Toward a metric to-morrow

[David Dundas]

Here is a picture of a metric ruler emblazoned with the slogan "Toward a metric tomorrow", that was distributed free by the US Air Force in the 1970's as a recruiting tool. What went wrong? How disillusioned all those bright-eyed recruits must be now to find that the metric tomorrow never arrived.:)

[Randal Stevenson]

We do have Metric to a limited extent. Pretty much any automobile.
Otherwise, it went the way of Esperanza.

[Curt Harms]

I've recently purchased 2 pieces of equipment, Rikon Band Saw & Ridgid MSUV. Both have metric fasteners. Imported equipment used to use what appeared to be metric heads but SAE threads. The newer stuff is metric heads and metric threads. At least that's the way it looks.

[Mitchell Andrus]

You mean Esperanto

[Mitchell Andrus]

We'll all be speaking metric soon - we don't manufacture anything anymore. He who writes the music, calls the next tune.

[Keith Cope]

Metric is going to be the only system of measurement permitted when we get to the new paperless society!

[Jim Becker]

In addition to automotive and aviation, metric is alive and well in research and the medical community. It's all around us, but the general public...generally...avoids it. My second grader is learning metric/inch conversions "as we speak"...

I'm actually toying with trying to do a project completely in metric given my slider fence has both scales and my Festool stuff only has metric markings. In my copious free time, of course...

[Al Willits]

I just wish they'd hurry up and go one way or another, I've had two set of tools for many years dealing with some metric, some not and its getting boring, not to mention expensive.
Al

[Bruce Boone]

What's interesting is to see the difference in tooling and raw stock pricing in this country. You can buy a fractional size endmill for a certain price, but the metric equivalent is usually about double the price. The same goes for raw barstock of most materials. The metric stuff is much more expensive. I find that decimal inch works just fine for smaller stuff but can easily convert metric stuff to inch if I have to.

[Curt Harms]

In addition to automotive and aviation, metric is alive and well in research and the medical community. It's all around us, but the general public...generally...avoids it. My second grader is learning metric/inch conversions "as we speak"...

I'm actually toying with trying to do a project completely in metric given my slider fence has both scales and my Festool stuff only has metric markings. In my copious free time, of course...

Hi Jim

Aviation isn't metric, at least the General Aviation stuff. GA uses AN sized fasteners. I'm not a mechanic and am not sure of the relationship, but I think that system uses x/16ths or x/32nds. i.e. AN 8 would be 8/32 or 1/4". I don't know how Airbus, Daussault etc. work.

Curt

[Keith Outten]

No Metrics for me, I don't buy metric fasteners and try not to use them.

.

[Joe Pelonio]

No Metrics for me, I don't buy metric fasteners and try not to use them.

.
I'd do the same if I could, but when working on the laser, I have to use both standard and metric allen wrenches.

[Bruce Boone]

No Metrics for me, I don't buy metric fasteners and try not to use them.

.

It's also hard to find those metric Crescent wrenches. ;)

[John Schreiber]

What went wrong?
What went wrong is that the ruler is metric on one side and inch (the size of three barley corns or the king's thumb, depending on who you ask) on the other side. If we just went cold turkey we'd adjust in a week. Instead years later we're still teaching kids to convert and losing productivity and competitiveness.

Does anyone else in the world want to buy American products which use a different system of measurement than the rest of the entire world?

[Joe Mioux]

It's a conspiracy to make us all buy more tools. :p

[Randal Stevenson]

It's a conspiracy to make us all buy more tools. :p

They need a conspiracy for that? LOL


I would have been a founding member of the toolaholics group, but I was out getting tools that day.:D

[Norris Randall]

Duhaa, How do you tell metric time ? :rolleyes: :D

[John Hemenway]

What went wrong is that the ruler is metric on one side and inch (the size of three barley corns or the king's thumb, depending on who you ask) on the other side. If we just went cold turkey we'd adjust in a week. Instead years later we're still teaching kids to convert and losing productivity and competitiveness.

Does anyone else in the world want to buy American products which use a different system of measurement than the rest of the entire world?

Right on, John! It's an interesting study in human nature. Taking the risk to learn something new!

It reminds me of learning to touch type. If you look at the keyboard, you'll never learn to touch type.

Take the risk, jump off the cliff, GO METRIC!

[Richard Keller]

Right on, John! It's an interesting study in human nature. Taking the risk to learn something new!

It reminds me of learning to touch type. If you look at the keyboard, you'll never learn to touch type.

Take the risk, jump off the cliff, GO METRIC!

Cause it was too easy to just stay with what everyone knew?

Seriously though, I don't think it matters. There is so much old stuff out there with standard fasteners, we will never be able to become fully metric.

Richard.

[Mark Pruitt]

...are the metric socket sets with 1/4" drive, or 3/8" or 1/2" drives. Seems a bit schizo to me.:rolleyes: :p

I keep hoping that any complete system changeover will be delayed until I'm long gone...

[Rick Gibson]

Here in Canada we went metric years ago but I still seem to need tools for both systems though. The odometer in my car is marked in both systems and I can switch the electronics to show in either system. Being an old fogey I am more comfortable using inches, pounds, miles etc but having worked in the nuclear and chemical industry for years I am fluent in metric. My son (33) understands the concept of inches/feet miles etc but converts everything to metric. If I mention miles or inches my grandchildren give me strange looks they don't have a clue what I am talking about.