Chat with an old timer at the supply house changed how I look at scale rulers

Was waiting for an order in Dallas and this retired drafter told me he still uses his from 1978... said the metal ones feel different than plastic. Has anyone else noticed modern rulers just don't slide as smooth?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamie94022d ago

My buddy who does woodworking on the side told me he found an old metal ruler at a garage sale from the 60s. Said it glides across paper like butter compared to the plastic ones he bought last year. He swears the metal ones have a better feel in the hand too, like they're perfectly balanced. Makes me wonder if the old timers knew something about quality that got lost over time.

betty_kelly922d agoMost Upvoted

60s metal rulers huh? I've got a scar on my thumb from a wooden ruler in 7th grade that still acts up when it rains. Your buddy's right about the glide though - my grandad had an old steel one from his machine shop days and it slid across paper like it was greased. Plastic ones today feel like dragging a brick through sand. Spring steel probably helps too, my cheap dollar store ruler bends like a noodle when I try to cut a straight line.

lilya7622d ago

I read something a while back about how steel rulers from the 50s and 60s were often made from a specific type of spring steel that had a little flex to it. That's why they feel balanced - the weight is distributed evenly across the length. Plastic rulers today are usually just molded with no real thought to how they handle. The old ones also had etched markings instead of printed ones, so they don't wear off after a few months in a toolbox. I heard machinists still hunt for vintage Starrett rulers for that same reason. It's not nostalgia, the materials and manufacturing really were different back then.