Anybody still using a wood rule?

[Todd Crawford]

I was reading the thread on Steel Rules and felt a little outdated. I have a 6' folding wood rule that I use on almost everything I build. It's a Klien with the 6" slide at the end. I also have the first wood rule my Dad gave me. It's an old Craftsman that I use from time to time. Anybody else use a wood rule?

[Frank Drew]

Todd,

I prefer a folding rule to a tape measure for shop work and I've still got a Lufkin six-footer that I bought years ago; the new ones are a LOT more expensive. When I apprenticed we all used smaller folding rules.

[Alan DuBoff]

I use a 24" straight wood rule all the time.

I have about 4 or 5 that came from a school that closed down it's woodworking shop.:(

Does this make me outdated? No worries, I have thick skin...;)

Here's a pic of one.

[Glenn Clabo]

When I measure...for remodeling for sure...I use the wooden rules. It's how I learned.

[Paul B. Cresti]

I use both....they both have their applications. For rough overall layouts and general carpentry work the metal tape...for detailed work the folding rule ( use both the 6 footer and the english folding rule)

[Tony Joyce]

Lufkin HX46 6' folder, hard to find now. The last box I bought 10 yrs or more ago were $22 @

Tony Joyce

[Chris Rosenberger]

Out on a job site I use tape measures. In the shop I use Lufkin 6' & 8' folding rules.

[Doug Shepard]

The wooden folding type are very nice for some things, especially overhead where the reel type just wont stay straight and want to fold over.

[Peter Quinn]

I use a 6' Luftkin with the metal extension for pulling inside measurements on things and now and then for other measurements. The guys at work laugh at me every time I pull it out like I'm a nut for using some antique or a stooge for using a ruler in general, but i like it. It reminds me of my grandfather who used his all the time, always in his pouch. And it works pretty well too!

[Randal Stevenson]

I have a #1 odd job that I use on occasion with either its ruler or yard stick. I believe Nun's still use wooden rules though:eek:

[Ted Shrader]

Yep. Two of them, just like yours - 6' folding rule with 6" brass extension slide.

Regards,
Ted

[Russ Hauser]

I have 2 antique Starretts that I use for most measurements of two feet or less, for everything else I use the 25 foot steel tape.

Russ

[Steve Rozmiarek]

No, but there are a dozen or so in the top of the tool box. Nostalgia has got to be the only reason that you guys still use them. I keep mine for that reason, they never get used to measure.

[Chris Padilla]

Uh, wood moves...more than metal...so you better do all your measurments at the same time of day and humidity level! ;)

All metal for me and usually a tape measure but I'm doing more with the shorter metal rules lately....

[Von Bickley]

I use both..... :)

[Tony Joyce]

Uh, wood moves...more than metal...so you better do all your measurments at the same time of day and humidity level! ;)

Really! How much does a 7" long piece of beech move in length(with the grain)? And if you're gonna split hairs, how accurate can you mark?

[Brian Effinger]

I have 2 antique Starretts that I use for most measurements of two feet or less, for everything else I use the 25 foot steel tape.

Russ

I'm glad you posted that picture Russ. The one on the bottom looks like my grandfather's, which is unfortunately broken on one end. Does your's have No 69 stamped on each side?

[Bill Houghton]

for inside measurements.

I've amassed a collection of machinist's steel rules - 6", 12", 18" - and a 36" sheet metal worker's rule, all of which check out against my Starrett combo square's rule, so I limit the wood rule to its highest purpose of inside measurements, where it's unbeatable.

[Fred Belknap]

When I first went to work doing carpentry I was put with an old fart who only used a folding wood rule. Any measurement over 6' he woud just add the inches. If he wanted me to cut something 7' he would tell me "six foot and twelve inches". I still have and use one, mostly for inside measurements. Mine checks out more accurate than my 24' Stanley rule .

[Todd Crawford]

Good to know I'm not the only one still somewhat addicted to the wood.... I got my first one when I didn't even know what to do with it, it was one that my Dad had broke. I don't have that one anymore, but today he passed along another one of his. It is probably as old as me (32) but he never got around to using this one. Said he'd held on to it long enough, it was time for for it to build something. I used it on the end tables I am working on tonight.

[Stan Urbas]

"Wood moves more than metal" -- really?? Have you ever jiggled the end pieces on your tape measure. Every time you press the rewind on your tape it clunks back and makes it a little looser, less accurate.

I doubt that most carpenters these days realize that the side pocket on their jeans isn't for a cell phone.

I use both, but for detail work it's either my folding ruler or my digital calipers.

[Gary Click]

I have to use a 6' folding wood rule sometimes on my "real" job. I am occassionally on track around railroads with an electrified third rail. It is not only a good idea but also a work rule a steel tape cannot be used or carried.

If a steel tape were to be extended into the third rail carring 600VDC with 6,000 amps potential, the results can be less than satifactory.

I think the last folding rules I bought for my crew were $28.00 each.

gary

[Jim Becker]

I have a good one, but rarely use it in the shop. On occasion, I'll pull it out for a quick inside measurement for convenience, but usually use a compound story stick for that kind of measurement. I do use steel rules extensively in the shop and have a number of them in different lengths.

[Kevin Jaynes]

Great post.

Hey Tony you make a good point, however quality wooden rules are constructed of quartersawn, kiln-dried (KD) hardwood with the long grain running lengthwise. The longitudinal shrinkage in wet wood is minimal, but in KD qtr sawn wood, especially over so short a span as a 4' rule, it is virtually non-existant for all intents and purposes.

Our naked eye is no where near accurate enough for it to ever be a factor.

I am ashamed to say I have several wood rules myslef but rarely use them. Maybe it is time to dust them off. I have several nice ones that belonged to my mom's uncle who reared her. They mean a great deal to me. I should put them to use if for no other reason that my Uncle Ozzy (yep!) will give me a smile and a nod from on high.

[Richard Argentieri]

I use a Lufkin HX46 in the shop along with my assortment of metal rulers.

For big stuff, like room dimensions or 14' sections of molding, I use a 25' tape. My grandfather used to "add" inches as Fred mentioned in a post above, but that was always too cumbersome for me. I suppose I'm just not as patient as he was.

[Jim Cunningham]

Metal only for me. I have an old wood Lufkin with the brass slide, but the numbers on the wood part are no longer legible

[Scott Myers]

I've got 2 folding Kleins and 3 folding Lufkins I've had for years. Brass hinges all. They are all probably from the mid 70's. I inherited 3 of them from my step-father (who gave me my first one) when he passed in the late 80's. 2 of them are pretty loved and I can't read half of the marks anymore. (Still can't bring myself to throw them away.) I like the yellow Klein for doing some work. It's easy on my eyes.

The only problem I have with a wood rule is that it is thicker than my metal rules, so I have more difficulty making as accurate a mark with the wood rule. Not a biggy, but it can be problematic under certain circumstances.

For anything under 40 inches, I tend to use my metal rules. Under 72" and over 40", the folding wood rule is used often in the workshop. Of course the tape comes out on anything longer still.

Honestly, I get in moods for which rule I use, strange as that sound. Same goes for tools. Sometimes, I like the feel of the old folding wood rule. To me it says "tradition". Sometimes, I just want to use a hand saw instead of a power saw, when I am not in a hurry and the project is smaller. Call me weird. But whether it is a metal or wood rule, hand or power tool, they all do a good job. They are just different from one another and seem to each shine in certain areas, if you know what I mean. I can't say any is better than an another.

Of Course when doing any rough framing type stuff or work not in a workshop, it's almost always purely the metal tape or a 1' metal rule. If I'm within 1/16" doing framing, I'm golden.

[Thomas Knighton]

I've got one that I've used a couple of times, but even though it says Lufkin on it, it feels cheap. It's lose as all get-out, so I don't use it much. However, I'm seriously considering getting a good one to use. I like them more than tape measures, though tapes have their place too.

Tom

[David Keller NC]

I regularly use a 6" and 12" Starret metal rules, but I still have some antique Stanley wooden rules that see use in the shop. There's one big advantage that these 2-foot, 2-fold wooden rules have over their thin metal cousins - the ability to stand the rule on edge on the board and have it stay there, thus allowing you to have a rule mark indicator directly on the work, so there's no chance of a parallax error.

Moreover, if you use a marking knife, the Stanley rules of the early 20th century weren't just painted, they were scribed. Used in the "standing on edge" orientation, the scribe mark in the rule gives you a notch into which to place the marking knife. In a way, the Incra rules are after the same thing, except, of course, you use a 0.5mm pencil instead of marking knife.

[Chris Padilla]

Really! How much does a 7" long piece of beech move in length(with the grain)? And if you're gonna split hairs, how accurate can you mark?

Didya notice the ;) at the end of my post? :D

[Chris Padilla]

"Wood moves more than metal" -- really?? Have you ever jiggled the end pieces on your tape measure. Every time you press the rewind on your tape it clunks back and makes it a little looser, less accurate.

Yes, really! ;) :D However, I was being a bit facetious.

[Thomas Knighton]

Didya notice the ;) at the end of my post? :D

The question is, was it a wood ;), or a metal ;)?

;):p
Tom

[Chris Padilla]

The question is, was it a wood ;), or a metal ;)?

;):p
Tom

Composite!! :p

[Thomas Knighton]

Cheater ;)

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

It's a Klien with the 6" slide at the end.


Kind of hard to improve on that. A few tradesmen I know use wood folders. They don't buckle when extended.

[Jim Heffner]

Yes, I still have several of the Lufkin 6 ft wooden folding rules w/ brass
6" extension. My dad bought them probably 20 years ago and most are still like new and haven't been used. My dad used this type rule in his plumbing business for over 40 and carried them in his side pocket on his
jeans even after he retired! I have and use them as needed in the shop.
Good rules and worth the price....definately a quality tool!