A carpenter's rule from the mid-1800's made of wood with copper alloy hinges.
From the dailyherald.com
The latter, a long-standing and deceptively complex problem, asks whether every shape formed by folding lines linked by hinges, as in a carpenter's rule, can be unfolded.
From the time.com
The illustrations on this page show a 2-meter carpenter's rule which folds down to a length of 24 cm to easily fit in a pocket, and a 5-meter-long tape which retracts into a small housing.