When I take measurements and then walk to another room to cut material to size, I keep track of my measurements by writing them on my tape measure’s case. The shiny plastic surface of a brand-new tape doesn’t take pencil marks well, though, so I abraded the bottom and side of the case with 600-grit sandpaper to create a pencil-friendly marking surface. I peeled off the manufacturer’s logo from the side of the tape to get more writing surface. An erasure is all it takes to get rid of my pencil marks.
Walter D. Colton, Wellsboro, PA
Edited and Illustrated by Charles Miller
From Fine Homebuilding #236
