"OG" wrote in message
...

"Rich" wrote in message
...
No response from UK.d-i-y, so I'll try my luck here. :c)

I bought a cheap open reel surveyors type tape measure, but I'm not
sure
how to use it.

Top part has a handle grip section, and at the opposite end is a kind
of
pointer.

Like this:

http://bigslickdeals.com/images/cham...apemeasure.jpg

One side of the tape measures in feet and inches and zero is at the
tape
end. Other side measures in metres and cm but zero is about 32cm from
the end of the tape.

How am I supposed to use this tape meaure. In particular, I cannot
fathom how to use the metric side of the tape measure. .

Either there is a reason that metres scale starts 32cm from the tape
end
or it's a production fault. I just don't know.Thanks

Mine is the same. I suppose you can always add 32cm to the metric
reading.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/i...79903031&s=diy

Here you see that the 10cm mark is 10cm from the end.

I think that all tapes like ours whose metric measures are not marked
zero at the end are in error. So, you just have to add 32 cm like you
say.