 snaps), that might have been fun but it must have been hard work too, maintaining its accuracy is a plus.
Regards, one of the best ways for kids of all ages to learn is to have fun, without hurting themselves. As always, thanks for sharing, stay well and safe.
To me, the reason not to let it snap back is that, especially if you have it open a large amount (for example, after having measured a room), the retracting end can become a whip (with sharp metal). I mean, you weren't holding the tape in your hand while doing this. I would also hypothesize that the behavior you observed (wobble side to side while retracting) would be amplified with a longer "snapping distance". So moving to 48" instead of 36" might have made it fail faster and ruined the desired "10000th snap" take. And 96" might make it fail faster than 9872 snaps (or whatever you found).
I agree, Steven - if I were to let my 5m tape snap shut from any more than about a foot it would run a risk of taking my finger off. Vicious little buggers - once they've tasted blood you can't trust 'em....
I always tell my kids, “there’s only so many times you can (insert anything that annoys you - ex. playing with car window button) before it breaks and you’re just using them up!! You have proved me right. Thanks.
Steve--as a science teacher I would give your experiment an A. You don't need fancy equipment and beautiful graphs to do science! You were scratching your head over something, you designed a controlled experiment, and interpreted your results. That is the scientific method in action!
Awesome job.
I'm sure that you get this all the time, but thanks for your educational content. The weekend woodworker course changed my life!
I can see this ending up as one of those videos advertising (save/donate to the save the tape measure foundation every year thousands of tape measures are left abandoned and abused) with your help we can save them all ❤
Now you just need to do a test where you pull it out and gently bring it back 10,000 times to determine if it’s the snap back or just the use of the spring that slows down the retraction.
Neither, nor. I know from decades of using tape measures that the retraction is slowed down by dirt or grime from simple dirt, saw dust or metal particals. As a matter of fact in my experience where it broke is also absolute typical because everytime one pulls on it one bends it at that spot. My tape measures typically broke at the same spot or it was the spring inside that broke. That is why I started at one point to pull the tape measure out all the way and spray a very light lubricant (Silicon spray, WD-40) on a rag and wipe it down over the whole length. It then sides back even better than new. HOWEVER , be careful not to let it slide through and cut your fingers.
This was one of your best videos so far! I cannot believe your level of creativity out of simplicity. Hats off to you Steve!
I was so glad to see that you moved the setup closer to the edge of your desk.
Please step aside, let Matthias wandel hook it to a RPi!
Joke aside, very entertaining and actually insightful!
If this were a science-y channel, I'd recommend pulling the other "control" tape out the same distance & gently retracting it. The spring may weaken solely from the extension not the sudden impact at the end.
Since the snap takes about a second to retract 4 feet, 10000 gentle iterations should only take? 4 months? CZcams gold! You should livestream the entire effort, have guest non-snappers come in to take shifts, and....Or just challenge one of those robot-ish channels that they can't make a build.
Actually the real question is whether after approx 10000 snaps do you hate that noise so much you'd ban it happening around you too?
Also I admire Steve's tenacity, but before I'd pull something 10000 times, or generally doing *anything* 10000 times, I'd really go into Arduino, and some stepper motor driven assembly to automate it. Not that doing it manually would be "unscientifiy".. I'd just be too lazy toi.
One of the first wood workers I watched and learned from in youtube. Cool to see you still at it. I can't imagine how hard must be to keep doing this with sooooo many changes to follow up.
Your dedication to your goal here is outstanding, great work once again Steve!
If you had factored in the extra snaps that happened for the comparisons you may have hit 10000 exactly. :-) Thanks for answering this question for all of us!
i bet if he did make it to 10000, he's gonna report back saying snapping does not harm the tape whatsoever. and the world would have missed an important piece of knowledge, then its all downhill from there for humanity.
Steve: "This is not one of those science-y channels..."
Also Steve: "The dew point is..."
Thanks for answering all the questions we never knew we had....
the wind speed and direction! such a relevant thing to keep track of for tape-snap-ness.
Thanks for the video; I bought into that BS for the past 5 decades and now you have unshackled my numbed mind with the truth.
One thing to note though (and the reason I tell my 7-year old daughter to be careful and not snap her little tape measure) is that the edge is extremely sharp to soft little fingers and dad wouldn’t want little Princess Tearyface to show up in his shop with blood dripping down from her sparkly pink fingernails.
Thanks for keeping it real - love your work.
The ideal combination of really useful information and high-level entertainment. 14 years as a CZcamsr for a reason!
My tape measures did break due to snapping them a couple times. Probably shouldn't be buying tape measures from dollar stores, though 😂
I tell my daughter not to snap tape measures because it can hurt if it hits you when it's flailing around.
My 10 year old said the test was flawed as you were “snapping” the non snapper, lol. Her words “stop snapping the good one!” Thanks for the experiment Steve!
She also said yes I still want to be a CZcamsr lol
I like the scientific method behind this experiment and the total lack of sarcasm.
This is the reason I love this channel and you, Mister Ramsey
Your dedication is admirable!
Amazing dedication!
You crack me up! Thanks for the dedication to this challenge!
You've opened up a whole genre of scientific testing possibilities. Dad also said not to lean on the 4-foot level, not to drop the try square, not to rest the broom on it's bristles, not to let the plow slam down on the ground, etc.
You are correct, Daniel. I think that Steve should do an entire series evaluating what "Dad Said".
You're ability to teach me how to be a better woodworker is why I came to the channel, you're dedication to tomfoolery is why I stay! I j'dore you!
Full points for your dedication.
69 degrees F (nice) - cracked up at that. Important work, looking forward to the large manufacturers getting with the programme and producing their results.
Great video, Steve.
I appreciate your efforts in making this video
Steve, I have watched so many of your videos, and took the weekend woodworker course, but have never commented. Until now. This was so enjoyable. Ridiculous, but actually beneficial. Math teacher, (turned principal), so the fact you actually took the time to do the math on how many years it would last, was awesome. May actually use this silliness with some of my math teachers as a potential lead in for lessons.
Great job. I love how you opened by saying how it won’t be scientific, but then you progressively got more and more scientific as you were doing it.
That was a whole lot of fun to watch thanks for putting in the time to make it happen! I feel like it was decent data as well.
This is amazing Steve!
Luv it...a great example of your excellent sense of humour!
Awesome video, loved the editing!
Really appreciate this video. I most likely was snapping tapes for (around) over 45 years and I have never noticed any discrepancy, however, having said that I must say any tape measure is NOT always the same right out first. I began using a folding rule about 60 plus years and still reach for it in my coveralls.
this video is a work of art, thanks Steve
Two thumbs for the dedication 👍👍
3:50 - it might be tedious but I can tell from that smile that you are enjoying this :)
Fantastic video Steve.
When he started with the weather conditions I lost it! 🤣 You're the best Steve
Great video, Steve!
Great video, I'm thoroughly impressed with your persistence. How did the duct tape securing the tape measure hold up?
Thanks for sharing this sir. I enjoy your videos and have learned a lot from them.
Loved this video. Well, ok, I pretty much love all your videos!
I fidget with things, so if I'm holding a tape measure with one hand, undoubtedly I'm snapping it with the other, pulling it out a foot or 2. I've had tape measures stop fully retracting and had to throw them out, but admittedly, those were cheap tape measures. Now I buy better ones and haven't had that problem.
Thanks for what you do!
I'm impressed that the adhesive held the tape for that long. Loved the video
What dedication!
For the science-y bit: this was (most probably) a fatigue failure. Each time the tape measure snaps back, there is a spike in stress at the front edge of the holes, when all the momentum of the tape is stopped at once by the hook and the rivets suddenly refusing to move along.
Obviously the tape needs to be thick enough that this shock will not cause immediate failure.
But locally, stress levels are still transiently high enough to gradually propagate tiny cracks (that are bound to exist around holes). This is insidious and the cracks go from nanoscopic to microscopic to millimetric, without you noticing anything. In particular, it's improbable that any visible slop might develop, otherwise it would mean the stress levels are within the plastic déformation levels, which would lead to an obviously premature failure (like forcibly bending the tape back and forth until a kink appears and then it breaks).
Once the crack is long enough that it might barely just extend beyond the lip of the rivet and be visible with a magnifying glass, the endgame occurs exponentially fast, and you're just a few snaps away from catastrophic failure.
Matthias would have known that :)
Now what we really need to know is how consistent the machining and quality control at Stanley's are: you need to snap 10,000 tape measures until failure and draw the statistical distribution of the number of cycles at failure.
Maybe a test rig would be useful in that context.
Thank you for your dedication to science (and woodworking)! 😁
I wish I lived in your area! I love your humor and intelligence. Still working on catching up on all of your posts, but it will happen some day!
Thanks for your time and effort! Oh, and your expense! Lol
BRAVO!!! I liked your editing, i got glimpses of your love for horror in there, cutting to black and white and added the dutch angle. nice!!
I applaud you sir, for your dedication.
😆👍I think it's more of teaching that *Tools aren't Toys* That's the lesson I gathered from my grandfather 💕 Great vid Steve thanks for a chuckle 🤣
Fun video and a lot of dedication to get to the result. I can however, think of one tape measure style you should never allow to snap back. I bought a Fastcap flat back tape because I liked the idea of being able to have the edge of the tape right against the surface being measured. Ugh.. the terrible clip end doesn't stay in place on longer boards. It allowed the end to slip off of a longer board one time and the tape snapped back. It put a massive kink in the tape and it no longer fully retracts.
Great video Steve!!!!
Love the stretching while working through the tedium of this exercise.
Great job of editing.
Best “woodworking” video I’ve seen this month! 😁
I loved this video. Thank you Stev.
Wow! Thanks, Steve.
That was great! Great fun. I love the friendly jabs at our maritime Canadian friend's test videos. (I enjoy his videos too.)
if anyone doesn't like this...they don't understand the brilliance of one Mr Steve Ramsey. Another great video Sir.
Tape measure is my favorite tool and I'm very, very picky. The only times I've had one fail was blunt force, fire, and half ton metal shears. Thanks Milwaukee
I've got a 3.5m or 12 foot tape measure I inherited from my grandfather! He used to go to the US to buy power tools before they were as cheap or as readily available in the UK. I still have his tape measure and a circular saw from the 60s that I use all the time!! Craftsman is the brand and it's an excellent piece of kit!! Full aluminium body, I bet they don't make them like that any more!!
I actually recently had a tape get jacked up by snapping back. It was a cheap tape from a "college student" tool kit, visibly flimsy. One thing I noticed was with the lighter weight tape it snapped back much faster than nicer tapes because there is less mass for the spring to pull. Specifically, right around the 3-4 inch mark there is a crease diagonally that prevents me from "pushing" the tape into a corner to get a measurement from wall to wall or a doorway when alone. I think the biggest factor was when it snapped back and the body of the tape was unsupported or the tape was not perfectly straight out of body, causing the end of the tape to whip around when it got to the end, ultimately bending it out of shape.
Your dedication is impeccable man. Seriously, you are a soldier 💯
I salute your dedication
And this is why I love this channel!!
That was awesome, Steve. And hilarious.
Great experiment and not a total waste of 16 days of your life, Steve. Ironically, I do quality control training at work and I am always telling new starters NOT to allow their tapes to snap back...maybe I won't bother any more, so thanks for the heads-up!!
Great fun video!