Jomo,

Regarding your comments of August 25th @ 3:50 p.m.

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‘’It is just babble. A ruler with markings as fine as 1/100’’ as xcole refers to is unreadable. I have a 6’’ scale with scribed, not painted, markings for 1/10’’ and 1/50’’ on one side, 1/32’’ and 1/64’’ on the other. The 1/50’’ and 1/64’’ are the limit of readability. Beyond that, you need vernier callipers or a micrometer, which uses some other principle to make the scale readable. The tool & die trade does not use fractions, at least for precise work, they use 1/1000’’, or 1/10000’’, if they are actually common scales. Many aren’t. Don’t worry, I have plenty of napoleonic scales too, but in the United States, you need at least one of each. It does show how complicated you can make common weights & measures if you try hard.’’

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Jomo, thank you for your balanced and measured comments.

Oh, by the way, I just happened to be perambulating past a tool store yesterday, and so I went inside and asked the store clerk to show me some steel rulers.

There were several steel rulers from two american manufacturers, but there was one that wasn’t: in fact no manufacturer was shown at all.

And as you, Jomo, are such a fan of unidentified products from the culturalist, propagandist, subsidiaritist, proportionalititist, and socialist nether regions of the world, as compared to the backwoods United States of America, I will take my time to describe in excruciating detail that steel ruler shown to me yesterday.

MECHANICS’ STEEL RULER
1 1/8’’ wide
about 1/32’’ thick, maybe more
flush @ 0’’ end
@ the 12’’ end, continues on for a 5/8’’ extension
beginning 5/16’’ of the 5/8’’ extension is straight
end 5/16’’ of the 5/8’’ extension is rounded
3/16’’ hole in middle of 5/8’’ extension (for hanging on wall peg?)

TOPSIDE OF MECHANICS’ STEEL RULER
the word ENGLAND scribed in middle of ruler between 11(’’) & 12(’’) marks

TOP OF TOPSIDE OF MECHANICS’ STEEL RULER
1/20’’ marks scribed between flush 0(’’) end & 3(’’) mark
the figure 20 scribed between 2/20’’ & 8/20’’ marks
1/50’’ marks scribed between 3(’’) & 4(’’) marks
the figure 50 scribed between 3’’ & 3 15/50’’ marks
1/100’’ marks scribed between 4(’’) & 5(’’) marks
the figure 100 scribed between 4’’ & 4 30/100’’ marks
1/10’’ marks scribed between 5(’’) & 12(’’) marks
the figure 10 scribed between 5’’ & 5 3/10’’ marks

BOTTOM OF TOPSIDE OF MECHANICS’ STEEL RULER
1/24’’ marks scribed between flush 0(’’) end & 3(’’) mark
the figure 24 scribed between 4/24’’ & 8/24’’ marks
1/48’’ marks scribed between 3(’’) & 4(’’) marks
the figure 48 scribed between 3 4/48’’ & 3 12/48’’ marks
1/96’’ marks scribed between 4(’’) & 5(’’) marks
the figure 96 scribed between 4 8/96’’ & 4 24/96’’ marks
1/12’’ marks scribed between 5(’’) & 12(’’) marks
the figure 12 scribed between 5 1/12’’ & 5 3/12’’ marks

TOP OF BOTTOMSIDE OF MECHANICS’ STEEL RULER
1/2 m/m marks scribed between flush 0 (c/m) end & 10 (c/m) mark
the figures ½ M/M scribed between 2/2 m/m & 14/2 m/m marks
1 m/m marks scribed between 10 (c/m) & 30 5/10 (c/m) marks
the figures M/M scribed between 10 3/10 c/m & 10 7/10 c/m marks

BOTTOM OF BOTTOMSIDE OF MECHANICS’ STEEL RULER
1/32’’ marks scribed between flush 0(’’) end & 3(’’) mark
the figures 32 scribed between 4/32’’ & 8/32’’ marks
1/64’’ marks scribed between 3(’’) & 4(’’) marks
the figures 64 scribed between 3 4/64’’ & 3 16/64’’ marks
1/16’’ marks scribed between 5(’’) & 12(’’) marks
the figures 16 scribed between 5 1/16’’ & 5 4/16’’

I guess they use ‘’M/M’’ in the United Kingdom, instead of ‘’m/m’’, or at least they do in the England State part. Or did you say the abbreviation ‘’m/m’’ was never used? Oh, I must be slandering you, my apologies. I never realized there was a nitwit difference between ‘’m/m’’ and ‘’M/M’’.

O.K., Jomo, thanks for everything, and do not hesitate in the future to post your comments on this bullet-in-board, for passers-by can always rely upon your enlightened elucidation for its’ extreme veracity.

Info @

http://www.weights-and-measures.com

And topic:

Common Linear Measure

Hey, if you like it, buy it.

Personally, I dislike scales where every inch is subdivided a different way. I find them hard to use. I have never seen subdivisions in the 1/12, 1/24, 1/48, 1/96 series. Since you like dozens, you NEED to buy this ruler.

When I need to use inches, I'll stick to something that more directly relates to decimals (1/10, 1/20, or 1/50)

I like inches to be divided fractionally upto sixteenths. After that, I prefer decimals.

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guess they use ‘’M/M’’ in the United Kingdom, instead of ‘’m/m’’, or at least they do in the England State part. Or did you say the abbreviation ‘’m/m’’ was never used? Oh, I must be slandering you, my apologies. I never realized there was a nitwit difference between ‘’m/m’’ and ‘’M/M’’.
>>

Actually we use "mm" old boy. (lower case, no oblique between the letters).