The Anatomy of Today’s Architect Scale Ruler

Using a Good Architect Scale Ruler
Using a Good Architect Scale Ruler

An architect scale ruler is used by architects, designers, planners, and draftsmen. If you are going to order some with your company logo, which ruler should you choose?

  • 6 inches long, or 12 inches long? Will the person using it, be carrying it in their shirt pocket, or in their brief case, or on their desk?
  • Scales. A good architect scale ruler has at least 8 scales. Examples are (1/8, ¼), (½, 1), (3/8, 3/4), (3, 1½). These are listed in pairs, because they share the same edge, but are marked in opposite directions.
  • Color. It is good to choose a color that goes with your corporate colors.
  • Imprint color. The logo imprint color is usually the same color as the markings. So, you should choose a markings color that has a high contrast from the color of the ruler.
  • A good ruler is imprinted using a photo anodized method. This assures smooth edges, so you can use a pen or pencil to draw tick-free lines.
  • Aluminum is the best material, since it doesn’t warp.

If your architect ruler has all these characteristics, you have a good one.

Why Your Customers Need An Architect Scale Ruler

If you see any of your customers on this list, they need an architect scale ruler.

Not only do they need one, but they will be eternally grateful that you are generous enough to recognize their needs.

  • Architects

    Architect Using an Architect Scale Ruler
    Architect Using an Architect Scale Ruler
  • City Planners
  • Builders
  • Kitchen Designers
  • Carpenters
  • Contractors
  • Construction Estimators
  • Real Estate Developers
  • Draftsmen
  • Homeowners designing their own kitchen
  • Concrete Contractors
  • Electricians
  • HVAC Contractors
  • Structural Engineers
  • Civil Engineers

3 Homeowner Uses For An Architect Scale Ruler

Architects, designers, and planners use architect scale rulers in their work every day. Here are 3 ways that an architect scale ruler can help a homeowner like you, too.

  1. Plan a new arrangement of furniture in your living room. Whether you just
    kitchen-design
    Kitchen Design

    moved in, or you just want to make a fresh arrangement of your furniture, you can start with a piece of paper and an architect scale ruler to see if your plan will actually fit the way you want it to fit.

  2. Design a new kitchen in your home. The best way to start is to find a picture of a kitchen in a magazine, then see if the components will fit into your space. An architect ruler will let you make precise measurements in your drawings of different kitchen designs.
  3. Design a garden in your back yard. If your space is limited, the architect ruler will help you to make the best of the space you have. You may discover that you don’t need to buy as many tomato plants, or pepper plants.

 

The Mystery of Pipe Diameter Tape Measure Codes

Mystery of Diameter Tape Codes
Mystery of Diameter Tape Codes

Lufkin pipe diameter tape measure products are available with different scales. To find the right tape for your needs, here is how to read the codes that are embedded in the SKU numbers.

  • “P” means that it is a “pi” tape, also known as a diameter tape.

Examples are w606p, w906pd, w606pm, asw616pd, w606pd, w906p.

  • “D” means that it measures in tenths of an inch. If the “D” were missing, it would measure in 64ths of an inch.

Examples are w906pd, asw616pd, w606pd.

  • “M” means that it measures in metric scale.

An example is w606pm.

Architect Scale Rulers Explained in 140 Words Or Less

Most people don’t need an architect scale ruler, but for those who do need one, this is for

Architect At Work
Architect At Work

you.

This ruler will make your job easier, so you can obtain measurements off the drawing without having to convert from the drawing’s actual measurements. You can use the 12″ size in the office. Or, you can take the 6″ pocket version with you into the field. For larger drawings, you can use the retractable pocket architect tape. This will work either in the field, or the office.

 

3 Easy Steps to Use a Pipe Diameter Tape Measure

How To Use A Diameter Tape
How To Use A Diameter Tape

This time, we won’t get into the geometry theory of pi that we had in high school. The magic of a pipe diameter tape measure is its simplicity of use. Here are the 3 steps to find the diameter of a pipeline:

  1. Clean the pipe surface. Soil and any other contamination, of course, will make the pipe seem bigger than it really is.
  2. Wrap the diameter tape around it, with the diameter scale visible to you.
  3. Simply read off the tape. This will be the diameter, even though the tape is wrapped around the circumference. That’s all!

Some things to watch for…..Some OD tapes (diameter tapes) are marked in 100ths of an inch. Some are marked in 64ths of an inch. On the 64ths of an inch tape, 32/64 would be 1/2″. 16/64 would be 1/4″. 24/64 would be 3/8″. For convenience, you can use a magic marker to mark some of these common, but confusing measurements.

For a 2 1/2 minute video with more detail, click How To Use A Diameter Tape.

 

The Mystery of the Architect Scale Ruler

Everyone knows how to use an inch ruler. And most people know how to use a metric ruler. It doesn’t matter that there are 2.54 centimeters per inch. A centimeter is a centimeter. But, if you remember when you saw an architect scale ruler for the first time, you will agree that the scales are a

Architect Working on Plans
Architect Working on Plans

mystery. There are several scales on the same ruler. There are (1/8, ¼), (½, 1), (3/8, 3/4), (3, 1½). What do these scales mean?

Let’s bring in a blueprint. Now you need that architect scale ruler to measure the size of objects on the blueprint. Since the objects are drawn at a scale of the original size, you need to match up that scale with the corresponding scale on the ruler.

How do you choose the correct scale? Look in the bottom right corner of the blueprint. There is a box of useful information. It has the name of the drawing, the date drawn, the architect name, and the scale that it was drawn with. If the scale is 1/8, then every 1/8″ on the paper represents 1 foot (or 1 mile, etc) in reality. So you would use the 1/8 scale on the architect ruler. Where the ruler says 16, the reality measurement is 16 feet (or 16 miles, etc). It doesn’t matter right now that the measurement on the paper is 2 inches. That’s too much information. Let the ruler do the work for you.

Congratulate yourself. Now you can consider yourself proficient at using an architect scale ruler.

 

3030 Hollow Triangular Architect 12″ Scale 3030

5 Useful Jobs For An Architect Scale Ruler

An architect scale ruler with your company logo has more uses than you may have realized. Your customers need architect rulers. Here are 5 important uses:

Lufkin y906a Architects scale ruler chrome tape measure w906a Architects scale Lufkin tape

  1. To help new homeowners read the blueprints for a house that was designed for them. They can easily see if certain rooms will be large enough for their furniture.
  2. Carpenters can easily find the sizes of lumber that they need to order for the job.
  3. HVAC contractors can calculate the size and amount of sheet metal they need to install the furnace and air conditioning.
  4. Excavators can see the exact location and size of the footers they need to dig.
  5. And of course, architects use these rulers continuously in their day to day work.