diameter tape measure – Page 4 – Business Gift Blog: Quality Business Gifts With Your Logo | Promotional Corporate Gifts @ Advantage-Advertising LLC

What Is A Diameter Tape Measure?

Good question, because most people don’t have any use for one. A diameter tape measure is a measuring tape whose scale is stretched out by a factor of pi. This allows you to wrap it around a round object, such as a pipeline or tree trunk, and read its diameter directly on the scale. You don’t need to divide by 3.14159.

Here are some other names that people call these tapes:

pi tapes
circumference tapes (a misnomer)
pipe tapes
Lufkin pi tapes
OD tapes
outside diameter tapes
pi-Cobra tapes
pie tapes

How Would You Survive Without Your Pipe Diameter Tape Measure?

A New Use for a Pipe Diameter Tape Measure

Your pipe diameter tape measure is probably the most valuable and simplest tool in your toolbox. It will tell you the outside diameter of a pipeline (or your arm) when you wrap it around the circumference. What if you lost your pipe tape? How would you measure the diameter of a pipe or any round object?

Use a regular tape measure, if it is flexible enough to wrap around the pipe. A carpenter’s tape is made to stay stiff, so it won’t work in this case. Since the end hook won’t let you lay the zero mark against the pipe, you would have to start at the 1 or 2 inch mark. Read the circumference and divide by 3.14159. That’s a lot of trouble.
Use an expensive caliper, transfer the reading to a measuring tape, perhaps, then divide by pi. That’s a clumsy way of doing it.
Get a real expensive micrometer. Since they have a narrow range of measuring (1 inch), it would have to be a certain size to begin with. Then measure the diameter directly. Reading the markings on a micrometer is not the easiest thing to do. You have to read the shaft measurement, then add the tumbler measurement to it.

So, hang on to your pipe diameter tape measure and it will save you a lot of trouble.

3 Mysteries of the Diameter Tape Measure

The diameter tape measure easily figures the diameter of a pipe or pipeline. All you have to do is wrap it around the pipe, and read off the diameter. Here are its mysteries..

1. Why is the “zero” mark not at the beginning of the tape? It is a couple inches away from the beginning of the tape.
2. Why does the end of the tape have a “loop” instead of a “hook”?
3. Why are some calibrated in 100ths of an inch, and some in 64ths of an inch, and some in millimeters?

ANSWERS:

By having the zero mark away from the beginning of the tape, you can easily line up the other part of the tape to the zero mark.
Since zero is not at the end of the tape, there is no need to have a hook there. What is helpful, is to have a metal loop to hold onto, when wrapping the tape around the pipe.
Different strokes for different folks. Automotive repair people prefer the 64ths of an inch calibration. Oilfield people prefer the 100ths of an inch version. And of course, some people use the metric system of measurement.

Do Your Customers Need A Pipe Diameter Tape Measure?

Better yet, do they need one with your company logo on it?

Pipe Diameter Tape Measure

A pipe diameter tape measure is an extremely useful tool, but not for everyone. Who needs one? Let me make a list…

Plumbers. Before he tears into a repair job, he can use a pipe diameter tape to find what size of pipe to bring to the job.
Car repair people. When they want to find the size of a hose before they take off the old one.
Boat repair people. To measure the sizes of hoses without removing them.
HVAC installers and repairmen. Round pipes need to be measured when making a modification to an existing installation.
Electricians when they use conduits. When you want to know the outside diameter of an installed conduit.
Tree nurserymen. The best time to dig out a young tree is when the trunk has reached a certain diameter.
Oilfield workers. How big of a pipe is required to attach to your drilling operation?
Gas field workers. What is the diameter of an installed gas pipe, so you can repair it, or put a new plastic pipe inside of it?
Oil drilling personnel. What is the diameter of a pipe that is in the drilling machine?
Pipeline inspectors. To calculate the optimum flow, you need to know the size of the pipe.
Pipeline repairmen. What size pipe do you need to order, before you remove the old pipe?
Machinists. They use a pipe diameter tape measure for many tasks around the shop.

How Would Your Customer Use A Diameter Tape Measure?

Let me count the ways…

His car heater hose needs replaced. He uses your diameter tape measure to find what size to buy, before he actually removes the old hose.
Your customer is a plumber, and needs to know the outside diameter of a pipe, so he can get a new pipe before he disconnects the old one.
Your customer is an HVAC installer, and needs to know the diameter of a galvanized pipe so he can buy more, to finish the job.
He has a boat, and needs to buy a new bilge hose before he removes the old one.
Want To Know The Diameter of Your Arm?
Your customer sells trees from his nursery. He wants to pick out the trees that are at least 2 inches in diameter, so he can dig them and offer them for sale as 2″ trees.
Your customer wants to keep track of the diameter of her biceps, as she is in a fitness program.

So, to advertise your company logo on a gift item, try a diameter tape measure.