[Murphthesurf]

You can measure angles for marking using a folding ruler. Simply set up any angle you desire or and trace it.

 

[AlaskaGuy]

If you look through the project pages you see thousands of fine looking projects. It would be interesting to know how many of them were built with the lowly tape measure?

 

[craftsman on the lake]

The slider in the end would allow you to do inside measurements accurately.

 

[MagicalMichael]

I use both, but only for distances greater than 1000mm. I bought a Lufkin folding rule maybe 30 years ago and it has outlasted many tape measures. However it is imperial and I now work in metric. (Despite 24 graduate credits in math & statistics, apparently I am not smart enough to work with fractions!). I find the folding rule harder to read than my Starret tape, which is laid out in mm. I also find tapes laid out in centimeters & millimeters annoying and potentially confusing. I appreciate that my SawStop came with both measurement systems and quite peeved that Festool wants $75! to convert my new TS 75 from imperial to metric. Like others though I find the folding rule invaluable for inside measurements.

Michael

 

[BB1]

Thought I would look into adding one to my shop (always looking for my tape or rulers anyway so having another sounds good) but when searching options was disappointed in the poor reviews related to quality of new folding rulers. Any suggestions that LJ have found that are good options in the current market?

 

[Sparks500]

I haven't bought one in years, but I've always relied on the Lufkin red end.

 

[OleGrump]

LOVE the comment about touching Granddad's tools ! I have some from My own Grandfather that I (and I ALONE) use, and a couple that are sacrosanct. "Thou shalt NOT touch" (With the same consequences so eloquently described).
I was surprised at the strong aversion to the folding ruler, which was/is standard equipment for many of us. Most measuring devices have their uses in a given situation. Unless I've missed something in the last decade or so, feet, inches and fractions thereof are STANDARD measurements, whatever uses to determine them.
It would certainly be nice if the (ever decreasing number of) "Shop" classes taught students the benefits of BOTH devices. I'm sure many here have used a folding rule as a square or a bevel at one time or another, for instance.

 

[Tony1212]

My Grandfather used folding rules all the time. By the time he passed, the marks were all pretty much worn away. So I went out and bought a couple new ones.

I don't use them exclusively, but I do like them when setting up the table saw or router table. I can push the ruler against the fence with one hand, move the fence with the other all while keeping my eye on the distance from the fence. No need to worry about the tape buckling.

Since there tends to be slight variations between measuring devices, I tend to use it to lay out anything that will see the table saw or router table. So it gets used a lot in casework and other larger format projects. On smaller items where I plan to use mostly hand tools, I just use a steel rule and calipers for layout.

 

[GR8HUNTER]

i am sooooooo very sad i had left my grandpas on the bumper of my truck forgot about it and driving down the road i just had to pull over and kick my own butt :<((
and it was one with the brass slider in it also …..so i kicked it again :<((

just one more thing to say …..when i worked in the cabinet shop we all used the SAME BRAND TAPE MEASURE as different brands measure differently :<))

 

[OleGrump]

Just shows how we take some things for granted when we grow up doing them a certain way. Did some reading on different sites on the internet about wooden folding rulers. When I ran across a post from a fellow who complained that "the numbers were backwards", I FINALLY began to understand why some people have such a big problem with wooden folding rulers. They've tried to use the WRONG type rule for woodworking ! Many of us are aware that wooden folding rulers come in several different styles, but not everyone knows this. (There are even Engineer's Rulers laid out in 10ths…..) NO WONDER some of these folks have been having problems. It would be like ME trying to measure anything in metric. It jus' ain't gonna work….. Shop Rule # 2 : Use the right tool for the right job. (Shop Rule # 1: Thou shalt not TOUCH Pop-pop's tools. EVER.)

 

[MikeDilday]

Tape measures have a loose little metal thingy at the end that guarantee at least 1/16th of an inch of inaccuracy.

- Rentvent

The loose little metal thingy is actually loose to accommodate inside and outside measurements. I find tape measures to be dead on accurate. You just have to make sure the metal thingy is not bent by dropping. I have a tape measure now that has protection on the metal thing.

 

[MikeDilday]

I had a couple and used them one time. I found that the folding rule was off a large amount and increased with the distance. I wanted to get another and went to Home Depot. I opened the packages and checked all of their 3 brands and they were all inaccurate. I am back to the tape measure. Does anyone know of one that is accurate?

 

[JRigg]

I use mine daily while building staircases. Real handy for measuring box tread length and such. I keep it in my back pocket with a Stanley tape on my hip. Thing about the folding rule, you have to find the uses for it and then practice using it to gain the full advantage…

 

[JRigg]

Durn… this thread is 1688 days old!

 

[Bluenote38]

'cuz they are just a cool piece of Tech. You don't find a tape measure with any inherent craftsmanship, history, style, or design. Kind of like a Stanley No. 45 with it's scroll work. Never will a DeWalt tape include engraving or relief scroll work or precision hinging. And as far as wood "movement" these are almost always made of boxwood which is super stable like rosewood. Over the distances that are being measured you can't tell the difference.

 

[PeteStaehling]

I see this thread has been going on for a long time. I doubt that too many folks who didn't start out using them convert to folding rules, but i find them a great tool to have around. Maybe it is because I used one my whole career, but I find it super handy and prefer it to a tape for many measuring and marking operations.

I carry one of the yellowish brown ones with the brass slider around the shop daily and have a few of the white lufkins. I was out buying materials the other day and another old timer spied my folding rule. His comment was "You and I must be the last two on the planet who use a folding rule".

 

[MikeDilday]

I would love to have one in my shop if nothing else than they are just old school cool. How can I find one that is even close to being dead on accurate? I am anal about accuracy, fit and finish and the 4-5 that I inherited or bought just haven't cut it.

 

[HokieKen]

I'm curious where these highly accurate tapes are being purchased. I have 1/2 dozen or so and don't think any of them agree. I know for a fact that none are more accurate than 1/16" because I've checked them all against a known 36" standard. And yes, these are Stanley, Lufkin and Komelon tapes, not Harbor Freight freebies

For me, the key is simply to use the same measuring device, whether it be a tape or a folding rule, to both measure the distance needed and to layout the cut. I use a steel rule for anything 24" or shorter.

But to the original point, I really like my folding rules. They don't sag over distance and the sliding brass piece allows for much easier inside measurements. And they're cool ;-)

 

[DannyW]

My dad had an old folding rule when I was growing up, and other than thinking it looked cool I never got the hang of it, probably because nobody ever taught me. I would love to have it now.

 

[t3steve]

I Really like Engineers rulers I can do math with decimals are a lot easier than fractions.

Of course I am an engineer though.