They are good for measurements, and innovative
makers can use them for good measureImproviser’s Toolbox: Measuring tape
FEATURE
tape-measure has a couple of
qualities that make it a good choice
for an improviser’s toolbox. First, it
can measure a significant length, but
can still fit inside your pocket, which
makes it very portable. Secondly,
it’s very dexterous as it helps you measure around
curves, corners, and edges. Measuring tapes can
be classified into two broad categories, dictated
by how they’re made. Those designed for sewing
are made of either cloth, plastic, or fibre, while
the ones intended for carpentry, or other types of
craftsmanship, are usually made of a slightly curved
metal strip that can coil into a small box.
The history of measurement runs concurrently
with ours. We’ve been measuring stuff in one form
or the other ever since we started possessing
things. It’s in fact very difficult to separate the
exact origin of the tape-measure from the history
of measuring distances, in general, by other means
such as a ruler. All we can say for sure is that it
was developed long before the first modern tape-
measure device was patented in the US in 1864.William H. Bangs Jr. received a patent for the
first spring-return tape-measure. His tape could be
stopped at any point and made to return to the case
by sliding a button on the side of the case, which
triggered the spring to pull the tape back into its
case. Bangs’s device was actually an improvement
on an earlier design patented by James Chesterman
of Sheffield, England, in 1829. Chesterman was
making tapes he dubbed ‘flat wire’ for dressmakers,
who used it to hold the shape of the crinoline
hoop skirts. When the skirts went out of vogue,
Chesterman repurposed the wires as long steel
tape measures, with etched length markings, and
marketed it to surveyors as a lightweight alternative
to the bulky chains they were using back then.
Despite being mass-produced, the early tape-
measures were still expensive and a novelty item. In
fact, the tape’s container has long been an avenue
for beautiful craftsmanship and later as a popular
medium for advertisement. There were containers
in the shapes of animals and various objects like
violins, each with its own unique winding device.
Some were also made with precious metals and are
a sought-after collectible. It wasn’t until the early
20th century that the retractable tape-measure, now
offered in celluloid containers, overtook the wooden
folding carpenter’s ruler.A
Mayank Sharma
@geekybodhiMayank is a Padawan
maker with an
irrational fear of drills.
He likes to replicate
electronic builds,
and gets a kick out
of hacking everyday
objects creatively.
MEASURING