scott_8222

Looking through the tool bag photos I notice a lot of guys have folding wooden rulers. What are the advantages/disadvantages of them?

nolabama

Old skool and they help in measuring offsets.

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480sparky

Non-conductive.

Useful in doing production conduit bends.

Proves you're old.

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B4T

Only good for (6) feet at a time.. speaks for itself

drsparky

I like them. I only use an inside marked not an outside marked ruler.

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gilbequick

I use mine when marking out box heights and for matching existing conduit bends.

brian john

I use a fiber glass folding ruler for measuring around energized equipment.

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Dennis Alwon

Certain brands work great because, as posted above, they open to exact heights for my boxes. Open it twice and the bottom of the box is 13" off the sub floor which is pretty much the standard around here for recep. heights.

Open a few more times to 43" to the bottom of switch boxes and counter height recep. Even 37" works great for the desk areas.

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wildleg

1) they are wood
2) they fold

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rdr

They're also great for when you have to measure distances across ceilings for example getting light fixtures or conduit square with the wall.

rexowner

good for measuring inside, e.g. of a stud bay.

also good because not many people use them, so
it doesn't get borrowed temporarily or permanently.

MDShunk

I dunno. I've been carrying around an 8 footer for years.

As stated, I use it to measure for some of the more complicated offsets. A folding rule is the only way to fly in those instances.

Also, if you have to measure inside dimensions very accurately for any reason, the slide-out feature of the folding rule is much more accurate than a tape rule (where you have to guess which 16th is in the bend of the rule when measuring the inside dimensions).

Linemen use fiberglass rules all the time to measure for new gains and so fourth when doing pole work.

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amptech

Speaking of measuring distances across ceilings, the Fluke 411D is really handy.
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480sparky

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randomkiller

I have been using the fiberglass type for years now and love it. It is very accurate for inside measurements, drawing a line parallel to an edge is easier than with a tape, it doubles as a square when properly folded, as others I use it as a go no go gauge for bow heights etc. I also prefer the inside reading model.

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rexowner

Does the inside-reading fiberglass rule have the slide-out?

I always use the slide-out on my wooden ruler, and would switch
to fiberglass, but the picture in the Klein catalog doesn't
show the slide out, and it's not in the product description.

Thanks.

scott_8222

What is the slide out used for?

MDShunk

Measuring inside dimensions. Open the rule as many sections as you can, then slide out the slide-out, and add the measurement on the slide-out to the measurement on the rule itself. Very accurate. Trim carpenters often favor using folding rules for that reason.

__________________
One reason not to give DIY advice:
Catch a man a fish and you can sell it to him.
Teach a man to fish and you’ve ruined a good business opportunity.

drsparky

The inside marked rules are nice because they lay flat on pipe. Does anyone know why they make outside marked rules? Most of the rules in the stores are outside marked and are much more common.

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BIGRED

I been using a Luftken 8' "red end" for years, I hate tapes. I always put my name under the slide out section. Years ago, a carpenter on the job swiped my ruler, six months later I proved it was mine by showing him my name inside the slide out section.