The goal of routinely acquiring reliable, quantitative nanomechanical and nanotribological measurements with scanning force microscopy (SFM) has not yet been reached. As we travel along the exciting road toward this goal, several signposts warning us of the complications and drawbacks of SFM techniques have been recorded. In this talk I will discuss the current state of affairs regarding accurate measurement of mechanical and tribological properties at the nanometer scale. The critical roles of force calibration, tip characterization, cantilever properties and accurate displacement control will be discussed. Particular attention will be paid to the case of normal and lateral force measurements with contact-mode SFM. I will investigate the application of continuum mechanics models to SFM measurements, including recent models relating fracture mechanics and sliding friction measurements. Finally, I will discuss advantages gained by using novel instrumental approaches. * Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.