Custom 150mm Rule: Designed for Toolmakers, by a Toolmaker.

[Mook]

I’ve decided to design and make what I think is the perfect rule for me.

The first thing I wanted was for it to be readable whichever way I pick it up. That’s why I’ve rotated the numbers 90 degrees, so they’re always readable.

I also wanted the numbers to be bigger and clearer, so I’ve gone with centimetre spacing instead of cramming in smaller marks.

Half-millimetre graduations? I’ve left those out. They just make the scale busier, and I’d rather keep things simple and easy on the eye.

For the graduations themselves, I’m using the old Moore & Wright wavy style. It’s a lovely, distinctive look, and it makes the marks stand out much better.

On the end, I’ve added a double hook — exactly ten millimetres high and thirty wide. Both sides, and even the very end, will carry one-millimetre markings, which should be really handy for quick measurements.

One face of the rule will measure from that hook, while the other will measure from the end, giving me both options in a single tool.

And to finish it off, the whole thing will be 1.6 millimetres thick, which gives it the rigidity I want without feeling heavy.

The graduations will be laser-etched first, and then I machine the profile on a magnetic fixture to get a precise finish.