Jim Asked:

 Does anyone have a catalogue that shows
> the Rule # 8151 and if so would you let me know what this is for?
> I have really enjoyed being part of this group and just want a rocking chair
> in a back corner where I can hear the gossip.
> Thanks for all the good times I have had reading the postings.
> 
> Jim Ketcheson
> Belleville, Canada

Hi Jim, welcome back!

I have Lufkin catalog # 104 here. I can't find a year on it, but my guess is
about 1930 - 1945. It lists #8151 as a "Taylor's curve stick".  I believe
these were used to measure the distance between the floor and the bottom of
the hem of a lady's dress.

Hope this helps. Glad to have a spry and active Galoot like you on the list!

Chris 

I have been away for some months now and recently felt well enough to
resubscribe to Old Tools. I looked at my bio from 5 years ago and there have
been some changes made. I am now 85 instead of 80 - I no longer have a wood
shop having moved everything to my son's shop where he is starting a wood
working business. I have retained only my metal working tools. About an hour
a day is all I can handle in the shop but that is a start back. Open heart
surgery and then later a pacemaker and then the rehab is what kept me away.
I have just found ( at a yard sale) a rule made by the Lufkin Rule Co. of
Saginaw, Mich. the like of which I have never seen. It is 2 foot long and
has a real curve throughout it's length. The Number on it is 8151 and is
stamped made in U.S.A. The only info I can find on the web is that Lufkin
were bought out by the Cooper Group. Does anyone have a catalogue that shows
the Rule # 8151 and if so would you let me know what this is for?
I have really enjoyed being part of this group and just want a rocking chair
in a back corner where I can hear the gossip.
Thanks for all the good times I have had reading the postings.

Jim Ketcheson
Belleville, Canada

Hi Jim & All,

Welcome back!! I don't know about the Lufkin 8151 specifically, but
there were other curved rules sold and used as tailoring rules. Is it
thin satinwood or boxwood? If so, that would strengthen the case for it
being a tailor's rule.

Best Wishes,
Bob

Welcome back Jim.  As a young galoot that grew up too far away from his
Grandpa (he died in 1996 right before I joined the list) I appreciate
having a bunch of surrogate grandpa's" looking over my shoulder" and
answering questions when I need.  Haven't you noticed how we have you
guys spaced out across the porch so you can keep an eye on us
whippersnappers?

Seriously the knowledge some of you guys pass on is more appreciated
than you know!

Roger in Alabama

>>> "Jim Ketcheson"  08/27/03 6:20 PM >>>
I have been away for some months now and recently felt well enough to
resubscribe to Old Tools. I looked at my bio from 5 years ago and there
have
been some changes made. I am now 85 instead of 80 - I no longer have a
wood
shop having moved everything to my son's shop where he is starting a
wood
working business. I have retained only my metal working tools. About an
hour
a day is all I can handle in the shop but that is a start back. Open
heart
surgery and then later a pacemaker and then the rehab is what kept me
away.
I have just found ( at a yard sale) a rule made by the Lufkin Rule Co.
of
Saginaw, Mich. the like of which I have never seen. It is 2 foot long
and
has a real curve throughout it's length. The Number on it is 8151 and is
stamped made in U.S.A. The only info I can find on the web is that
Lufkin
were bought out by the Cooper Group. Does anyone have a catalogue that
shows
the Rule # 8151 and if so would you let me know what this is for?
I have really enjoyed being part of this group and just want a rocking
chair
in a back corner where I can hear the gossip.
Thanks for all the good times I have had reading the postings.

Jim Ketcheson
Belleville, Canada

Steve asked:
> 
>> I have Lufkin catalog # 104 here. I can't find a year on it, but my guess is
>> about 1930 - 1945. It lists #8151 as a "Taylor's curve stick".  I believe
>> these were used to measure the distance between the floor and the bottom of
>> the hem of a lady's dress.
>> 
> 
>   Why curved?
> 
I don't really know Stave. I do have two others that are curved, and I do
not think these were made by Lufkin. So,one answer would be "tradition" that
would appeal to tailors preferences.

There are straight tailor's sticks or measures, as well as several other
curved shapes that I know of. If we look at other tools like chisels, saws,
axes to name a few during the 1800's and early 1900's we see tremendous
variety within groups of functionally equivalent tools. The only reason I
can see for this that businesses tried to use product variety as a way to
compete for the craftsman's business.

If others have additional ideas, I would enjoy hearing them.

Chris (Who'd better get to work!)

Jim told us how tools are keeping him young, and asked about a rule, to 
which Chris replied:

> Hi Jim, welcome back!
>

    Yeah, what he said.

> I have Lufkin catalog # 104 here. I can't find a year on it, but my guess is
> about 1930 - 1945. It lists #8151 as a "Taylor's curve stick".  I believe
> these were used to measure the distance between the floor and the bottom of
> the hem of a lady's dress.
>

    Why curved?

Regards,
Steve

Hi Chris & All

Chris opines about why some tailors rules were curved and why there were
so many different types. I only have a guess about the former, but do
know a bit more about the latter.

I had quite a few different types of tailor's rules, squares, etc., in
my collection and did some research on several of them. Plus I've also
seem many more for sale that I didn't have. I concluded that there were
over 100 different types of tailoring "systems" created and patented or
copyrighted in the late 1800 - early 1900 time frame. Each such system
had some unique type of rule at its heart and was the main thing that
the system creator made any money off of.

But I don't know that a curved rule was part of any such system and
suspect it might predate the big rash of those. I'd always assumed that
some parts of a dress or such had curves in the fabric and the curved
rule was used to measure around that curve. I don't recall/think that
they'd give you a straight line reading (like a hem to floor dimension)
- only a reading around the arc of a curve.

Best Wishes,
Bob

Hi, Jim and All
	It's nice to find someone older than me on this list! My Lufkin
Catalog No. 11 (probably from about 1930) says that No. 8151 is a "curved
stick used in tailoring work." For more, you'll have to ask a tailor, if
they still exist outside of Hong Kong.
	Trevor

Hi All,
    I'm no tailor (I'm not even more than a half-decent woodworker), but I
did grow up in a family with more than its share of garment workers and
sweat-shop denizens.  If you take a look at the shape of the sleeve inset on
your suit jacket (although, if you're like me, you haven't seen touched one
of those at least since last fall), you'll see one of the uses for Jim's
curved ruler.  The garment trade had many specialized tools that turn up at
flea markets and even at antique tool shows, and usually make wonderful
"what's-its."
Dan, in NJ
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Trevor Robinson" 
To: "oldtools" 
Cc: "oldtools" 
Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2003 3:23 PM
Subject: [oldtools] Re: Back Again

> Hi, Jim and All
> It's nice to find someone older than me on this list! My Lufkin
> Catalog No. 11 (probably from about 1930) says that No. 8151 is a "curved
> stick used in tailoring work." For more, you'll have to ask a tailor, if
> they still exist outside of Hong Kong.
> Trevor
>
> Archive: http://www.frontier.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive/
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