Originally Posted by
Jim Becker
Maurice, both dual scale rulers and tapes are readily available as are metric only. For the tape, I like the FastCap (yellow label) as it actually stays out until you hit the button to retract. My dual scale rulers are from Lee Valley and are excellent. I acquired replacement metric rules for my squares from Lee Valley, too. I find having dual scale to be very helpful, even though I primarily work in metric. Not only does it mean the same measuring tools can be used regardless it also helps with visualizing the odd longer lengths which are "less natural". It's like learning a language when one didn't grow up speaking it (which is the case for many of us in the US, despite metric being heavily used in industry and science for a very long time now)...you learn a whole bunch of language up front but some of the more advanced grammar takes longer.
When Australia went metric visualising the measurement was the hardest thing to do but I found using familiar items helped. A 6" rule is 150mm and a 12" is 300mm, a yard is very close to 39" etc. I was dragged into metric when the plans for my workshop arrived and by the time I finished I was convinced that metric was the way to go.
Chris
Everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fattening