I feel like I've been missing out on something (thanks, Festool!)

[Jon Endres]

Not necessarily the tools, I still can't afford most of them, but the metric system. I bought a Domino DF700 XL a year ago and I simply cannot wrap my head around SAE measurements when dealing with Domino tenons and getting the right depth, thickness and spacing correct. I picked up a cheap Starrett metric tape measure and all of a sudden my accuracy on everything is improving. It's so much easier to do the math, no matter how your project is laid out. 1/2 mm is easy to read on a tape and that gives me nearly 1/64" accuracy. I feel like I should be doing everything in metric, at least for cabinetry and furniture. Even for non-Domino stuff I find myself reaching for the metric tape more often than not. Any of you American woodworkers switched over to metric in your woodworking shops?

[Mike Henderson]

I go back and forth. I have a fill set of metric measuring tools and sometimes I do metric and sometimes Imperial. I agree that metric is easier to work with.

Mike

[ChrisA Edwards]

My 2020 New Years resolution was to go Metric. I swapped out my Tablesaw rulers and my J/P depth gauge and bought some new hand measuring tools.

Never going back.

I printed out a cheat sheet of conversion of inches to mm. I still struggle to guesstimate distance, say like 28" in mm. That's where I go to the chart.

[Michael Fink]

Metric makes so much more sense. Most people can't work easily in fractions; I can do it, but it takes some thinking, particularly if we're trying to add really precise measurements together. Metric would make my life a lot easier, no question. Problem is, like I'm sure many others, I have a whole shop of tools in imperial measurements. Planer, sander, table saw, band saw, miter station. The list goes on. And, IDK, about 100 measuring devices of various types that are all in/ft. Of course I could do it, but I'd have to spend a lot of money and throw away a bunch of tools to make the transition.

No denying, at least in my mind, it's a better system. But the "sunk cost" for me is too high.

[Jon Endres]

My 2020 New Years resolution was to go Metric. I swapped out my Tablesaw rulers and my J/P depth gauge and bought some new hand measuring tools.

Never going back.

I printed out a cheat sheet of conversion of inches to mm. I still struggle to guesstimate distance, say like 28" in mm. That's where I go to the chart.

I figured that one out quickly - "Alexa, convert 28 inches to metric".

[Dave Roock]

When I was in elementary school, we were forced to learn the metric system because the USA was going to switch over to use it - since the rest of the planet used the metric system, it sure made sense to a child. But the huge corporations who run/own some of our politicians with lobbyists, blocked a switchover because they did not want to pay to switch equipment over. Absolutely ridiculous we are still using pounds, feet, inches - if you travel to any other nations, you will be at a disadvantage as everything is in metric measurements. Would not be very hard to use our imperial tools for metric measurements - planers, jointers, table saws, band saws, etc could all be used with no difficulties.

[mike stenson]

I prefer not to measure, but when I do.. it's typically metric.

[John TenEyck]

I spent most of my engineering career working with metric including designing all kinds of machines and fixtures, but I just can't think spatially very well in metric, so I continue to use imperial units for my woodworking. Most tools and parts sold in the US are imperial based, too, so there's that inertia. And when I talk to a customer we always talk in feet and inches; they would look at me like a deer in the headlights if I tried talking metric.

I agree that the math is much simpler in metric, however.

John

[ChrisA Edwards]

I figured that one out quickly - "Alexa, convert 28 inches to metric".

Ha, just tried that, Alexa replied "About 711 mm"

Siri said "711.2 m".

[Justin Pfenning]

John TenEyck, I agree 100%.

[George Yetka]

https://www.senecawoodworking.com/pr...omino-xl-df700

This will help keep it to one system for you. That being said it is appealing going to the other side but it would cost quite a bit to swap.

[Ralph Okonieski]

In the last 2years, my approach has been switching to metric units. As John mentioned, I also have not been able to easily think spatially in metric. I tend to measure twice, first in metric, then inches followed by a conversion on the calculator just to confirm. Yes, a little OCD but a process with which I am comfortable.

[Prashun Patel]

Metric is so much better in every way.

I still use imperial…. Just unfortunately more intuitive for me.

[Bill Cuthbertson]

i tend to use metric when dealing with European hardware, would like to go all metric but just not willing to take the plunge.

I am not a professional cabinet maker any longer but every tradesman, coworker, contractor etc... I talk to deals in feet inches, makes the witch difficult.

[Frank Pratt]

Even though I live in Canada, I've only recently switched to metric in the shop. It hasn't changed my life, but it's made it easier and I make fewer mistakes.