Gone metric?

[Myk Rian]

Holy crimaninny people. Just carry 2 crescent wrenches around.
Good ones, so you don't round off the corners.

[Thomas McCurnin]

Imperial for everything, except anything under a 1/16th of an inch, in which case I use my Starret dial indicator, which now that I think about it, is imperial, too, except in thousands.

[Jim Becker]

You should really only see the "interesting" metric measurements on things that have been converted. When you do your own work and design as metric from the start, that's really not a factor. And the same is true in reverse. So when you need to match a particular size "something", use the measurement units that make the most sense. That's why when I'm working for a client, I use their dimensioning choice if they have one. For my own work...I'm 100% metric now and outside of some CNC things with greater precision, I've not had to do anything smaller than a half-millimeter

[Jim Becker]

And...I really, really, REALLY, don't understand why some folks get so angry in a discussion like this. USE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU! There's no "wrong" with either Metric or Imperial unless you, the user, screws up. You still have to measure twice and cut once with both systems...

[Alex Zeller]

You picked your numbers because it works in your favor. The same thing can be said about inches: 1 meter is 39.3701inches. Which one is easier to remember?
This way of comparing the two system is pointless. There is a reason that the rest of the world has gone metric.

You missed my point. Rarely do you work with a board exactly 1 meter or 1 foot. With the imperial system you break the number up. For example you don't say a board is 1 meter, 3 decimeters, 2 centimeters, and 5 millimeters. You just say 1.325 meters or 132.5 centimeters. With imperial it's broken up. 3 feet 2 1/16 inches. Either is fine but when you are use to breaking it up, aka imperial style, seeing the large numbers used by the metric system can be hard to get comfortable with.

There's no doubt that there's compromises with the imperial system. When laying out a bookshelf you have to accept that you need to work to the nearest 1/16 of an inch. Adding and subtracting fractions can be difficult if you are not comfortable doing so. Using what you feel is right for you is the answer. When your brain is condition to drive on the left side of the road and all your life driving on the left is all you've done the rest of the world driving on the right you have to relearn. Not impossible but clearly it's easier for some.

[John Gornall]

And then there's the old carpenter's measuring system - cut it 16 inches strong.

[mreza Salav]

Alex, I totally agree everybody is more comfortable to use the system they are used to. I am a mathematician and am very comfortable with numbers in any system. I am grown up with metric but use imperial for construction and even often for woodworking, but I don't agree any of the arguments put forward for imperial system. If one is used to it and finds it difficult to switch, by all means use it. Just don't claim numbers are easier in that system. Numbers are numbers.
The drawback of working with fractions (in imperial system) is that it is inherently based on powers of 2 (1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, etc), it is like trying to work with numbers in binary (base 2), compared to decimal base (base 10) which the metric system is mostly based on. Each of mm, cm, meter, etc are based on division in base 10. Nice thing is if you want smaller than mm you can simply write 0.02 (which is again base 10 divisions). Feet is 12 inch and then you break inch into fractions of base 2 and if it becomes too small then you work with fractions of base 10 (0.01" or 0.002"), etc.

[Brian Holcombe]

I typically do layout in fractions but cutout in decimal inches. Decimal inches, being the finer scale, are quite helpful in that regard.

I like the metric system for its logical progression (move the decimal place to change the unit) and imperial for practicality in building and layout. A lot of layout is division, so to me it makes sense to use a factional system for that.

[Joe Calhoon]

Interesting discussion, and I agree it should be a discussion and not a argument. If you want to switch to metric I think it depends on a lot of things. If you are a hobby woodworker, a one man artisan or a company with employees there will be much pro and con for each situation.

I have been working mostly metric for about 15 years now. What drove me to it was using European tooling on a NC shapers, profilers and tenoners and building Euro type windows and doors where all the rebates, overlaps clearances etc are in mm. We built cabinets and interior millwork for several years using decimal inch’s. At that time we were just starting to use machines with DROs and software to calculate cut lists. That system worked well and would probably still be doing that if we had not got into the euro windows and doors.

I think it is unfortunate the US did not convert with the rest of the world. If you want to go metric here you will have to be a little bilingual.
Dont ask me why but I still field measure in fraction inches. When I draw in line by line cad I use mm and when using software to calculate cut lists and drawings I convert my inch field measurements before imputing to the software. When I layout on a story pole I usually go fraction inch. Like I said don’t ask me why... Most software will convert drawings back and fourth from mm to inch. This is helpful as contractors, architects and homeowners will rarely be working or thinking in mm.
after 15 years I still find the large mm numbers hard to picture. Anything over 1500mm and I have to see it in inches. Most shops in Europe work in mm and the machines are set up that way. I believe carpenters there work more in cm.

[Rob Luter]

Nope. I'm a decimal inch guy. I've had all the fractional equivalents memorized for years.

[Brian Holcombe]

Going fully metric is difficult in the US, I recall when restoring the Maka, very simple things like a length of flexible conduit required me to either import from Europe or convert to imperial.

The same was true for most of the pipe fittings, I found the offerings available in British Standard were limited by comparison to imperial. If I had wanted to do so, every small part would have needed to be custom made to have BSPT fittings. Rather I used npt to metric air hose. The wrench sizes for those are metric.

I ran shop air lines in NPT then converted to metric at the ‘push to connect’ lines.

[Jim Becker]

Going fully metric is difficult in the US

I really do agree with this, although I think it's easier now than even a few years since more metric hardware is actually stocked in more places (out of necessity due to global manufacturing) and metric measuring tools are "slightly" easier to find now. Much of what I have in that regard is dual-scale which is spot on for my needs to support both.

[John Gornall]

Searching through various industries online - automobile, pharmacy, aiirplanes, science, space, guns, and many more it appears that the USA has mostly converted to metric.

My GMC truck is all metric

[Pat Barry]

Searching through various industries online - automobile, pharmacy, aiirplanes, science, space, guns, and many more it appears that the USA has mostly converted to metric.

My GMC truck is all metric

I would question this but really don't know. For example, autos and trucks. Hardware may in fact have converted to mettic (nothing worse than mixed hardware sizings IMO), but are the fabricated parts designed and made to metric?

[David L Morse]

I would question this but really don't know. For example, autos and trucks. Hardware may in fact have converted to mettic (nothing worse than mixed hardware sizings IMO), but are the fabricated parts designed and made to metric?

When I was involved with supplying components to the automotive market all of the drawings and specs were metric. That was about 25 years ago. Global manufacturing works best with a global system of units. That's the whole point of standardization. The standard is metric. AFAIK the only industry segment still clinging to Imperial is home building and related.