Quote Originally Posted by Stanley Covington View Post
Does anyone know how to procure a very precise measuring tape? I understand the Starrett brand is quite accurate, but I am not certain.

Here in Japan you can pay a little extra for tapes with the JIS Class One mark which are quite precise. What about the States and elsewhere?

Of course, the clip on the end of all tape measures must always be suspect.
Stanley, my experience is that no tapes are accurate enough to depend on for finish work. Most are ok for most carpentry work. Many people will do what is generally referred to as "burn an inch" to avoid the clip when trying to make an "accurate" measurement. Ok if your looking for 3/16 accuracy over 6'. YMMV of course. Steel surveyors tapes are pretty good in my experience, no clip and a stretching device to pull it tight, no fine markings on most.
Jim