Benchtop Ruler from a Broken Tape Measure

I've had an old tape measure go out on me and it turned out to be a broken spring. I tossed it into a repurposing bin and thought about what I could do with it for a few days.

Then I hit on a nifty solution. I'll attach it to my project work table.

 Here's the tape attached to the back of my project work table.

And here's a close up of how it's attached. I cut off some brads and nailed right through the metal tape every six inches or so. I like the look and it's a complete no brainer to get the length of something by just pushing it against the tape.

This method can be used on any equipment where quick measuring is important while fiddling with the tape is a pain in the butt. Smaller width tapes are more useful in situations where the tape must lie flat against a surface though so don't just throw out that broken tape measure!