Triangular scale or architect's scale wrong?

Question

I use this weird ruler all the time since I do drafting. I came from metric background where everything is very easy (everything is in tenth... 0.1, 0,001 etc.), but then I came to Canada and have to adjust to imperial system. Now going back to the ruler. When you see 3/16 that means 3/16" = 1 ', 1/2 means 1/2" = 1', now that's clear. But in one of the scale you see 16, which should mean 16" = 1', but no, those measurement is exactly a 1:1 scale so it should be 12 (which means 12" = 1') instead of 16, right?. has STAEDLER made a mistake or is it just stupid ol' me? Can anybody help me?

Answer 1

It's possible that the '16' scale is a 1:1 scale, with 16 divisions per inch, i.e. its smallest markings are 1/16" apart, and it probably has slightly longer 1/8" markings, and similarly longer 1/4" and 1/2" too.

I agree, it's confusing at first having to work in both SI and British units, but that's life in North America: engineering, printing, and all kinds of other fields still predominantly use the old system and that won't change until years after the US goes metric — which should be in two or three million years, I figure. :-)

Answer 2

I think you will find if you go and look in a store, there will be rules that have 32 for 32nd of an inch markings and if you find an engineering rule it will have 10 for 10 divisions to the inch.

  If you think about it, a "scale" of 16" to 1' is absurd in real use, where the drawing is 25% larger than the original.

Answer 3

I have my staedtler right here and agree that it is 1:1 with divisions going down to 1/16".