your thoughts on metric

[Edwin Pawlowski]

At work we make custom molded parts both to customer specification and our designs to their finished product. I don't recall ever seeing a drawing with metric dimension until sometime maybe in the mid '80s. Now more than half are metric.

Used to be too, drawings had dimensions like 12 5/8" that later became

12.625 with the advent of drawing programs, but now it is likely to be 12.62.

I used to buy hydrauling supplies, hoses, etc from a local comapny. Whenw e go imported machines, they could not suppoy us. They told me "if it's metric, you're on your own" Five years later they were out of business, but my new supplier has everything I need.

I have to wonder where they will be in five, ten, fifteen years. Remember when the local gas station would not work on imported cars because they did not have the tools?

[Par]

Andrew Barss :

"Hmm, two feet is a wee bit too long, I'll try two inches..."

But with metric it is easy to "upgrade" your precision. If m is to coarse, try cm, if that still too coarse try mm, or even micrometers if you are truly finicky ("1 meter, no make that 102 cm, 1023 mm to be precise"). How do you sanely add precision to 3 feet and 14/64 inch?

The power of metric is that you can easilly add 14 mm to 17.3 cm, and then place that on top of 1.05 m. Worst case with imperial you end up with 16ths, 12ths, inches feet and yards. All at once.

/Par

[Par]

Morris Dovey :

Abnd your Swedish customer better not ever have to replace any of the screws.

/Par

[nonehere]

I'm in England and we use imperial and metric, I also have a house in France where they have no comprehension of imperial lengths, weights or volumes.

We co-exist with both; it's no big deal. My son is 20 years old and has only been taught metric at school and Uni, but if you ask him how tall and how much he weighs, he will tell you "6 3 and a half and 15 stone" (we don't use pounds to describe body weight).

Now the French being French, like to be different when it comes to using metric. When I've been working on my place in France with a French builder, he will use centimeters rather than millimeters. So a measurement of 65 becomes 6.5 and when I ask, "is that meters" he says "no it's centimeters". A 18mm thick sheet of ply becomes 1.8 thick and

9mm (3/8") plaster board is point 9.

This can become quite confusing when working together- fitting out a kitchen or plaster boarding a room and on top of that I'm also translating the language at the same time.

I'd rather use metric, imperial is illogical when measuring or planning a structure. However, because of my age and education, I still can't help thinking in feet and inches initially.

People will always disagree, that's just the way it is.

Cheers,

Chris

[Edwin Pawlowski]

What you need is a new supplier. Check McMaster prices $7.16

[mac davis]

I can relate... We moved to Mexico a year ago and we're still not sure how much gas is (I think it's about $2.25 a gallon) or which measurement to expect..

The AC and heaters are in Celsius, the cistern is in gallons, the house plans were in feet, the windows are imperial and the screens are metric.. The stove is in C. and the frig is in F degrees.. lol It would be nice to have just one measurement, whichever they use..

Oh.. we're in the process of cementing the carport so my tools roll better and the re-bar and wire were imperial and the cement mixers are in metric volume..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

[Leon]

Yeah buttttt. Every thing in Europe is closer. A cross country drive in the U.S. probably costs as much as a Cross country drive in Europe.

[Leon]

Huh?

They absolutely do.

[dpb]

In mph as well (not exclusive of)...

--

[J T]

Sun, Oct 14, 2007, 2:39pm (EDT+4) [e-mail] (Han) doth sayeth: Near here in New Jersey, a cheap station (Woroco) sells unleaded regular for $2.45/gallon

The down side there would be living in New Jersey.

JOAT "I'm an Igor, thur. We don't athk quethtionth." "Really? Why not?" "I don't know, thur. I didn't athk."

[Charlie Self]

Uh, not quite. I seldom agree with Doug, but on this point, I wonder: the U.S. is the world's largest customer, yet we're being told we HAVE to accept a different measurement standard. When I want to sell an article or a book, I'm the one facing the "have to" parts of the deal. The customer may or may not be right, but he is the guy paying the money.

Of course, we could all be like the hotshot CEO of Mattel who apologized to the Chinese for not telling them that lead paint in children's toys was a bad idea. In that case, we've become too large a customer, so that the seller swings the cat by the tail and U.S. buyers, on any scale, get to duck.

[Charlie Self]

As a matter of fact, no, and I worked in the place in '53 and '54 and some of '55. Mostly SAE, but also Whitworth (Brit motorcycles mainly), and some metric on the few VWs, MGs and Jags we saw--and we probably saw more than most areas, along with BSAs, AJSs, Nortons, Triumphs and similar wonders of the dying headlight/oil leaking art.

[Charlie Self]

Hey, be nice. I lived in Joisey for eight years one time. Oops. Make that eight weeks.

[Han]

[e-mail] (J T) wrote in news:2795-4713CB02-529@storefull-

3338.bay.webtv.net:

I live in Radburn

Mohonk is about an hour away.

not cheap, but I think it is worth it.

[bridgerfafc]

this is the real strength of the old system, and why it's better for design.

indeed, many systems of measurement historically were based on human measure.

[Leon]

Actually, one of the best ladders on the market, it has been cloned by all, is the Wing Little Giant is sold on infomercials and so is the Fein Multimaster. Infomercials are not always a sign of cheese.

I googled them and the consensus among users seems to be

Probably would not fly in an automotive shop where some brands of ratchets don't have enough clicks to be functional in tight spaces.

[Mike Marlow]

Ugh!!! I hate those things. They will indeed bend into every shape known to man, but they are such a royal pain to move around and use. Try using one of those in all but the most open and unencumbered spaces. They're expensive too. I've used them and gone back to regular ladders of differing size and style.

[Leon]

Perhaps you have used one that looks similar. I have 2 of them and see that the local dish installers use them. They are not a pain to use as are the ones that are all one piece. These ladders can easily and quickly come apart into 3 pieces. They are very easy to use in confined spaces. And really, they DO NOT bend in more than 3 positions. Closed, A-frame and straight open, no other position is possible. Yes they are expensive but most any quality product is.

[Leon]

An additional note here, I think you are thinking about the ones that have 4 sections that are connected by 3 hinged joints. Those truly are a PIA. The Little Giant is really great. It telescopes on both sides and only pivots open at 1 hinged joint similar to a regular step ladder.

[Not Gimpy Anymore]

Yeah - dream on, McDuff - any tool investment going on today still has to be backwards compatible, so will continue to be English.... Seem to recall published details more than a year ago that said "Metrication" has been abandoned as not practical.

'Sides, if fractions bother so much, English dimensions can also be indicated in decimals - have been for AGES..... Ever read a micrometer?

Lazy modern generation, anyway..... Leave 'em without a calculator & they can't give correct change.

Sorry - this is nothing more than an emotional issue - no science to it at all. NGA