Puzzled by a imperial tape measure

[uncleboob]

Hi guys, I've been given an old tape measure which has feet and inches on one side and something 'other' on the other side. At first I thought it was half feet but when I checked it it measured 7 13/16 or 19.9 cm...any ideas what this is and called? Thanks all Joab


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[Cobweb]

Seems like 'hands' which are used to measure the height of horses.

 

[Robbi]

A hand is 4 inches I believe

 

[Cobweb]

Ahh mebbe not that then... Hmmn...

Sent from the back of beyond.

 

[uncleboob]

A hand is 4 inches I believe

I thought hands as well, really puzzled....


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[Macaroon]

It could be what's known as a "weight tape", which is a tape used to measure either loss or gain of weight in horses and ponies; there are many, many different types of these which doesn't cause the confusion you may think, as they are all self - referential, so to speak. You use the tape to measure the girth of the animal in a known state, then measure on a regular basis thereafter; the measurements thus gained will indicate weight loss/gain but only in reference to the initial one taken. I've seen scores of these in harness rooms with no two being the same, they were given away as promotional items by feed mills and companies producing nutritional additives for equines. None of them work any better than a cord with knots in it, however

Just an idea.............................

 

[Alreetmiowdmuka]

Take a picture dude n let's have a look

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

Is it like any of these.
http://www.newwoodworker.com/basic/blackdiamonds.html

 

[Alreetmiowdmuka]

Is it brick sizes maybe for gauging brickwork.just thought I'd chuck that in the mixer

 

[uncleboob]

Okay the tape measure is a chesterman 66ft tape measure which looks like this one

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171378324839

And this is what the tape looks like

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[ged]

Hi guys, I've been given an old tape measure which has feet and inches on one side and something 'other' on the other side. At first I thought it was half feet but when I checked it it measured 7 13/16 or 19.9 cm...any ideas what this is and called?

I think it might be for measuring cords of wood. No idea what it's called.

 

[Macaroon]

Forget the horse thing then

 

[Humpback]

Fractions of a chain. 66ft=22yds

 

[uncleboob]

Fractions of a chain. 66ft=22yds

Is a chain a measurement? What are the (almost) 8 inch subdivisions called? Cheers Joab


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[Mesquite]

Is a chain a measurement? What are the (almost) 8 inch subdivisions called? Cheers Joab
.

Yup. it's a surveying measurement and the tape is likely to be a surveyors tape.

If the sub divisions come to 100 then they're links

 

[British Red]

A link is properly 7.92". If the tape comes to 25 links its a rod measure, if 100 links, a chain measure. 1,000 links is a furlong btw.

 

[uncleboob]

You guys are amazing! I knew someone would know the answer. I have to say I have never come across a 'link' before, it's funny how quickly terminology falls out of use- I'm guessing that as it's on a tape measure it must have (at one point) been a familiar term

Thanks again guys, Joab


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[British Red]

Links are weird because they are a decimal unit of an imperial measurement - almost a hybrid metric imperial. A chain is a chain because surveys were really done with a 22 yard chain originally. That chain had 100 links. That's why a link is an odd fraction of an inch.

 

[Macaroon]

Isn't that how they got the length of a cricket pitch, too, a chain?

 

[Mesquite]

Isn't that how they got the length of a cricket pitch, too, a chain?

Yup... Though there's debate if it's to the face of the stumps, middle or rear

I always used to mark them out to the face