Rats! My six-foot Stanley folding rule broke at the second joint. I have had that rule since 1967 and used it constantly. Now I’ll have to get use to another one. If my old man were still alive he would severly berate me, “Can’t you keep anything without breaking it…”
I might have skipped oiling it as often as I should have. It was my fault. I have a Lufkin but it just doesn’t feel right. I hope I can find another at a fleamarket.
Replies
the Lufkin never feels as good as an older Stanley.
Plus, for some reason they don't hang on as long either. I always used to keep a spare Lufkin in the door pocket of my truck.
Lee, I've got an 8 foot folding rule thats swe-e-e-e-t. I've never seen another one for years. When that thing goes, then I'm retired.
I have an 8 foot one i cant remember when or where i got it but it does not fit in the pocket on the leg of my carpenter pants
I have an eight footer somewhere. It is so old the varnish has yellowed to the point where it is hard to read it. I just was so use to my old Stanley that I don't want to change. Used the Lufkin yesterday and it was okay, not great, just okay. I very seldom need to measure anything longer than six feet so and the Stanley fit me and the job.
I'll send you mine when I see it again. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
I can remember when salesmen from local lumber yards use to give them away to carpenters when they visited job sites. That's bin a wile ago. I used mine for a number of years before ever buying a tape. Most new guys don't know how handy they can be and when looking for accuracy I always revert to mine. I have had this one for about 15 years. The brass extension keeps falling out now. I have priced new ones they cost some bucks now. Jay
Just out of curiosity, what kind of applications is a folder better than a tape?I've never used a folder, but I am always looking for some good tricks.
Ear wax removal for one thing, it helps keep the slider slippery too.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Welcome to Poo-ville, can I have your socks?Seriously Folks, I need a home for 3 lovers of your life.
Inside measurements for one. You don't need to adjust for the hook on the end of the tape when you make cuts. Also in tight quarters using the slide out to get the exact dimension is real handy. When running crown molding it is easier to get exact lengths than a tape. Using the slide out is an easier method for measuring offsets and depth measurements. I use mine when doing finish work. I use tapes when framing. Jay
Just curious as to why you'd need to adjust measurements for the hook on a tape. That's why the rivets are in a slot, not tight, so the hook slides the thickness of the hook depending on whether it's "hooked" or "butted", isn't it?
Through trial and lots of error I have not come to trust that. If I am using a tape for tight measurements I always set the end on one inch and subtract it from the over all reading. That's the only way I will trust a close measurement from a tape. Jay
"Inch Burner"
All I ever got from the yards and mills were yardsticks. Some were pretty nice, but yardsticks just the same.
Ouch !! Brings back some very bad memories.
I was a kid when I broke my old mans folding rule ( not at the hinge point but between them) and being scared shidless at the obvious repercussions did what any smart kid would do .
In a panic I "repaired" it by gluing it together as well or better than your average six year old could do, stuck it back in his tool box and kept my mouth shut.
Needless to say it did not pass inspection.
The rest of the story wasn't pretty but I can tell I was definitely unable to keep my mouth shut when the repercussions were delivered.
"I was a kid when I broke my old mans folding rule ( not at the hinge point but between them) and being scared shidless at the obvious repercussions did what any smart kid would do ."
been there!
wonder how many else have.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
I just had a flashback to leaving my 'ole man's Craftsman socket set out in the rain after I fixed my bike.
I don't know who made up that old saw "Son, this is going to hurt me more than it's going to hurt you."
I think it is untrue.....:)
Bing
My pop was a roofer-tinner. I kinked his steel tape. He was sore. He ended up using some of it as shimstock. Some of it he used to band a round birdhouse. He never threw out or wasted anything.
I left my old man's shingle hatchet stuck high up in a tree where I was building a treehouse. It was deep in a field about a half mile from home. I got home at dusk and heard about it. I climbed the tree in the dark and retrieved it. The old man gave me a True Temper Tommy-Axe later in the week. I loved that thing. Combination hatchet, hammer and a small claw for nail extraction. Had a curved haft like an ax. One of the only tools from my youth that I no longer have. I think someone filched it from pop's garage.
I never had one that long but my dad had one and the numbers wore off, I remember he always was showing everybody this fact, you ask what year you were born in and look at the number, turn it around and thats your age, It must have just have worked that one year.
Never heard that before, and I thought I knew everything! Must have been 1972 (for a six-footer). Neat!
Ha... Me too..... just read your post
I feel for ya, but if you have been using it constantly, the numbers are all worn off it already anyhow.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Yeah, it was a little worn at 65 - 66 inches from going in and out of the pocket.
i'll look for you one... my BIL was a stanley rep for years... my FIL's shed is still full of samples... i raid it now & then for levels... tapes... chaulk lines ect... all the stuff is a min of 15yrs old since thats when he quit...
i'll let you know what i find...
p
Thank you! But give it to a deserving kid instead. I am soon going to retire (again) and some youngster would get a lot more use out of it than I. When my pop finally laid down his tools he gave me most of them. There was a kid in my dad's neighborhood who was just starting out as a contractor who got the rest. My dad asked me if it was okay. I thought it was great that someone else would fondly think of the old man besides me when working.
I still use the old Stanleys every day--the one I like is laid out differently from anything available today and the slide extension goes both ways. I pick up one occasionally on ebay. There were also some made the same way but branded as Klein, Malco and Penncraft. Good luck on finding another one.
I feel yor pain.
I use Lufkin. X46F (Bench or flat rule), X46X(double extension) and X48(96"). I call this my 16' rule because I can find the center of a 24' or less room faster than anyone using a tape rule.
My brick stick is a Stanley.
Chuck S
I used the Lufkin yesterday. It just didn't feel the same. I'll get used to it. I am hanging up my tools soon and really shouldn't be so upset with myself over this but I've had that thing for over 40 years and broke it through carelessness!
I think I'd take that bet too. I think I might have the center located before you could unfold LOL! Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
My nephew broke mine about 15 years ( WHEN HE WAS 6) ago have not yet found one to replace it. Was great for measuring things like stair tread with the brass slide extension.
Wallyo
Back in 1972 you could ask someone their age, flip the folding rule over and it would tell you the year they were born.
Being 11 yo at the time, I thought that was the coolest trick.
So all my Dad's folding rules got taken to school to demonstrate my genius.
Lasted for about a week till Dad figured out where all his rules were disappearing to.
Forget what the punishment was, but it must of worked.... never used a folding rule for 5 years after that ;-)
Well the issue is settled. My daughter, Kate, swapped her Stanley for my Lufkin. Her's is 30 years old but almost like new. She prefers to use a tape measure. Thanks for all the sympathy and the offers of Stanley folding rules. I promise to be more careful with this one. Hopefully, I can get more than 40 years out of this one. ;-)
She gave me a sound lecture on taking care of my tools. It sounded so familiar...
Thats awesome. Now you'll never get to retire. I tell everyone that I've bought my last hammer and I'm pretty sure I'm right. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
Laughing here about the "It sounded so familiar.."" comment. I have had a few of those moments with my kids!! When did they suddenly decide they could be so bold as to turn our own words around on us? Rascals, all of them!
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.