Shop Tips & Tricks #6: Measuring Things - Rulers Versus Tapes
“MORE THAN YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SIX-FOOT FOLDING RULES!” Most people today use a flexible metal tape for measurement, except for some old-timers. There are reasons for this besides stubborn intransigence – although that surely plays a part. First, most set-in-their-ways people like me suspect metal things are more affected by temperature than wooden things, which is correct. Steel thermally expands or contracts roughly three times as much as the wood in a ruler. For example,...
