Should I learn Metric now? Beginning woodworker help.

[Warren Wilson]

It’s odd. As a old Canadian I was born in the British Imperial system with inches and gallons and bushels and pecks, but everything has been meters and litres and kilometres for many decades and I have adapted in some areas and not in others. The metric system just makes sense any time you are calculating. Gas mileage, for instance, ratios, conversions. But I have continued to use inches for woodworking because for the most part it is measurement rather than calculation and I’m mentally lazy. Though if I have to divide 2’ 7 7/16” into thirds, I’d reach for my metric measuring tape!

It doesn’t have to be an either-or. It’s trivial to just use another scale — maybe even fun to try: but maybe not buy the Starrett rules until you’re sure.

[Frank Martin]

I grew up with the metric system. When I started woodworking (about 18 yrs ago) I pretty much had to use the imperial system because table saw fence and some of the other common scales were all imperial. Now I use a euro combo machine that has both scales. If I had not already invested into the imperial system, I would certainly switch to metric. May still do one day.