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Finally figured out why my site grid was always off by a few centimeters
I was using a modern steel tape for everything, but my professor in Athens said to always use a fiberglass tape on digs because metal expands in the heat. Has anyone else had a simple tool choice mess up their data?
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fiona_sullivan291mo ago
My uncle spent a whole summer rebuilding his deck because his fancy digital level kept giving different readings on cloudy days. It's not just archaeology, you notice this stuff everywhere once you start looking. People buy all this new gear thinking it's better, but old tools were made for real conditions, not just sitting in a climate controlled shop. Humidity warps wood, heat expands metal, batteries die on the expensive laser measurers. I still use my dad's old Stanley tape from the 80s for hanging pictures, and it's never let me down. Sometimes the simple stuff just works because nobody overcomplicated it yet.
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clark.iris3mo ago
Even humidity can warp a wooden folding rule.
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jamiebailey3mo ago
My grandpa's old Stanley rule from the 70s has been in his damp basement shop for decades and it's still dead straight. I mean, maybe it depends on the wood or the glue they used back then.
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