CHAPTER II 
MEASURING AND MARKING TOOLS 
1. The Rule. The standard unit of length is the yard, 
but the foot is commonly used for all measurements 
in woodwork. If the rule be twelve inches long it is 
known as a foot rule, and if twenty-four inches long 
it is called a two-foot rule. The inches are subdivided 
into halves, quarters, eighths, and in some cases six- 
teenths. Rules are usually of boxwood or maple, with 
Fig. 1. The Rule 
brass joints, and are commonly made to fold once or 
twice. 
The rule is quite thick, and if laid flat upon the work 
to be measured errors will usually follow. It should 
be stood on edge so that the pencil or knife point may 
touch the divisions on it and the wood at the same time. 
The proper position when laying out measurements is 
i 
