I Thought I told you, Put some Tension on that Bad Dog!
Written: Aug 15 '06 (Updated Jan 01 '07)
Product Rating:
Pros: Steel is both more accurate & durable than a Nylon Tape.
Cons: Can Kink or Bend causing unrepairable damage to the steel.
The Bottom Line: These steel tapes take a ton of abuse from our field crews and are used in unfavorable conditions. We will continue to purchase and use them.
DeRango's Full Review: Keson NR - 18 - 100 100' Steel Measuring Tape
Keson is the only tape our company purchases for field work, Previously at my last company we used the same brand only they were nylon tapes. These tapes take some serious abuse, and are used on a daily basis, if they were unreliable we would become unprofitable.
Steel Vs Nylon
The biggest difference between nylon and steel tapes is that nylon tapes will not rust, however they are much more flexible, which allows them to stretch thus providing an inaccurate measurement. Although the tape will not kink and is almost indestructible, it still can rip, tear, and be cut.
However, steel can Kink if heavy weight is applied to it or it is improperly pulled. Typically the part of the tape that breaks, rendering it useless, is the end piece which is the Zero end or the beginning of the tape. The piece alone is metal and strong, but it usually gets torn off, crushed, or snagged by something making it useless.
Similarities
About a month ago I wrote a review on the 200 foot version of this model. The specifics of the products are similar, as my list of measurement errors will show, however the 100 foot tape is a bit easier to handle and comes in handy for houseline surveying.
Building Homes
Houseline surveyingrefers to the building, development, and construction staking of homes and subdivisions. Most homes in Illinois are built in such a fashion that a 100 foot tape can easily be used to measure up and tie down foundation improvements.
When a home owner receives a Plat of Survey it was physically measured, by a surveyor, using a tape and or instrument. So that your 1’ = 20” Scale drawing can reflect your lot improvements when you close on your home. These distances & ties shown to your property line are a key feature on your survey depicting where your home is in comparison to the Boundary or “property lines established on your lot within your subdivision.
Agility, Speed, and Size
The size and weight of the 100 foot tape are appealing as the tape itself fits comfortably in your pouch or belt. Agility and speed refers to how fast the tape is “rolled up” which saves times and energy when constantly pulling distances to many different objects/ties.
Remember
Tape manufacturers do not guarantee 100 ft steel tapes to be exactly 100.00 ft.
An error due to the incorrect length occurs every time the tape is used.
This error can be accounted for by correcting the value of measured lengths.
Reading a tape is much more difficult than you are lead to believe. There are so many factors when Surveyors/Engineers take measurements that I felt it would be important to discuss those.
TENSION ERRORS
If tension is greater than standard the tape will stretch.
If less than standard tension is applied the tape will be shorter than standard.
Modulus of Elasticity for steel
29,000,000 lb/in2
2,000,000 kg/cm2
This error can be accounted for by correcting the value of measured lengths.
TEMPERATURE CORRECTIONS
Steel tapes are standardized at 68° F (20° C). Meaning at this Temperature the tape will read “true” to manufacture standards.
A temperature higher or lower will change the length of the tape.
Coefficient of thermal expansion for steel
0.0000065 per unit length per ° F
0.0000116 per unit length per ° C
Temperature of the tape can be quite different from the air temperature measured.
This error can be accounted for by correcting the value of measured lengths.
POOR ALIGNMENT BOTH HORIZONTIAL & VERTICAL
This error occurs when one end of the tape is off-line or there is an obstruction in-line.
The actual distance will be less than the measured distance.
These errors may be reduced by carefully following correct field procedures.
This error can be accounted for by correcting the value of measured lengths.
This error occurs when the tape is inclined in a vertical plane.
The actual distance will be less than the measured distance.
These errors may be reduced by using a hand level or by differential leveling to account for differences in elevation.
This error can be accounted for by correcting the value of measured lengths.
SAG ISSUES
A steel tape not supported along its entire length will sag.
The tape length stays the same, so the sag reduces the horizontal distance between the end graduations of the tape.
Sag may be reduced by increasing the tension, but not eliminated.
This error can be accounted for by correcting the value of measured lengths.
IMPROPER PLUMBING OF TAPE
This error is random in that it may make the measured distance too long or too short.
Touching the plumb bob on the ground or steadying it can decrease the swinging motion.
This error cannot be accounted for by correcting the value of measured lengths.
FAULTY MARKING
Result of incorrect placement of chaining pins or holding of tape
Debris, vegetation, and stones may deflect the chaining pin and increase this error.
Careful placement of chaining pins and then checking the measurement will reduce errors.
This error cannot be accounted for by correcting the value of measured lengths.
INCORRECT READING OR INTERPOLATION (HUMAN ERRORS)
The hardest error to correct because this error is random as the result of incorrect interpolation while reading the tape.
This error cannot be accounted for by correcting the value of measured lengths.
I hope this was informative and help you realize some of the mistakes you might make while measuring.
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