The Tape Measure

The Tape Measure

Before the tape: the cubit, the foot, the chain, the folding rule.

1620. Edmund Gunter's surveying chain: 66 feet, 100 links. Ten square chains make an acre.

1868. Alvin J. Fellows of New Haven patents a spring tape measure: a steel ribbon that winds itself back into a case.

1920s. A curved, concave blade stands out stiffly on its own; a lock holds it.

The hook. The loose hook on the end is not broken. It slides by exactly its own thickness so inside and outside measurements are both true.

The marks. Red numbers every 16 inches for stud layout; black diamonds at 19.2 inches for engineered joists.

Today. Laser distance meters measure a room in a second; the tape still reads the board.

Try it. Measure the same wall with a tape, a laser and a folding rule. Report your error.

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