I collect rules, but am a rookie at deciphering scales.  This really piqued
my curiosity.  Looking in the Phil Stanley book it mentions a scale AG (Ale
Gallon) which corresponds to the diameter of barrel that will contain one
imperial gallon per inch.  That diameter is 18.95 inches (17.15" for Wine
Gallon).  Could this be some kind of liquid measure scale?  So if the
diameter goes up the depth required goes down.  24 3/4" diameter it only
takes about 3/4" of liquid to equal a gallon.

wild *ss guess,
clint

-----Original Message-----
From: oldtools-bounces@r...
[mailto:oldtools-bounces@r...]On Behalf Of paul womack
Sent: Monday, September 10, 2007 5:08 AM
To: oldtools
Subject: [OldTools] ID: strange scaling ruler

At the weekend I scarfed up an unusual wooden ruler.

It's around 3" wide, and 27" long, and is made
from something like beech (at least it's a light coloured
hardwood, with a fine grain, that isn't box).

It's rather worn.

I bought it because it's some kind of scaling ruler;
it has multiple scales on both faces, with stranges labels.

I will list each "label" and the measured ratio of indicated inches
to actual inches

B18 3/4     1.0
B19 1/2      .96
B20 1/2      .9231
B21          .888
B21 3/4      .8627
B22 1/2      .834
B23 1/4      .808
B24          .7843
B24 3/4      .7582

Those scaling are FAR too big for this to be a pattern makers
shrink rule, and anyway all the shrink rules I've seen are metal.

But the scales aren't extreme enough to be an architects or map makers
scale.

And I don't know any other users of "scaling" rulers...

So what is it?

    BugBear
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bugbear finds a scaling rule of some sort:

B18 3/4 1.0 B19 1/2 .96 B20 1/2 .9231
         B21 .888 B21 3/4 .8627 B22 1/2 .834 B23 1/4 .808
         B22 .7843 B24 3/4 .7582

It will not have escaped your attention that the B scale numbers are
inversely proportional to the length of the marked intervals; e.g.,
18.75*1 is (within reasonable measuring tolerance) = 19.5*.96 = 20.5
*.9231, etc.

And no, I don't have a clue what that adds to the understanding of this
rule--just thought I'd make the point explicitly.

John Wadsworth, in Delhi, NY, who has a mysterious set of Starrett scale
rules he ought to post about


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http://www.aol.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------

At 07:07 AM 9/10/2007, paul womack wrote:
>At the weekend I scarfed up an unusual wooden ruler.
>
>It's around 3" wide, and 27" long, and is made
>from something like beech (at least it's a light coloured
>hardwood, with a fine grain, that isn't box).
>
>It's rather worn.
>
>I bought it because it's some kind of scaling ruler;
>it has multiple scales on both faces, with stranges labels.

Just a flying guess without seeing it but considering the size it's 
probably a board foot or log rule

Tony

                         Olde River Hard Goods
                             350 West Catawissa Street
                               Nesquehoning PA 18240
                                         570-669-9421
               The best old tool store in Pennsylvania!
                     http://www.oldetoolshop.com  

------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the weekend I scarfed up an unusual wooden ruler.

It's around 3" wide, and 27" long, and is made
from something like beech (at least it's a light coloured
hardwood, with a fine grain, that isn't box).

It's rather worn.

I bought it because it's some kind of scaling ruler;
it has multiple scales on both faces, with stranges labels.

I will list each "label" and the measured ratio of indicated inches
to actual inches

B18 3/4     1.0
B19 1/2      .96
B20 1/2      .9231
B21          .888
B21 3/4      .8627
B22 1/2      .834
B23 1/4      .808
B24          .7843
B24 3/4      .7582

Those scaling are FAR too big for this to be a pattern makers
shrink rule, and anyway all the shrink rules I've seen are metal.

But the scales aren't extreme enough to be an architects or map makers
scale.

And I don't know any other users of "scaling" rulers...

So what is it?

    BugBear
------------------------------------------------------------------------

JTWad@a... wrote:
> Bugbear finds a scaling rule of some sort:
>
> B18 3/4 1.0 B19 1/2 .96 B20 1/2 .9231
>          B21 .888 B21 3/4 .8627 B22 1/2 .834 B23 1/4 .808
>          B24 .7843 B24 3/4 .7582
>
> It will not have escaped your attention that the B scale numbers are
> inversely proportional to the length of the marked intervals; e.g.,
> 18.75*1 is (within reasonable measuring tolerance) = 19.5*.96 = 20.5
> *.9231, etc.

Indeed. The scale marking appears to be the "equivalent length" of some
constant. In fact, the constant is 18 3/4, and the scale number is "how
bit is 18 3/4" inches"

Now why on earth is 18 3/4" the chosen "magic" value?

    BugBear
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Peter

	It has been a long time since I have used or even looked at one, but
isn't this just an architect's rule?
	That's the kind of bell it rings for me anyway :)

Joe

-----Original Message-----
From: oldtools-bounces@r...
[mailto:oldtools-bounces@r...] On Behalf Of Peter Huisman
Sent: Monday, September 10, 2007 8:17 PM
To: pwomack@p...; oldtools@r...;
clintwarren@c...
Subject: [OldTools] Re: ID: strange scaling ruler

Galoots all,

Bugbear's post, and the rapid replies, prompted me to fossick amongst my 
firewood and arn for a lost 'find'.

Pics here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/ausiewood/ScaleRuleAGThornton

Clint's reply made me look a little more closely at the grads on this 
nice looking rule. It shows the increasing number (quantity if you 
will), of grads as you read the rule from left to right. For example, 
see the 1/8th scale (3rd picture) - it shows that for 1" there are 8 
segments. Notice that the grads start one to the right at 0! The number 48
below and between the 0 and 2 is the total number of 1/4s 
as read from the other end.

The rule has grads for:
1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4, 1", 1"1/2, 3"

At their start, all scales also have smaller grads. As you will see in 
the 3rd pic, the first 1/8th grad is further divided into six units. All 
other smaller grads are multiples of six.

Any ideas gentlemen?

PeterH in Perth

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Galoots all,

Bugbear's post, and the rapid replies, prompted me to fossick amongst my 
firewood and arn for a lost 'find'.

Pics here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/ausiewood/ScaleRuleAGThornton

Clint's reply made me look a little more closely at the grads on this 
nice looking rule. It shows the increasing number (quantity if you 
will), of grads as you read the rule from left to right. For example, 
see the 1/8th scale (3rd picture) - it shows that for 1" there are 8 
segments. Notice that the grads start one to the right at 0!
The number 48 below and between the 0 and 2 is the total number of 1/4s 
as read from the other end.

The rule has grads for:
1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4, 1", 1"1/2, 3"

At their start, all scales also have smaller grads. As you will see in 
the 3rd pic, the first 1/8th grad is further divided into six units. All 
other smaller grads are multiples of six.

Any ideas gentlemen?

PeterH in Perth

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joe Hurst wrote in Response to PereH's photo:
> isn't this just an architect's rule?
> 	
>
> http://picasaweb.google.com/ausiewood/ScaleRuleAGThornton
>
>   
Yup, same scales on the POS plastic one architect's scale in my drawer 
here, but PeterH's is much nicer than mine.

Trade ya

-- 
Kirk Eppler
Process Development Engineering
Eppler.Kirk@g... 

------------------------------------------------------------------------