Half of a six foot folding rule

[lowell holmes]

Am I the only one using half of a six foot rule on his bench?

I bet I'm not.

It gives me 0" to 37" on one side and 35" to 72" on the other.

I was measuring from the back posts to the front posts on a chair I'm building to be sure the chair is square. The really fine ss rules I have with the metric and imperial dimensions was really disturbing. I had to find a straight edge to read across the rule to get the measurement from one edge to the other. (The chair has 42 hand chopped m&t joints, so it is a neander project).

My classic cabinet makers rules really are not much more convenient.

I don't like using tapes at the bench. I have 6 or 7 of them. I have tapes from 36" to 30 feet, some will extend horizontally 11 feet without deflecting.

All of these different measuring devices, including story sticks, just didn't suit my needs.

I remembered that I have half of a 6 foot folding rule and it fits the bill. I can read it from either edge and be done with it. I checked it aginst the ss rules and found it to be dead accurate.

It is a folding yard stick and it is precise. I think I will take a fine marker and make a centering rule on the 35" to 72" side. Hmm.

I wonder if any of our fine tool purveyors have considered such a device?

:)

[Russ Hauser]

Hey Lowell,

Where does one get one of these rules? How about a link.

Russ

[lowell holmes]

Russ,

You buy a 6 foot folding rule and it makes two of them. :)

Lowell

[Jim Koepke]

Many years ago I worked in a print shop. The owner made his own negative of two rulers end to end. Of course, one was backwards, but that is OK for a printer. I made a few copies and still have one almost 40 years later.

My 4 foot shop rule also has a centering rule on one side.

Now if some one could just make one in a tape measure format.


jtk

[ray hampton]

I got a number of yardstick [wood and metal ] plus a couple of tape measures but I guess that I will use my folding ruler about 90 % of the time----using a tape take two people when the distance being measure are greater than my arm reach

[George Sanders]

I have four or five of those and I never use them. I just don't like them at all. The reason I even own them is that they came with other items I did want at an auction.

[Doug Shepard]

I've been using my folding rule a fair bit over the last few days. Super handy (and I think more accurate) using the slide-out brass extension to do measurements inside a cabinet. Not my first choice for everyday use but they do have their moments.

[James Taglienti]

I used to use one when trimming stair treads for installation. Great for any inside measurements, better than trying to bend your tape measure as far as it will go, and beats trying to do advanced geometry in your head to try and deduce where the arc of the tape would fall...