Metric V Imperial Measurement

I think you're forgetting the cost, in working ships and men, sunken ships and dead men.

Yes that's a good one! One of the bigger cons I think, selling petrol by the litre. My most expensive, to date, was paying 147.90p/L = £6.72 per gallon. Doesn't seem that long ago it was 5 bob/shillings per gallon, but that's showing one's age...

Pete

Can somebody explain why we buy timber as inch x inch x metres.

Martin P

Have you actually measured that "4x2", I think you will find it is 47mm x 100mm not 51mm x 102mm

Edited By JasonB on 08/02/2020 10:08:38

Please could we have a moratorium on the hoary old topic?

Yes lets get back to the Collet in questing and whether it is worth trying to machine it out to 1/4".

Well, here in France, where the metric system was invented, all threaded pipe fittings for domestic use, including taps etc., are BSP but sold by the thread diameter in the nearest whole number of mm.

Russell

"For what it's worth, in the mid 70s I was fortunate enough to be working as a ships draughtsman on the T22 frigate which became HMS Broadsword. This ship was all metric, and I was told that it was the first ship classified as "metric" to be designed and built by the MOD(N)"

Even Richard Burton worked in Imperial as he was always asking for the conversion  "Broadsword to Danny Boy"

Edited By Eric Cox on 08/02/2020 11:00:29

Yes, and no in that order. And it's for the same reason you and he were the other way round, it's what we are all used to. The human brain isn't programmed to work in any of the entirely arbitrary units in use, but is trained to use whatever is favoured in that situation.

As for reverting to Imperial, what would be the point? Even America uses metric, they just fudge it by overlaying older units for everyday use.

Steviegtr,

I think it,s many a day since Britannia ruled the waves, or have you not noticed ?

Good while it lasted, but all good things come to an end.

Move with the times.

What's next on the agenda, reverting to Pounds, shillings and pence ?

Why go for half measures, bring back the Ell, Hogshead and Groat !!!

I am never too sure why metric versus imperial gets so emotive. I work in both sets of units and have metric and imperial kit. I move between one and the other without barely noticing.

Andrew.

Plus one for Andrew Tinsley's comment.

I usually work in Imperial because I model old engines that were made in Imperial measurements but if I were to model a continental engine then I would use metric measurements. What's the problem?

Brian

As I remember in the Queen's Navy "Scantlings" were used when measurements were considered, and thickness of steel plate was measured in pounds weight, eg a 12" x12" x1" thick weighed 40 lbs,1/2" thick 20lbs,1/8" plate weighed 5lbs and so on, I only use imperial and at my age will continue to do so

Mick 🇫🇴

+Another 1

Even that is a simple choice of preference.

model railways have been 4mm and 7mm to the foot for decades.

nothing to stop some one modelling 10mm to the foot, convert to decimal inches and divide by 10.

but do whatever suits you best

steve

I am always open to be converted.

Can you tell me what advantages using the Imperial measurement system would afford me?

I did my engineering in metric and following employment but my hobby of stationary engines has me working in imperial as I did at school. The one thing I find in metric is there are less decimal points to work with than when using imperial.

Martin P

Yep, and one more...

worked in the aircraft industry for many years making instruments the only machines that could use mertic where the cncs which i programmed all the manual machines in the shop where english drawing office produced a metric instrument drawing really funny dims 3.175 reamed hole guess what its an 1/8 dims all other the drawing like this it was an english to metric conversion .we had to work with europe (concord) and america had to use both the metric and english dims and easiest system is metric but i still convert back to english for tolerances english and american threads are nightmare give me metric all day long and iam old school

Geoff