Olde Toole Porn

[Chaz]

Breathes there a man with soul so dead,
Who never to him self hath said,"Isn't that a nice old tool"? (with apologies to Sir Walter Scott)

For your pleasure and to serve your wood working lasciviousness .......

This is a real, live, holy baby Jesus, Stanley #72 folding24" ruler. I more-or-less inherited this tool from my Dad's woodshop and he kinda/sorta inherited it from his step-Dad's shop.
I'm unsure of the date. As I understand it, the 72 was made from the early 1900s up to the '30s. My Dads step father, was born in 1891. So, I suspect the tool is around 100 years old. Works perfect. It's made from brass-bound boxwood, the engraving on the wood is still clear on both sides.

It's a treasure.

 

[Mike Davis]

First 72 1/2 that I have seen.

I have a half dozen folding boxwood rulers but don't know much about them.

 

[Wilsoncb]

Interesting, I found a similar one in some of my dad’s old tools that I’ve been trying to identify. It’s in much worse shape in the area where the “No.72” is so I can’t make anything out.
I can’t tell for sure from your pictures but It looks like yours has brass all along the edges. Is that right? (Mine does not).

 

[1075tech]

Speaking of wood and brass rulers, have any of you seen anything like this?

Best I can describe it is a "quad fold" 12" ruler. The separate brass piece is 3" and has ruler marks on it also. It is tapered so that it will only slide in one way.

I find no maker's marks on it anywhere.

One side is in 16ths. The other is in 12ths. Numbers read right to left.