Description
Just what you need when working from a set of plans. These architect scales are the traditional triangular shape, and come as 3/16, 3/32, 3/4, 3/8, 1 1/2, 3, 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, and of course, regular old inches.
A scale rule is a tool that allows you to quickly and easily determine the dimensions of a blueprint or plan without having to use any math at all.
The scale of the blueprints you need to read will tell you what kind of scale rule to buy. An architect's scale rule will be useful for scales that are not fractions. A regular scale rule uses fractions like 1/4" and 1/2". These are the fraction of an inch as it relates to a foot.
The first thing you need to do is find the scale on your blueprints. It will generally be in the lower left-hand corner of the page. Example: 1/4" = 1 ft When you have located this, find the corresponding scale on the ruler.
The scale will have a long mark to the left of a zero, which is the beginning of the feet, and several shorter marks to the right of the zero, which represents the inches. Line up the zero mark with the beginning of the section you want to measure. The nearest mark the line passes, is the foot measurement. Often, since the same side will have two scales on it, the marks will alternate one scale and then the other, even to odd.