• CaliperMidiendo image by andoni from Fotolia.com
  
  Most people have used a tape measure at one point or another to measure for appliances, curtains or furniture. But very few have any need for specialty measuring tools that are considered nonstandard, simply because they are not used by the general public. These tools perform very specific measuring tasks.
  
  

Micrometers

• Dial of a micrometermicrometer image by Stanisa Martinovic from Fotolia.com
  
  Micrometers are used to measure very small increments needed when dealing with very precise calibrations. One side is stationary and the other has a screw that moves a dial that when it touches the object, shows the measurement down to 1/100 mm. Specific examples of the use of a micrometer are pistons, machine bolts, blade thickness and drill bits.
  
  

Triangle Drafting Ruler

• A triangle drafting ruler is used to draw blue prints to scale or measure them for estimating purposes. Each side of the triangle represents a different scale. The most common scales on triangle drafting rulers are 1/8, 1/4 and 1/2, but other scales can be measured easily with this tool and a little basic math. The scale indicates what the measurement represents. For example, 1/8 scale means 1 foot = 1/8 inch. Triangle rulers are also available in metric and sometimes combined, where one edge will be metric based and the other U.S. customary units.
  
  

Range Finder

• Range finders are relatively new tools that incorporate a laser that bounces off an object back to the range finder and reporting the distance. This tool is used by sports enthusiasts such as golfers, hunters and hikers. Forestry services and construction surveyors have a more complex version of the range finder, which along with displaying the distance, will display the height difference from where you stand to the object you are targeting, making grading, drainage and other environmental aspects of construction easier to gauge. When set up properly, a range finder can measure up to 6,500 feet from its current position.