Same as you, I use a 25’ in the field but in the shop I use the smaller 10’ that fits in my pocket.
The tapes get me to a good start point for rough sizing parts and setting up some tools but as a project progresses I prefer to reference mark off other parts as much as possible. For me, using things like marking gauges, story sticks or identical spacers gets me much better accuracy than a tape. As they say, to each their own.

 

Prefer the tool appropriate to the task. Sometimes that's a 25' or 16' tape, sometimes a metal 6" ruler, other times digital calipers. No preference - the job dictates the tool.

 

For short measurements less than a foot, I always use a hooked ruler. It makes alignment of the base end a non-issue. If you ever start using one, you will never go back. Thinking about an 18."

After reading the above comments, I tried a little exercise. I took the 4 tape measures in the drawer and compared measurements over 36" as the piece on the bench was 40." Two smaller Stanleys, purchased at the same time, differed by 3/32." The 25' Stanley agreed with one, and the brand unknown agreed with the other Stanley.

Enough to make a difference? Depends on the situation. But it certainly reinforces my practice of using the same measuring tool from beginning to end.

 

For general measurement, I use a Stanley Fat Max 6ft tape. It covers about 99% of my measuring needs in the shop. It has a key chain attached and I use that to attach it to one of those retractable badge holders. I can clip it to my apron or pocket and it is always available.

For anything under 6" I have steel rules that all match to the 1/16". When I went to find a small tape measure, I brought along one of my steel rules and searched through the tape measures until I found four that matched my steel rule exactly for the first 6". Now I can use either my tape measure or my steel rule to lay out tenons, mortices, dovetails, etc.

I keep a folding rule in my apron pocket. I use the tape measure more because it is faster. But sometimes having a rule that doesn't flex is very handy.

I also have a 25ft tape measure in the shop, but that is mainly for rough sizing and shop carpentry. I only use it about once or twice a year.

 

Cool I use the retractable pencil holder and use it almost exclusively. I ever thought about using it for the tape

 

On the job site for 20+ years I used a 25 foot stanley. In the shop I used to use a folding tape but for the past 10 years I use a 12 or 16' stanley and have steel rules and combination squares for layout and machine set-up.

 

There is no single answer to this question. The poll is not very helpful, because "best" depends on the situation and the choices are incomplete.

In general, I prefer metal rulers, but use tape measures to estimate "how much is this?" Combination squares are wonderful measuring tools. I also use calipers and a small old Lufkin depth gauge. My partner prefers her analog calipers and I like our digital one. You get the point.

You also forgot about angle tools - t-bevels, protractors, etc. The digital t-bevel angle gauge I have is not accurate.

Another measuring tool I use a lot is a center finder. I have several plastic ones, but prefer the one that came with the combination square.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Most of the time I cut to fit or cut to match. I use a ruler with two sliding markers for transferring lengths, or mark a stick. That digital t-bevel may not be accurate at displaying measured angles, but it still transfers angles from one part to another like any normal t-bevel.

 

6' folding rule with inside extension for big stuff and inside measurements.

I've never liked tapes for inside measurements like door & window measurements. Besides, I'm reflexively afraid of being cut on rewind with a tape. I user Stanley 100' windup tape for laying out foundations and such. At the saw I use an Incra 6" T-rule for layout and as a square.

For cutter height measurements I have a DRO. Same for the the planer.

 

I love the Incra T rule. Just need a fine point mechanical pencil to use it.
About 75 years ago I was helping my dad with a project. I broke his wooden folding rule. Traumatic for me, but he said nothing. No, don't have one in my shop.

 

I’ve used tape measure in commercial and residential cabinetry. I also used a tape measure when building high end pieces in furniture..

Nothing special..

 

For layout--and for a birthday present to myself--I purchased a set of Chappell stainless-steel, center-finding squares.

Beautiful, accurate, stable, and a pleasure to hold: Set of 3 Chappell Center Rule-Bench Squares - Store - Chappell Universal Square

 

Cool I use the retractable pencil holder and use it almost exclusively. I ever thought about using it for the tape

I have a retractable holder for my Sharpie. I tried it on pencils but didn't like the constant tension when trying to make accurate marks.

Hold the phone. Assuming we're not talking about the wiggly tip on a tape measure, is there legitimately that much error in measuring devices?!

I almost clarified that with something like "..made by respectable brands", but I wouldn't expect that much error in the cheapo plastic stencils with a ruler on the side that my kids get for art class.

Yeah, my process was to hook the end of the tape measure onto the end of the rule and compare tick marks. All of the tape measures were fairly close, maybe just a hair or so off, but I was looking for precision. It didn't take long to find four tape measures that matched my steel rule.

I wasn't worried about precision when butting the end of the tape measure against something. I rarely do that when laying out cuts like dovetails and tenons and such. If I need to take an inside measurement, I can use my steel rule or it's a case where being a hair off isn't crucial.

Another shopping tip: If you're looking for a combo square, try square or something along those lines of 12in or less, write your shopping list on piece of printer paper and walk into the store with that paper (and a few extras) on a basic clipboard. You can easily go through their entire stock of squares and find the most accurate one using the edge of the clipboard and drawing a line on the paper. Flip the square around on that same edge and see if the square matches the line you drew.

 

A pencil sharpener. Think about it. I usually use a 30' Stanley, but my go to lately has been a self locking 16' generic by Komelon. When my hook on the end isn't so solid, it keeps the tape from snapping back until I'm ready for it to. My next piece is a 48" steel measuring straight edge, 1"+ wide, which reaches across plywood, measures, and give me a straight marking edge. I also use a carpenter's square, and I have a drafting T-Square I use only for marking. Great for a 90deg edge too. I can jump into my old manual drafting kit for anything curved that needs marking. Autocad helps too.

 

Over 55 years using folding 6' rule, with my preference being an inside reading Lufkin.

 

As stated before, this is a general question that requires a specific answer. As a former door installer that deals with inside measurements over 6', I use an 8' folding ruler with the extension end. The 8-footer is hard to come by, but it is available (thanks internet).

 

Carpenters like the folding rule. Personally only one guy I know ever used one in 37 years working in shops and that was because he a was a carpenter to start..

Larger question And non hobby shop……in commercial, residential, furniture making and trim carpentry, what is the most common tools for measuring?

 

I like my folding foot rule. Always in my back pocket

 

There are slight variations (or errors if you prefer) in the calibration of measuring tools between manufacturers. The emphasis is on "slight." Usually the variations are so minimal that they do not affect woodworking in any significant way. (Metal working is a different story.) As long as you use the same measuring tools throughout a project, the variations shouldn't matter at all. Problems arise, however, when you "mix and match" measuring instruments and use whatever is handy. Sometimes the variations between manufacturers add up and cause problems. My advice is to limit yourself to a good set of quality measuring instruments and use those. I have several tape measures, but use only one at a time for long measurements. It can be a different one on each project, but I use the same one throughout the project. I have a set of Starrett squares, a 12" and a 6" combination square, a 4" double square, a 24" blade for my 12" combination square and a good 6" steel rule. The extra 24" blade is one of my most used layout tools. I have other measuring tools but these are the ones I use. They don't have to be Starrett; there are lots of good makers out there - Mitutoyo, Fowler and Woodpeckers, to name to few, are all excellent, but they are expensive. iGaging products are also very good, and are half the price of the top brands. Another most used tool is my inexpensive fractional caliper. I prefer the dial type rather than the digital ones whose batteries are always dead. Amazon.com I use it all the time. I gave one to a good friend who had never used one. He told me later that he doesn't know how he got along without one all these years. I use a lot of story sticks marked with a knife. They are much more accurate than repeated measurements on a given project and they are especially useful for inside measurements. There are lots and lots of specialty measuring tools for the odd situation. Some of them are actually useful, but the ones I've mentioned will handle 99% of your needs.

 

This poll/thread is pretty dumb without any context TBH.

 

Actually it was very informative to me. But thank you for participating.

 

Depends on the task:
16' tape for roughing lumber down and used literally for nothing else.
6" dial calipers in 1/64th graduations
1-2-3 and set up blocks for most referential measurements
folding wooden rule with extension for inside measurements and squaring boxes
And my new favorite for those measurements that are over 6", but still need to be accurate (i.e. the closest 64th) Woodriver 24" aluminum vernier caliper

 

I'm not sure I've ever actually seen a folding rule used in the wild. I have one or two but they haven't come into use. West coast construction orientation- 25' tape is the standard. I use two sizes of Japanese squares in the shop for joinery. I counted eight tape measures that I could see at a glance in the shop- lots more scattered around the house and vehicles.

 

I'm not sure I've ever actually seen a folding rule used in the wild. I have one or two but they haven't come into use. West coast construction orientation- 25' tape is the standard. I use two sizes of Japanese squares in the shop for joinery.

Unable to delete this random double entry.

 

I am always a firm believer that if you look around the answers are very often already there. If something better comes along then that will become the standard.

The original questions leave too many variables but if we focus on the site genre easy answers are tape measure and then a combination or double square. Both dominate this area due to price, ease of use, acceptable accuracy for the tasks intended (99% of the time), etc. Many a project these are the only two measuring devices that are used.

 

I am always a firm believer that if you look around the answers are very often already there. If something better comes along then that will become the standard.

The original questions leave too many variables but if we focus on the site genre easy answers are tape measure and then a combination or double square. Both dominate this area due to price, ease of use, acceptable accuracy for the tasks intended (99% of the time), etc. Many a project these are the only two measuring devices that are used.

I always search out several forums before I post a question. However with the poll I found out I am an anomaly because I prefer my foot rule. I’m an old timer apparently. lol
I would like to thank everyone that participated.
Thank you all!

 

25 or 35' fat tape measure - need 1" so it doesn't bend so quickly when extended beyond your reach.

 

Which ever rule one uses..use just that rule for the entire project...no mixing allowed...

 

Not always possible. Each measuring device has limits as to range and accuracy. You can't make small inside measurements with a 100' wind up tape for an extreme example. Making a piece that has to mate with an existing fixed piece, you need to transfer the measurement from the object to the cutter. Making a stand alone object, like a box can be better done self referentially. Making multiples of boxes at different times requires precision and repeatability.

This is one of the reasons I love my Incra tools. If I'm building to a specific dimension, I just set the tool to the given dimension and cut, no transfer measurements needed. Self referential measurements allow me to cut end pieces of a box to the exact width by setting the fence with the bottom of the box as a spacer. To size the top of a sliding lid box I rip to the width of the bottom plus of the long side thicknesses, no measuring needed. Now when I'm cutting the lip on the lid, and the dado for the lip on the sides, I'm using the digital height gauge to set the blade height, nothing else will do.
Don't just use ONE measuring device, use the APPROPRIATE device for the task at hand. From this POV, this thread is silly since no single device is appropriate for ALL measurements.

 

You asked for the best, not the most economical. My company uses 3D laser scanning. Not cheap though.

 

OP was asking for GENERAL Measuring Devices.

Some seem to add in their own limits.....as to what was being asked...

So...12' tape measure for the big stuff ( have used up to 100' cloth and/or Steel tapes, but then I was laying out Foundations, for a living)
6' folding rule ( zig-zag..and others, I have several types)
12" and 6" steel rules ( I even have a 3' steel rule)
Haven't used a caliper for measurement...yet.

So..eyesight? How low can you go? I can do very well down to 1/32" after that? Meh...

Working with a material that can change it's size every time the humidity changes....it is called...Wood...
You can be withing 0.00001" one afternoon....the next morning you won't....and, different woods behave differently as to how much they change...

 

You seem to be assuming nothing is ever sealed with finish. If you get the dimensions right and SEAL the wood your point becomes moot. The fact that the absolute dimension can drift with humidity matters not, as all the pieces are subject to the same drift. It's the RELATIVE dimensions that need to be tight. The sliding box lids are a perfect example. I can fit a 3/32" tab in a 1/8" slot with 1/64" clearance on both sides, or I can sand a 1/8" tab to fit in a 1/8" slot snugly. But either way, thousandths matter. The absolute numbers may be off tomorrow, but they'll move as a set if the finish and materials are the same. Precision is needed no matter what.

 

Hmmm..

To each their own ways....

Somedays...I needed to make sure a 30' Retaining wall was square to the 100' Dock wall....and used the 3-4-5 Method, except it was 30', 40' and 50'.....other days, it was building "diamonds" around column's bases..for when we placed a ( NOT Poured) an 8" thick floor....and make it so we could come back later, remove to 2 xs that made the forms...add the foam "liner" and then fill in the "Diamonds", and finish flush with the floor...

Other days, when we would do "stick builds", I would be the "Cut Man" for the people doing the roof....as with Vertigo, I could not be ON a roof...ZERO Balance.

I use the size ruler that fits the tasks I am doing...YMMV, of course...

 

Some tapes just don't measure up!

 

Don't blame the tool!
I did a lot of work with both American and Japanese productions. I also had a tape that looked just like this one. Other wise I had to do conversions in my head while working with the clients.