How do measure things? metric or imperial?

[Paul G]

Now that's one system of measurement I detest. Metric or Imperial I'm fine with, but whichever 'tard thought decimal inches was a good idea wants a good slap, IMHO.

Now this I agree with. You hold him an" I'll hit him.

I've got a 300mm rule that's in 10ths of an inch

 

[Maker]

Thousandth's are decimal inches, I'm sure you'd moan a lot more if we used 1/1024 ths to keep it fractional.

I've got a 600mm rule with twelfths of an inch (Which is divided into 24ths, 36ths & 48ths), that on earth is that for?

 

[MattF]

Thousandth's are decimal inches, I'm sure you'd moan a lot more if we used 1/1024 ths to keep it fractional.

1-3/16" is simple. 1.1875 or thereabouts is a pain in the **** to mentally convert though. Inches are in fractions, not tenths. Thou are simple to convert as they readily convert to a fraction or millimetre and are only used in small amounts. Someone says five thou, it's easy. Someone reels off 3.380 at you though and you have an absolute **** of a time figuring out what that translates to. Use either imperial or metric; There's no inbetween.

 

[awemawson]

I was brought up well before metrication, so fractional inch measurements are not strangers, although for machining I work mainly in mm, when working Imperial then decimal inches is my preferred way as that's what the DRO and digital calliper show. It matters not a jot what system anyone uses until they have to interchange parts.

I have to say if measuring relatively crudely with a rule, I find mm markings hard to differentiate at the mm level as they are too close together, whereas lining up 1/16" marks or even 1/32nds isn't difficult.

 

[MattF]

Well, 5 thou and 3.380 are exactly the same convention.

That's 3 inches 380 thou... Or, you could write 0.005 for the other one.

1.1875? 1 inch 187 thou and 5 tenths.

Aye, but you usually only use thou upto a few. The point was it's not something you'll generally use in large measurements, just a quick reference to tell someone to shave a gnat's off something. Most old timers understand thou, so easily used, but decimal for everything is just a nightmare.

 

[MattF]

A bit of metal being mortised into another bit of metal with a press fit - well, you'll be after something like a 1.499" hole to suit a 1.501" 'peg'.

What's that measurement on a rule which is in 32nd divisions though? That's exactly what I mean. You can make a rough guess, but even tape measures use standard fractions last time I checked, not decimal.

Different application and/or different material = different convention. Just because it's 'big' doesn't negate the need for precision.

Nope, it doesn't, but it's no more worthwile for precision than owt else is. If you're doing something manually, your eye and not the scale will be the limiting factor, and if you're using something like a DRO, it doesn't matter a chuff what the unit of measurement is as long as the numbers match.

This is why, in my own head/shed, all this inch crap is being replaced - anything imperial can be machined to metric numbers and still be in tolerance

I'm sticking with imperial. It's straight forward, and I'd be damned if I'd use metric on principle, when using all imperial machinery.

 

[Mick B]

I started work as an apprentice carpenter in 1970 and did a 4 year apprenticeship.......... 3 years at Tech (technical college). The 1st 2 years we all worked in imperial measurements and the last year we changed over to metric. I used to love confusing the older chippies by asking them to cut me a piece of timber 2 foot, 250 long, or 1 metre, 6 1/2 inches long .............. they just looked at me !! (dunno why !)
Back then when we used dumpy levels the "staff" was in 10ths of feet which really confused everyone and to top it off some of the older dumpy levels read upside down !
Most of us still go to the timber yard and ask for 3 metres of 4X2, so I guess some things will never change.

 

[Maker]

Inches are in fractions, not tenths.

Just to be pedantic, tenths are fractions.

 

[Spark plug]

Is there any explanation why Americans only seem to use pounds?

Like when watching a American program about ships, it weights 500,000 lb why not just say 225ton

 

[colnerov]

Because they're Murican, it makes it sound bigger than it is.

 

[Spark plug]

Well a metric ton and an uk imperial tonne are near enough the same but I haven't a clue what a us tonne is.

 

[mcostello]

I have used an American carpenters square that one side was laid out with 12 ths. Not 8ths, 10ths, or 16ths.Who thought of that?

 

[hotrodder]

I have used an American carpenters square that one side was laid out with 12 ths. Not 8ths, 10ths, or 16ths.Who thought of that?

Someone with bad eyesight who liked fractions?
12 has more factors (2, 3, 4 & 6) than 16 (2, 4 & 8), more useful factors than 32 (2, 4, 8 & 16) and it's quicker/easier to read accuratly than 24ths if you're a chippy/don't need more precision

 

[Maker]

The only use I could think of was if you need to divide a length by three is would be easier.

 

[wheresmejumper]

It's why there are 60 mins in an hour.way back some middle eastern sandy region used 60 as a multiplier/divisor with money,and it spread into dealing with time then.
1,2,3,4,5,6,10,12,15,20 go into 60 etc all easy

 

[Tinbasherdan]

I use imperial when on the late as it's an imperial machine strangely enough and metric the rest of the time , although as with anything sometimes at work you'd get a fag packet drawing in imperimetric

 

[Spark plug]

I have a rule that is marked in 1/100" I can't even distinguish them without a spy glass.

 

[Tinbasherdan]

I have a rule that is marked in 1/100" I can't even distinguish them without a spy glass.

View attachment 74532

I have one of those

 

[graffian]

I have one of those

As do I. I also have a Buck and Hickman copy, for some reason they have marked both sides
with decimal divisions.

I only have one rule that isn't easy to use, it's a navigators rule. without looking at it I would guess the units are miles on maps? I might start using it;-)

 

[Robotstar5]

They had some odd rules in the pattern shop at the foundry, they were scaled to accommodate the shrinkage as the molten metal cooled.