What is this odd looking tape measure?

[Urbish]

Or use it to build a structure with all dimensional measurements in cun, setting the studs at 16 cun centers. Good luck finding 4尺X8尺 sheets of plywood anywhere though.

 

[Urbish]

It's hard to fathom that from all of several images I found of this tape measure over several months... items for sale... I never saw any explanation that it's a Chinese ruler.

I would nickname it, "The Emperor" since it's a Chinese Ruler.

 

[outdoors4evr]

I was wondering if you knew its origin and was testing the knowledgebase of this fine group. Or (the more likely) is that you bought a ruler and your first project turned out a bit big.

 

[Slim140]

Thanks for posting the original photo. MYSTERY SOLVED!

The minor units are centimeters and the major units are 'cun' ('body inches' in Chinese). One cun is 3-1/3 cm. The '1尺' at the 10 cun mark represents 1 Chinese foot with 尺 meaning foot.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cun_(unit)

Well, ain't you special! Thanks a bunch, I have asked a bunch of people what this dang thing is! Not much use to me, lol.

I'd use it to sue Subway as their foot long ain't a foot long in Chinese feet. They never specified which foot they're referring to.

If I had it I'd let my wife use it and that would be the only one she could use :lol:

 

[livemusic]

I wonder if the old man I bought it from knew what it was. Bought it at his estate sale; he was somewhat of a survivalist, had a bazillion rounds of ammo and a million screws and all kinds of stuff.

 

[birddog]

Well wouldn't you know it, cun is one of the very few conversions I didn't try!

 

[Jim Becker]

Keep it handy to loan to the tax appraiser when he comes for an inspection.

 

[Urbish]

Keep it handy to loan to the tax appraiser when he comes for an inspection.

Or take it with you when you go to buy a U-cut Christmas tree and save a few bucks.

 

[Darryl Ovens]

I have a caliper that reads in circumference! So the caliper measures the diameter like normal calipers but the scale is multiplied by Pie so it reads of the circumference. Took me quite some time to figure out what it was, as the inch side appears nearer to cm but it has fractions of an inch, while the metric side is in tenths, that was the clue.
I wondered if that could be what this is, or maybe the other way ie by wrapping the tape around the circumference it reads off in diameter? I could not read the markings in the photo so cannot tell.

Hadn't seen the last posts where you have figured it out. Decided to leave mine there as the caliper is interesting too.