Walt’s recent posts on levels and squares had me thinking about other tools that might need a closer look. I took a look around the house and found a massive number of measuring tapes, rulers and so forth. So I thought a look at the various types might be handy.
Cloth tapes
Cloth and paper tapes are flexible and can be used to measure curved objects. They are useful to help fit clothing. We use the paper ones at work almost everyday to fit bicycle helmets. Cloth tapes are sometimes woven cloth and in other cases (like the two I have here) are fiberglass.
You may have noticed that the paper tape and the two pull out tapes don’t start at zero. The reason is that any thing that is printed may not be placed exactly, and so by starting your measure from a known point you will get a more accurate measure.
The two cloth tapes do start at zero. The yellow has lost it’s end and so may be slightly off. I have owned the white one since high school, and it is slightly stretched. You can see the ripples in the tape. For really accurate measures, I wouldn’t use either of these cloth tapes.
Rulers
Rulers can be made of a variety of materials, with wood, metal and plastic being the most common types. In general, rulers are fairly accurate but can have slight issues with the ends.
The combination square has a slightly rough end, so it can be a little off if you aren’t careful. The wooden ruler has been around since high school as well and is a little beat up. You can see the top corner is chipped. I only use it as a straight edge now.
There are more precision rulers out there (as well as other measuring tools). Walt has some in his shop that are very accurate.
The hook rulers let you catch the end of a work piece and be very precise. The smaller ruler has a sliding clip that allows you to measure the depth of a hole.
Carpenters tapes
Carpenters tapes are pull out measures with a metal tape. They have an end piece that lets you hook it on a work piece. They are not as accurate as a machinist hook ruler, but come in a variety of lengths.
The end of a carpenters tape should move just slightly. If it is very loose or bent, you will not get an accurate measure.
Other Rulers
Sometimes you need to measure a curved item, but want more accuracy than a cloth tape. There are rulers designed just for that purpose.
The sleeve and dart ruler is designed to help create accurate curves in a garment. This particular one I found at an antique shop and had to get. There is a collection of tools for the Kellogg French Tailor System and you can read the book about here. I downloaded it!
The drafting curved rule is marked on the sides. It can be moved into a shape and will remain there. It can be used to measure and mark curves in sewing, drawing and carpentry.
I hope you liked this glimpse in to a small selection of the measuring tools we have in our home.
Sherrey
Good to know