Inch or metric ?

bandido said:
I remember way back when the U.S. was discussing the prospect of slowly converting over to the metric system. I think in the 80's That I believe will never happen!! can you imagine what that would take to do!!! :rolleyes:
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For the sake of simplicity and compatibility, I hope the US does drop the imperial system. As manufacturing is increasingly done overseas and elsewhere where the metric system is used, and as old machining components are replaced and companies in the US are retooled, I see very little to expect the US won't switch to the more logical and easier to use metric system. It should have been mandated by congress decades ago...hmm, make that a century ago.
 
Having been a home builder most of my life, my biggest difficulty with metric system stems from the use of standard sizing of construction materials produced here in the US.
A US construction stud for instance is presently 1 1/2 inches X 3 1/2 inches X (for instance) 8 feet.
In metrics that comes out to 38.1mm X 88.9 mm X 2.4384 M. It doesn't really roll off the tongue for me at all, let alone register as a size.

Secondly, standard building practices here use, usually,16 inch or 24 inch center to center measurements for supporting structural members. The sheet materials, plywood, paneling, Oriented strand board, drywall, are all also produced based on those specifications. Using metric SIZED studs, joists, or beams would not be so difficult, but all the panel products, if produced in even metrics, would need to be recut to fit the standard spacings required in our building codes.

Lastly, nearly every building constructed here uses the standard spacings, making it much more difficult to use metric sized sheet goods for renovation and repair work. I still need to "shim out" stud and joist widths on the 1 1/2" X 3 1/2" current mill sizing to match the older 1 5/8" X 3 5/8" milled work produced up to about the 1970's, in order to maintain a flat wall or ceiling, or to fit a newer door or window frame to an older, thicker wall.

Best I can do in my brain is - "a meter is about 39". But then, I'm 80 years old too.

On machine work however, lathe or mill metal working, although I was trained imperial sizing, I find either system to work just as suitably. For me, having the ability to use my machines with either system just makes things easier, as having just one or the other always seems to require conversions, depending on the job at hand.

EJ
 
Most of the decision on whether to go metric actually comes down to cost and profit. General Motors began a metrification program in the 70's and tracked the cost of doing so. After they discovered it cost nothing, they quietly disbanded the department that tracked the costs. Both in Australia and Great Britain, the building industry increased profits by going metric. For a nice PDF about going metric and its costs, download it here.
 
Us older guys in our 70's are the last UK generation brought up and familiar with the imperial system, I miss it a lot as I can visualise dimensions easily in imperial. By the time imperial dissapears completely I will be long dead and others of my age also so it wont matter then. The US will gradually adopt and accept the metric system over time, we did in the UK although we had the added incentive of joining the common market (for a while). I treasure all my imp. measuring instruments, micrometers, slip gauges, etc. I think the imperial is a beautiful system along with BA threads but ultimately doomed.

Doug Hey NZ
 
My vote would be metric.As we are quite often scaling things down on a calculator this doesn't work quite so well with the imperial system.Both systems are as accurate as one another, but you are more likely to make a mistake when scaling down imperial measurements

Kind Regards

Nigel
 
Will go to metric, much easier with smaller dimensions. Also take into consideration that many kit models are from overseas where only metric is used would be definitively easier. Slowly converted my wife to use metric while doing her cooking and using weight for ingredients instead of volumes, much easier.Seriously mm are easier then fractions.
 
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