Vintage Chesterman Tape Measure

Forget the beard, the flannel shirt and the bib & brace overalls, and go full-tilt Hipster builder with this really cool vintage Chesterman tape measure...Forged in Sheffield, England, the traditional home of British steel, this old-school  20' measuring tape is all leather and steel with a manual wind-up brass handle, definitely no plastic on this bad-boy...! It's in great condition and in perfect working order, making it the perfect compliment to your hand plane and crosscut saw.

A bit of history......James Chesterman (1795–1867) was an English metal worker who, in 1821, received a British patent for a method of using a spring to rewind measuring tapes. Chesterman's 1853 patented process for heat-treating long strips of steel led to the manufacture of steel tapes that remained virtually unchanged for over 50 years.   In 1871, Chesterman tapes were definitely regarded as the best on the market, but at $17, their "great cost prevented their general use".