What is measurement?

The modification of planning and drawing of the construction project into the various descriptions and quantities to estimate the value, cost, and price of the project is known as measurement. The quantity supervisor produces the details of the quantities to the contractor or subcontractor to measure the cost of the work and determine the profit of the contractor or subcontractor. The measurement of the construction work depends on its type, usage, and stages in the project. In the early stage of the project, the details of the project depend on the general parameters. As the work starts, more information is searched and the details are dependent on the elemental estimates of the work.  

There should be a uniform method to measure the quantities to facilitate consistency and avoid the chances of errors. The standard method of measurement should provide adequate information to construct the description of the work and should define the standard unit of measurement for the items. It also defines standard terms and rules to make the measurement methods that are easy and accurately measured. The standard method of measurement gives specific data to construct the information and specification of the structure.

Measuring carpentry items

Hand tools

Hand tools are those tools that are operated by the hand of the person to perform a particular job. It requires manual work and does not work on a motor. The hand tools are useful to regulate the pressure on the job for cutting, shaping, and designing the carpentry work. It includes drills, chisels, hammers, saws, pliers, punch, wrench, and levels.

Drills

A drill is a hand tool that consists of a rotating drill that drills holes in the materials. The other end of the drill is gripped by the labor and is pressured against the material and drilled. The drill cuts the targeted material according to the measured size, siding away from the shavings and grinding off the materials.
They are commonly used for woodworking and metalworking. They are usually used in hard materials like masonry, stones, or rocks. They can also be used in boreholes in the earth to acquire oil and water from the underground. They can be powered manually or by using electricity or compressed air. The types of drills are drill press, geared head drill, radial arm drill, and mill drill.

Chisel

A chisel is a type of hand tool that is used for cutting edges of a hard material like wood, stone, or metal and for carving off the material. It consists of a sharp blade on one end and a handle that is made of wood or metal on another end.

The sharp-edged blades are forced in to cut the material. This force can be applied by the carpenter manually or using a mallet or hammer. The chisel can be classified into different types based on its blade’s width, length, hardness, and shape. A hydraulic ram is used for industrial purposes to support the chisel to cut the material. A gouge is a special type of chisel that is used for woodworking, wood-turning, and for sculptures to cut the material into small pieces and for creating concave surfaces. 

• Woodworking chisels – These types of chisels are used for very small and sharp details to large cutting of the materials into the desired pattern and design. Slick is the largest type of chisel that is used for wood framing and wood ship building. The woodworking chisel can be classified into various types on the basis of their function such as butt chisel, carving chisels, corner chisels, flooring chisels, framing slick, mortise chisel, paring chisel, and skew chisel. The corner chisel resembles a punch and has an L-shaped cutting edge and cleans out the square holes, mortise and corners with 90 degree angles.

• Metalworking chisels – These types of chisels are used for cutting and designing metal materials. These can be hot chisels and cold chisels. A cold chisel is made of steel for cutting cold metals and is referred to as a coal chisel. They vary in size and are used for giving cutting edges to the metal. A hot chisel is used to cut metal that has been heated to soften the metal.

Other miscellaneous items

Hammer

A hammer is a hand tool that is used for driving nails, fitting the parts, and breaking the objects. They are designed according to their shape, size, and structure and can be used as a weapon. There is a weight on one side and a handle on the other side. It may have a second striking surface or a claw or wedge for different purposes. Hammers are operated manually and can be mechanically operated for heavy loads and structures. The manually powered hammers are Milkman’s hammers, Carpenter’s hammer, Upholstery hammer, Construction Hammer, and Drilling Hammer. The mechanically operated hammers are Jack Hammer, Steam Hammer, and Hammer drill.

Saw

A saw is a hand tool for cutting wood or other hard material. It is made of a blade that has a cutting toothed edge. A saw can be worked manually or by steam, water, or electric power. The set of the saw is the teeth that are bent to a specific angle and it depends on the design and type of cut for the measured material. They can be classified according to their uses and sizes. They can be hand-powered saws and mechanically powered. The hand-powered saws include Hand Saws and Back Saws. The mechanically powered saws are Circular blade saws and Reciprocating blade saws.

Pliers

A plier is a hand tool that is used primarily for gripping, turning, pulling, or crimping things. A tong is a plier that is used to handle hot objects safely. A plier consists of a pair of handles, a pivot, and the head section that grips the object. It is made up of steel alloys with additives like vanadium or chromium to improve alloy strength and prevent corrosion. A plier includes Gripping pliers, Cutting pliers, Crimping pliers, and Rotational pliers.

Estimation of measurement

The measurement of quantity and their estimation is required to calculate the expenses and investment accurately to measure the cost of any project. The main objective is to estimate the cost of the project beforehand. The accuracy in the estimation deals with proper planning and drawing of the project. The details of the items are very precisely studied and estimated. Once the estimation is done, the quantity can be multiplied by the standard rates of the items to obtain the fund required to build any project.

Context and Application

The construction estimation and measuring work is an important topic in the study of –

• Bachelors of Technology in Material Engineering
• Bachelors of Technology in Construction Engineering
• Masters of Technology in Material Engineering
• Masters of Technology in Construction Engineering

Practice Problems

Q 1. Select the incorrect statement about the standard method of measurement of work.

1. It should provide adequate information about the description of the work.
2. It defines the standard unit of measurement for the items. 
3. It defines methods that are easy and accurate. 
4. It gives detailed and costly specifications of the structure.

Answer- Option a

Explanation- The standard method of measurement gives specific data to construct the information and specification of the structure. 

Q 2. Which of the following is an example of a hammer?

1. Hammer Drill
2. Drill Press
3. Geared Head Drill 
4. Radial Arm Drill

Answer- Option a

Explanation- The manually powered hammers are Milkman’s hammers, Carpenter’s hammer, Upholstery hammer, Construction Hammer, and Drilling Hammer. The mechanically operated hammers are Jack Hammer, Steam Hammer, and Hammer drill.

Q 3. Which measurement tools help to obtain oil from the Earth?

1. Chisels
2. Drills
3. Hammers
4. Saws

Answer- Option b

Explanation- Drills are used to obtain oil and water from the Earth. 

Q 4. Which is not an example of a woodworking chisel?

1. Cold chisels
2. Corner chisels
3. Flooring chisels
4. Framing slick

Answer- Option a

Explanation- The metalworking chisels are cold chisels and hot chisels. The woodworking chisels are butt chisels, carving chisels, corner chisels, flooring chisels, framing slick, mortise chisels, paring chisels, and skew chisel.

Q 5. Which is an example of a mechanically powered hammer?

1. Milkman’s hammers
2. Carpenter’s hammer
3. Upholstery hammer
4. Jack Hammer

Answer- Option d

Explanation- The manually powered hammers are Milkman’s hammers, Carpenter’s hammer, Upholstery hammer, Construction Hammer, and Drilling Hammer.