Planimeters - Area Measuring Tool

Planimeters are excellent area measuring tools to use when you measure irregular shaped areas on plans or drawings. If you want to trace around an irregular shape, like a swimming pool, golf course green, storm water management ponds, an organ or tumor on an x-ray, planimeters are the tool of choice. You simply set your scales up, then trace around the objects perimeter, and close the loop. The planimeter will tell you the square units of area within the loop.

Many people try to avoid using a planimeter by making rectangles and triangles in their irregular shape. This only estimates the area and it is a time consuming process. But with a planimeter, you get accurate results, and done quickly. You'll be surprised at exactly how accurate a planimeter is. They are considered an excellent area measuring device.

Blueprint Hanging Clamps

Blueprint Hanging Clamps that clamp and hold blueprints, or any large document, are key to keeping sets of drawings organized and readily available for reference. Hanging Clamps have also been known to be called "Drawing Sticks", "Plan Clamps", or "Plan Sticks" by those that work in the AEC (Architectural, Engineering, Construction) Industry. Basically speaking, hanging clamps come in various sizes, which are the length of the clamp. They come in lengths of 18", 24", 30", 36", and 48" and usually they are sold in cartons of six. Meaning you buy one carton of clamps, you get six clamps. Most hanging stands (also known as blueprint racks) hold 12 clamps. This means you would buy 2 cartons which equate to 12 clamps, which 1 blueprint rack would hold. Most customers buy one blueprint rack, and two cartons of clamps.

Now, about the size of the clamps, if you have a 24"x36" drawing size or set, you would consider the 24" side of the drawings the binding or clamping side. So, you'd want to buy 24" clamps for your 24" x 36" drawings. But, many people realize that they will be hanging 24"x36" and 30"x42" drawings (both are very popular drawing sizes for construction drawings), so they buy the 30" clamps which will hold either size drawing. With the 30" , if you clamp and hang a 24"x36" drawing by its 24" side, then you have 3" of clamp overhang on each end (30 - 24 = 6") of your drawing. Hopefully this explanation makes sense. Clamps cannot be adjusted in length. You buy the hanging clamps for the size of the drawings you wish to hang.

Laser Distance Measuring Tools

Laser Distance Measuring Tools are also time-saving tools. They quick measure a room, a building, or any distance that you have a target to point them at.

The Stanley TLM100 goes to about 100 feet.

The Stanley TLM200 goes to about 100 but has greater accuracy, and offers a pythagoras feature. This feature allows you to point at one corner of a building and take a measurement, and then point at the other corner of the same building, and then press the pythagoras button and the TLM will calculate the distance between those two points. It uses the Pythagorean theorem to figure the triangular measurement between where you are standing and the two points and figured the side of the triangle which the distance you're wanting to get. A very handy feature.

The Stanley TLM300 has the same pythagoras feature as the TLM-200, but offers greater accuracy than either the TLM100 or the TLM200, and a measuring distance of about 600 feet!

Blueprint Binding Machines and Binding Equipment

Our Blueprint Binding Machines will fold blueprint binding strips for you. These are time-saving machines!

Rotary Trimmers Make Great Photo Trimmers for Christmas Gifts

Rolling Trimmers are considered the new generation of paper cutters. Designed for safety and accuracy, the cutting blades are encased in a plastic housing that virtually eliminates the chance of personal injury. The rotary action allows the blade to cut in either direction and sharpen itself as it cuts. It's this self-sharpening action that produces a clean burr-free cut and guarantees many years of smooth precise cutting. These types of trimmers make excellent photo trimmers for trimming and cutting photos on photo paper, and also photos from digital camera photo printers.

Photo Trimmers make excellent Christmas Gifts!

Light Boxes & Light Tables

Light Boxes and Light Tables are great for laying your drawings on them and making tracings. Also great for any time you want to reference two drawings against one another and compare overlays. They also work great when you have photo slides that you want to lay out and organize them prior to presentations.

Of course we have sold light boxes and light tables to engineers and architects for overlaying blueprints, surveys, and topo maps, but lately we've seen new customers and new uses. For example, we have sold Light Boxes and Light Tables to Tattoo Studios for tracing tattoo patterns, we have sold them to Photographers that use them to overlay prints and also sort slides before placing them in a slide projectors carousel. We have even sold them to fabric shops that use them to trace fabric patterns for cloth. We have customers that are always finding new uses for Lightboxes and Lighttables. If you have a new use for a light table or light box, please let us know. We're always interested in finding out new uses for them.

Heres our selection of light boxes and light tables

Is Excellent Customer Service a Back Rub?

I thought I would take a moment and write some thoughts about customer service, and what some views are about it. First, any company that provides a service or product, can provide a level of customer service. Of course, that's a given. But, the real question is, what level of customer service does a company provide? Some companies provide very low levels, and some provide middle-ground, and some go all out and provide top-notch service to the customer.

We try at all times to provide the best customer service that we can. When I train any of our employees, I tell them to pretend that the customer on the line is their Mother or Father and to provide answers and care to them from that point of view. I know this can be taken to extremes but my general point is, treat the customer in a manner that you would be honest, take the time to answer questions, and get to a solution with careful forethought.

The problems that occur with relationships between customer and company today can sometimes arise out of what I've seen is where sometimes it appears a customer is almost demanding customer service. If you take a moment and think about the relationship a company and a customer has, it's a relationship built on trust, and mutual respect. It is very much a relationship and the word relationship by definition means; a connection, association, or involvement. With that said, customer service should not be demanded. It should be a given. It should be the starting point of a new relationship. From there, you can both whittle it down to a zig-zag if you both want to, but the best is for both parties to keep the high level of the relationship there. Just like a back-rub. Isn't it better to give a back rub to someone without it being demanded? Same way with providing excellent customer service. We provide it, but when it's demanded, we still provide it, but the relationship is healthier when it's not demanded by someone.

Pacific Laser Systems

I met with our account manager from Pacific Laser Systems last week and learned a lot about their Laser Level Products. Just when you think you have a good handle how lasers can save time and increase accuracy, you learn a bit more. Pacific Laser Systems lasers seem to me to have a nice fit in the marketplace. All of their laser products are self-leveling and are built very sturdy. The body of the lasers are nicely built with heavy-gauge material and I can imagine they'd handle a few drops to the floor and maybe only need a laser recalibration or adjustment depending on how far it was dropped and what it landed on.

Each time I work with a Laser level, I realize just how amazing they really are. Saves time and increases accuracy at the same time! They are just like front-end loaders on tractors in that you seem to always be finding new uses for them every time you use them. I've seen contractors use laser levels indoors and out, and lately have heard of other users such as the people that install rigging for stages, such as light and speaker rigging for concerts! I've even heard of manufacturers using laser levels in manufacturing where they use the laser to show the exact spot to cut material, or fasten parts, or even for clearance within the warehouse itself. The uses for these levels are almost infinite.

Take the time to read over our article about Construction Lasers here.

View all of the products we have that are made by Pacific Laser Systems

Schonstedt Underground Locators Explained

Just published an article about Schonstedt Underground Locators. I took the time to briefly lay out the differences in the Schonstedt Magnetic Locators, and the Pipe & Cable Locators.

Read the article here

Construction Laser Levels Explained

Got a new article posted online last week. It's about Construction Laser Levels.

Read the article here

Safety Vests and Utility Vests

Safety Vests, Utility Vests, Reflective Vests, Traffic Safety Vests, ANSI Safety Vests, Surveying Vests, are all vests that offer visibility and safety on the job site. These recommended safety devices are available in a variety of colors such as orange, yellow, red, and reflective high-visibility fluorescent materials.

View our selection of Safety and Utility Vests here

David White Surveying Products

The David White name is known for high-quality surveying equipment, made for the serious professional. The David White company provides productivity tools for layout, leveling, and measuring within the construction and surveying industries.

David White's line of products include:

Rotating construction lasers, levels, level-transits, automatic levels, automatic level-transits, tripods including premium, performance, value line and specialty models, direct elevation leveling rods, laser detectors, torpedo level lasers, hand levels, and plumb bobs.

View all David White Surveying Instruments here

Elan Publishing Surveying Field Books, Level Books, Cross Section Books, and Mining Transit Books

Elan Publishing Surveying Field Books, Level Books, Cross Section Books, and Mining Transit Books are now available at EngineerSupply.com. High-quality and built to last, these books work well for taking field notes, or keeping a survey journal. They're also great for working cross sections, sketching ideas for a new design, or recording existing conditions.

View all Elan Books here

Acculine Pro Laser Levels Now Sold by EngineerSupply

AccuLine Pro laser levels are precision measurement devices that offer professional accuracy and high-visibility lasers. Some models offer user-friendly features like scan modes, slope modes, and automatic leveling. Some Rotary Laser Level models offer GreenBrite Technology lasers, which means its 400% brighter than red beam laser levels.

View all Acculine Pro Laser Level Products

Gagne Light Tables

Gagne Light Boxes and tables are versatile tools used widely in the craft, art, photography, surveying, engineering, and wood craft markets. They are very handy to have within an engineering, surveying, construction firm, as they help with sorting slides for presentations, overlaying maps and sketches, and comparing two maps at once.

View all Light Tables and Boxes here

New Product - The Manager 37-9 Rolled Document Storage

The Manager 37-9 is a new product introduced this past week. Its the same as the Manager 37, but it has a different partition size inner-contruction. The partititions on the Manager 37 has sixteen cubbie holes for storing rolled documents. But, the new Manager 37-9 has NINE cubbie holes for storing rolled documents. The new configuration is an answer to customers requests for being able to store larger sized rolled documents. Each of the nine cubbie holes are 5.25" x 5.25" square.


View the Manager 37-9 Here

Victor Calculators are now part of the EngineerSupply product line

Victor Calculators are now part of the EngineerSupply product line. Victor is an American company with a continuing tradition of excellence for over 80 years. Victor has offered the most extensive line of reliable, and versatile business calculators. We represent Victor Calculators line of professional, commercial, home & office and educational calculators. These exciting, state-of-the-art products offer sleek, contemporary styling, responsive touch keyboards, crystal clear displays and a high-quality feel.

Click here to View all Victor Calculators we carry

EngineerSupply Supplies Dahle Brand Scissors

EngineerSupply Supplies Dahle Brand Scissors. Dahle brand scissors are some of the best we've seen so far! These are German made, very tough, stay extremely sharp, and are highly recommended by the EngineerSupply Product Team.

Click here to view all Dahle Scissors

Safco EClipz Blueprint Clip ID Tags

Each Safco EClipz holder comes with a blank label so you can identify exactly which documents you have without having to unroll them. Simply mark your label and secure your documents with a EClipz holder. EClipz are available in black hard plastic material. Circle shaped white labels are included. Eclipz are sold per carton and each carton comes with 50 clips and 50 labels. The EClipz Dimensions are: 1-1/8" Diameter x 2-3/8" Long.

National Printfast Field Books

EngineerSupply now sells National Printfast Engineers/Surveyors Field Books

National Printfast field books are designed to meet the needs of the professional. National Printfast field book covers and binders are heavy-duty, and are colored with an easy-to-locate yellow vinyl plastic. The Field Book pages are printed with waterproof inks on heavy, water resistant stock. National Printfast FieldBooks and binders are available in a variety of sizes and formats. The loose-leaf binders offer flexibility since the pages can be separated and filed alphabetically or by subject. These binders also allow the engineer to send original notes, or carbon duplicates, to the office while using the book on the job site.


View National Printfast Field Books here

EngineerSupply Now Carries Dutch Hill Tripods

EngineerSupply.com now carries and sells Dutch Hill brand Surveying Tripods. All Dutch Hill Surveying Tripods are made with composite parts for superior strength. The result is a product that will provide a stable and accurate platform and provide many years of service.

Dutch Hill Surveying Tripods are used by surveyors, construction crews, the military and photographers. Dutch Hill makes their tripods from materials that offer excellent dimensional stability and resistance to harsh conditions like cold, moisture and chemicals. With this high-quality construction, and attention to details, Dutch Hill Tripods are considered by many to be the best available.

View all Dutch Hill Surveying Tripods here

Dahle Premium Guilllotine with Laser Model 564

Dahle Lever Style Cutters are the choice of professionals and have many thoughtful features such as ;

Cuts up to 40 sheets of paper at a time

Laser guided line will show exactly where the cut will be

Ratcheting paper clamp will lock the material in place until it is manually released

Ground self-sharpening blade made of Solingen Steel

Sturdy blade will not fly up or drop down unexpectantly

Rotary guard covers the blade throughout the entire cutting process-The ultimate safety device

Adjustable backstop

Sturdy metal base with preprinted guides

Engineering, Surveying, Mining, and Level Field Books

High-Quality Surveying, Mining, Level and Field Books for when you want to record data while out in the field and return to the office. These hardback field books are sturdy!

Crain Wire Pulling Gopher Pole

The Gopher Pole by Crain is a one-of-a-kind fiberglass, telescopic wire installation tool used by electrical companies, telephone companies, computer companies, alarm installers, and wire installers. It's great for pulling wire, cable, ethernet cables, and phone lines above drop ceilings.

Calculated Industries DigiRoller Plus II

The Calculated Industries DigiRoller Plus II is an awesome Distance Measuring Wheel. We've played with one here at the office, and used one in the field. Anyone can get fast, accurate measurements for on-site linear, area and volume estimates with the DigiRoller Plus II Measuring Wheel. Built-in functions automatically calculate and store square footage, cubic volumes and more for up to 9 different areas.

One of the best features about the Digiroller Plus II is that it works and converts in all Imperial and Metric units. Before you start measuring, you can push a button and select Feet-Inches, Decimal Feet, Decimal Inches, Yards, Meters, or Acres. The LCD panel has light if you're in a low lit or dim area or time of day. The handle and rolling feel solid and positive. After rolling a few measurements, I put the kickstand down and leaned the Digiroller on it so I could use both hands and write my measurements down on paper, a very nice feature. Also, I found I could roll a length, press L, then roll another length and press W, then press LxW and get the square area of the area I just measured two sides of. Very nice since it saved me from having to walk the other two sides. Within minutes of using and testing the Digiroller Plus II, I was wanting one for myself.

Click here to view the Calculated Industries DigiRoller Plus II

Field Books

High-Quality Surveying, Mining, Level and Field Books.

A pocket estimators tape with 1/4 and 1/8 architect scales. A great little tape to have in your pocket if you're an engineer, architect, estimator, contractor, or surveyor. They come in handy real quick.

Pacific Arc Pocket Estimators Tape

Wood Flat Files

We now sell Wooden Flat Files by Mayline, a leader in Document Storage Solutions. Mayline Wood Plan Files combine the natural beauty and finish of wood with the strength and durability of hardwood construction. Mayline Wood Plan Files are finished with select cuts of kiln-dried Red Oak. The units feature a hardboard bottom, rear hood, and smooth working wood drawer runs.

These units add a warmth and attractivness to any professional office space.

View the Wood Flat Files by clicking here.

Exciting New Product by Scalex

We just started selling an Exciting New Product by Scalex. The Scalex Scale-Link Wireless. It's the same Scalex quality, but now with a wireless connection from your computer to the plan measuring tool.

The industry standard take-off tool for entering linear measurements from your blueprints, maps, or plans into any Windows program. Just roll the scaler wheel along your print, then click to instantly transfer the measurement into your program.

Scale-Link Wireless contains everything you need to get started. The included PlanWheel can be used remotely in the field or interfaced with your PC at distances of up to 25 feet.

Remember the Trebuchet?

Remember the trebuchet, the original siege engine? It's back and ready to put your physics muscles to the test. Custom build your own TREB to take on three separate challenges: distance, accuracy, and power. Pretty cool stuff!

I know this has nothing to do with engineering products and supplies, but hey, it's engineering none the less right? Thought so.

ROLLabels - AKA Blueprint ID Tags

No matter what kind of rolled documents you have to label or store, or what kind of identification system you use, ROLLabels will get you organized quickly. Made of index card material, they will end the identification crisis with your rolled documents.


They come in the sizes of SR (Senior) Version, and the JR (Junior) Version.

Calculated Industries Construction Master Pro Trig 4080

The all new Construction Master Pro Trig 4080 feet-inch-fraction calculator will simplify the most complex design featuring a protective hard case, this powerful new Construction Master helps get the job done right the first time! From design and engineering to estimating and bidding, this easy-to-use tool can help solve any construction-math problem quickly, simply and accuately.

This is a great tool that we sell often. We highly recommend the Pro Trig 4080.

New Product Alert - The TrussFile Storage Solution

The TrussFile is made by Advanced Organizing Systems, Inc. and is now sold by EngineerSupply. The TrussFile is designed for stackable easy access for rolled documents such as blueprints and construction drawings, and provides economical and durable permanent storage of prints, graphics, art, maps, film, and other items. The "trussed interior" forms individual compartments and provides exceptional stacking strength. The label area on the end flap enables easy identification and organization. End access provides easy retrieval of documents when stacked. The modular design allows easy relocation in office, in permanent storage, or in a vehicle. Individual units may be used vertically.
The TrussFile is made from attractive white corrugated cardboard with deep gray lettering. Each TrussFile has 7 large and 2 small triangular compartments and is packaged 2 units per package for a total of 18 compartments. Large compartments store up to 4" rolls and small compartments up to 2.5" rolls. Multiple smaller rolls can be stored in the compartments.

Two Sizes are available (shipped flat):
TrussFile25 — 2/Pkg — (29"W x 6.5"H x 27"D)
TrussFile37 — 2/Pkg — (29"W x 6.5"H x 39"D)

Tumblers Make Great Gifts

I bought some Tumblers with the Virginia Tech logo on them and they are great. Keeps hot stuff hot, and cold stuff cold. Almost indestructible from what I can tell.

Check them out here

I'll get back to discussing Engineering and Surveying Equipment very soon, but thought I'd mention the tumbler find.

Making Something Out of Nothing

Another one of my life lessons...

I've worked for several architectural, engineering, surveying firms in the past, and some firms only handled local projects and were small 20 person companies. Some firms were large with multiple floors of architects and engineering handling very large projects many states away.

When I started working for the first firm as a civil cad tech, which was a large firm, I always had the luxury of having nice aerial photography, localized topos, ability to send field crews back out for additional survey information. One thing that stands out in my mind is the lesson of being able to forge ahead on a project with minimal information. I learned this valuable lesson from a coworker at a smaller engineering firm I was employed at. Being spoiled to the large firms methods, I would easily balk during the startup of a project when I didn't have all the information I thought I needed. A coworker, Mike, taught me that I could forge ahead and continue working on a project with minimal information instead of throwing my hands up and saying "this cannot be done!". We worked on projects, made educated interpolations or would make do until we were able to get better information. We completed projects on time with necessary approval, within budget, and we kept a clean track record by not getting sued by the client or anyone else. The lesson of being able to continue working and make something out of almost minimal information was a valuable lesson to me. It falls right in line with the entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to forge ahead and make something while others will simply say "it cannot be done".

EngineerSupply Adds Construction Lasers to Store

The first week of January 2006, EngineerSupply added Construction Lasers to its webstore.

A construction laser is a level which emits one or more laser beams through its rotating aperture(s) to create a level reference plane. They can be used outdoors or indoors and can greatly reduce the leveling time. Construction Lasers come in all shapes and sizes, and vary with the type of job that one would want to complete. Lasers come in the types of Manual Level Lasers, Self-Leveling Lasers, Split-Beam Lasers, Horizontal Lasers and Rotary Lasers.

EngineerSupply only sells quality namebrand products like Stanley, CST/Berger, and Pacific Laser Systems.