Tape measure storage

[stage20]

Im a hoarder of tape measures of all sizes. I'm reworking my toolbox and I've eliminated my drawer of tape measures to help separate other tools. A lot of them I don't use but some I do. Looking for ideas to hang them on the wall or somehow float in the air so I don't have them thrown across my workbench

 

[Cyberbear]

"A place for everything, and everything in it's place"is still a good adage. When I used to work for a living, I used to carry a 12' measuring tape on my hip in it's leather holder. The company that supplied my leather holders discontinued that style and I was forced to make my own. Even after retirement I needed to have that measuring tape and holder with me at all times, old habits I guess.

 

[Rag Roc]

There are some pegboard hooks that have a loop in the front wide enough for the belt clip to hook through. I sprung several tape measure clips slightly, and they hang on my pegboard over the workbench.

 

[vavet]

I usually store mine in the last place I lost it. It stays there until I find it. That happens when I'm looking for a different tape measure that I lost more recently.

 

[LX-Markham]

Im a hoarder of tape measures of all sizes.

how many are we talking about here?

I've got 2, only to avoid the insanity that ensues when I can't find one of them.
edit: vavet appears to have the same problem, LOL.

 

[stage20]

how many are we talking about here?

I've got 2, only to avoid the insanity that ensues when I can't find one of them.

ive never counted, always adding. i like all the old school USA made 6-8-10-12-16ft variants. around 30, maybe more? i have several 25+ plus measures as well

 

[MichaelBikel]

Thin piece of metal that the belt clip can slide over and screw it to something, secure a strong magnet on the wall or side your tool box(assuming your tapes have a metal housing), an old wine crate just throw em in there. The options are endless

Heres one idea
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/0b/45/60/0b45602a524bb2846068e42c34251c69.jpg

 

[Welshie]

Found this on Pinterest:

 

[Welshie]

Oops, Michael beat me to it, sorry. Well at least my pic is embedded

 

[Jamie V]

I own probably 20-30 of them as well (not sure because I can never find them all) I usually grab a double set from HD every time they are on sale.

 

[Falcon67]

Some flat surface in the shop. Never sure exactly where. Belongs in the top drawer of the bench. Sometimes it's actually there.

 

[jd_1138]

The pegboard thing looks nice. Gets them out of your way and it will look nice. I only have 4 measures -- 1 in both vehicles and 1 in the garage and 1 in the shed.

 

[BearsFan315]

keep one in the garage, and one in the house, plus one in my desk drawer.

got tired of always running to the garage to get the tape when i wanted to measure something, so solved that issue

one in desk drawer as always running into the shop to measure or check something, and no one ever had one on them, so solved that problem as well. just have to keep my hands on it or it will walk.

 

[lilredex]

Got tired of looking for mine, so I bent up a sheet metal wall pocket for it. Works fine even though I never did file off the rough edges or paint it.

 

[laurie71]

Step one: reclassify them as "my tape measure collection" instead of as tools; put them in a curio cabinet or display case, or in a box on a shelf out of the way if you don't want to keep them on display.

Step two: your tool collection is now devoid of tape measures! Grab the ones you actually need out of the tape measure collection and add them to your toolbox.

Going forward, if you acquire a new tape measure, be mindful of whether it's to add to the collection, or to fulfill a need.



Laurie

 

[Colin Len]

Found this on Pinterest:

That's a great idea. The Wall Control system I just got has some simple brackets that can be used for all sorts of things (like akro bins) but also work great to hold a tape measure in a similar fashion to the picture hanger.

Something like that could easily be made from a thin strip of metal with bends on the end and then screws to affix to just about anything.

 

[sselander]

old hacksaw blade mounted to the wall is an old trick.

 

[Handyfarmer]

I store one or two in the work trucks, one in the tool bag a few in the wood shop, some in the metal shop, and one or two in the house, and from time to time it seem I can not find any of them or I find them all in about the same place, as they seem to migrate.

 

[Brian_WK]

I keep mine in a black hole so that I can never find them....

I actually have rare earth magnets epoxied to the side opposite the belt clip so I can do 1 person measuring easier but tend to stick them to things and forget where it was left. (once to the under side of the trunk of my car rode there for months until I spotted it.) I then just stick them to my tool box lid.

Brian

 

[Arkansas COB]

I usually store mine in the last place I lost it. It stays there until I find it. That happens when I'm looking for a different tape measure that I lost more recently.

This is the reason i have so many. Glad i dont have them all at once.

 

[dartman003]

I had a friend of mine bend some flashing into a u shape, you can make the length any size to hold as many as you like.

 

[APEowner]

ive never counted, always adding. i like all the old school USA made 6-8-10-12-16ft variants. around 30, maybe more? i have several 25+ plus measures as well

I own probably 20-30 of them as well (not sure because I can never find them all) I usually grab a double set from HD every time they are on sale.

I'm not sure that the problem you guys have is really a storage one but if we charitably assume that it is then I like this suggestion.

Step one: reclassify them as "my tape measure collection" instead of as tools; put them in a curio cabinet or display case, or in a box on a shelf out of the way if you don't want to keep them on display.

Step two: your tool collection is now devoid of tape measures! Grab the ones you actually need out of the tape measure collection and add them to your toolbox.

Going forward, if you acquire a new tape measure, be mindful of whether it's to add to the collection, or to fulfill a need.



Laurie

I have multiple tape measures but they're stored in different locations for convenience sake.

Desk drawer both at work and in home office
Clipped to side of tool box in the main shop
Clipped to the side of a tool box in the machine shop
Clipped to the tool belt I wear when doing building projects
In the truck tool box
In a cabinet in the race car hauler
There's a pair of them that I keep with the alignment tools

 

[stage20]

Got tired of looking for mine, so I bent up a sheet metal wall pocket for it. Works fine even though I never did file off the rough edges or paint it.

Nice work
You can buy those prefabbed out of ALUMINUM from trailer accessory dealers. You saved yourself 15 bucks lol

 

[matt_i]

I keep mine chucked in a metal bread pan (baking pan). There are usually enough there to find one for a job. When I cleanup shop or find one I put it back. The Stanley 25' is my fave.

 

[sberry]

I try to round some up.

 

[johninct]

I keep it simple, I stick mine on a magnetic strip over my bench. Easy on and off.

 

[PugetDude]

I put a 2' long by 3" wide shelf on the pegboard over my bench, about a foot above the bench. Always have a dozen or so tape measures lined up side by side in plain sight, easy to reach. I'll grab three matching Stanleys when I'm doing trim work, for example- leave one at the table saw, one at the miter saw and one where I'm working...
I found that clipping them on and off a little hook is a PITA... YMMV

 

[gtcs]

I lose tape measures at an unbelievable rate during a project, so I also have several. Between projects I gather them all up and my new system is to store them in a piece of PVC that has a notch in the bottom to make a dispenser. Use different sizes tubes for the different sizes of tapes.

Sad part is the tube goes empty before the weekend is over

 

[Ironhorse74]

I have a shelf next to the light switches just inside the man door into my shop. Only four things are allowed to reside on the shelf. My radio, my gloves, pencils and Stanley Fat Max tape measures. When I enter the shop, a tape goes on my belt, a pencil goes in my shirt pocket and my gloves go in my back pocket. When I leave they all go back. My wife had a tendacy to grab things from the shelf. I painted a mailbox pink and mounted it next to my shelf. Her stuff goes in there.

 

[FullRaceMerc]

No new storage tips from me.

I do take the belt clip off of any tapes intended for shop use. Otherwise they jump on & ride with me to some unknown place.

 

[timbitca]

This thread is kind of ironic. I was actually thinking about some better way of storing my collection the other day. I can't resist buying vintage Lufkin tapes at Garage Sales and the (small) drawer I keep them in in my toolbox is full. I was thinking of some better way to hang them on my pegboard and had come up with a few ideas that all also came up in this thread.

I'll probably get around to doing this in 6 months or so.

 

[NUTTSGT]

On one side of the garage, they sit on a shelf above the work bench. The other side of the garage, the tape measure hangs on a drywall screw (just set out from the wall) on the side of the upper cabinet.

 

[creativecars]

Thanks to Harbor Freight I store them EVERYWHERE!
I generally pick up a free one when I stop by. I usually keep a few hanging on the tool box handles. I have a top box like this and tape measures clip over the drawer handles nicely. This box is for overflow and seldom used tools.

 

[teal95]

Yep, I have probably 20 from HF. I still occasionally can't find one but it's getting pretty rare.

 

[Jazz1]

Beach tool box comes with tape measure holder

 

[brownbagg]

i buy about twenty of the same brand and model, and leave them everywhere, truck, house boat, shop, everywhere, so in reality i have one, but its everywhere that i am. so it never lost

 

[stage20]

Thanks to Harbor Freight I store them EVERYWHERE!
I generally pick up a free one when I stop by. I usually keep a few hanging on the tool box handles. I have a top box like this and tape measures clip over the drawer handles nicely. This box is for overflow and seldom used tools.

ill send you a 20 dollar bill and a cardboard box to put all those seldom used tools in for that box.

nice box!

 

[drmarkr]

Piece of strap, set off cabinet door to allow clip to function. BTW, that's about 1/10th of my HF tape measures....

 

[hnsy]

lol, there's a thread on tape measure storage. I understand the passion though!

 

[Jhoff310]

I use the picture hanger method using hacksaw blades. I hang my tape measures, stud finder, and other "goodies" with a belt clip.