Where is my steel tape?

Once upon a time a steel tape measure was something that every self-respecting DIY-handyman had in his household toolbox.

Mostly these items were capable of measurements closely relating to things contained within the average domestic house and garden shed, and limited to 6 ft.

Over the years as DIY got more ambitious, this distance was increased to 10 ft, probably because more items were being constructed in an increasingly redundant garage.

Out on building sites it was common place to have a 60 ft tape or even 100 ft.

The arrival of metrification was not welcomed by many handymen, as their tapes were now infected with a second line of numbers, these bearing no direct relationship to the loved and respected Imperial sizes.

It is a well known fact that some very expensive mistakes have been made both in the UK and also on the other side of the Atlantic, where feet and inches still reign.

Now years after metrification, I still revert to feet and inches when working at home.

Imperial is still every inch a king and every foot a RULER!

David Taylor