Converting to Metric - Personal experiences only, Please

[sancho57]

Nothing but love for ya Kev....

At least I got the continent right [big grin]

 

[AlexThePalex]

Alex and Kev, LOL to you both.

Uuhmmm, that's a nope on Alex.

 

[Locks14]

Being under the age of 40 and from the UK I was taught both. It's almost like being bilingual and I interchange between metric and imperial depending on the situation, what's being measured and how accurate I need to be.

For instance I naturally think in terms of:

Lumber is imperial, 2x4, 2x6, 2x8, etc.

Sheet goods swing both ways, either 8x4 or 2440x1220

Doorways are 6'6" and 29" wide

Kitchen worktop tops are 600mm deep, but the cabinet is 3' high.

I'm 5'11" and 13 stone, 7lbs, but I buy bags of cement in 25kg's.

My car does 40 miles per gallon but I fill the tank in litres.

A 1/32 of an inch seems like an absurd measurement but I'll happily work to 0.5mm which is -actually even smaller than 1/32.

 

[VW mick]

Spot on locks14

 

[seandoh]

Being under the age of 40 and from the UK I was taught both. It's almost like being bilingual and I interchange between metric and imperial depending on the situation, what's being measured and how accurate I need to be.

For instance I naturally think in terms of:

Lumber is imperial, 2x4, 2x6, 2x8, etc.

Sheet goods swing both ways, either 8x4 or 2440x1220

Doorways are 6'6" and 29" wide

Kitchen worktop tops are 600mm deep, but the cabinet is 3' high.

I'm 5'11" and 13 stone, 7lbs, but I buy bags of cement in 25kg's.

My car does 40 miles per gallon but I fill the tank in litres.

A 1/32 of an inch seems like an absurd measurement but I'll happily work to 0.5mm which is -actually even smaller than 1/32.

This is kinda what I was refering to when I said I would like to be fluent in both.  I will never be able to totally cut imperial out, nor do I think I want to.  But I would like to think just as clearly in metric when it comes to design, layout and construction.  Doing so will allow me to discus those dimesions in imperial or metric depending on the audience.

 

[jjowen]

My car does 40 miles per gallon but I fill the tank in litres.

I thought that if you put the wrong kind of petrol in you could ruin the engine?

 

[Wuffles]

My car does 40 miles per gallon but I fill the tank in litres.

I thought that if you put the wrong kind of petrol in you could ruin the engine?

Ha ha.

 

[jofuss55]

I was an indentured apprentice in the UK in 1971. One Friday, I left work and on Monday the UK changed to metric. An uncomfortable week or so with 4" x2" now being 100 x 50 mm , plywood coming in 2400 x 1200 sheets and the 6'6" x 2'6" being 2032 x 762 mm. The older guys (50 plus ) had a real hard time because they were trying to "picture" these measurements in their minds. That didn't work for me. I just bought a good metric rule and tape and measured everything for a couple of months until it sank in. I live and work in the USA in metric only.

 

[Distinctive Interiors]

I think a lot of people in the UK, both Tradesmen and DIY'ers, have the ability to think and work with both units of measurement. I was taught both and I left school in 1978.

Funnily enough, I was at a builders merchant a couple of weeks ago and there were a few of us Tradesmen waiting to be served.

The guy at the front of the queue asked for a sheet of plywood " 8' x 4' Please".....When asked how thick he wanted it, he said "18mm"........a few of us laughed a bit, as did the guy behind the counter, but we all knew what he was after.

 

[tiralie]

I prefer to work in metric but when I speak or present to clients most don't relate to metric so I need to speak imperial. I have problems with 16ths, and 32nds but no problem with mm or half mm. I will do the conversions on the computer when in Sketchup but only give rough estimates if asked to make the conversion on site.
Now if I can just figure out my left and right I will be all set.
Tim

 

[bigarm]

Made a drawer today (except for the front) and for the first time I used all metric measurements.

 

[Stephen B]

[size=13pt]A beautiful spring day Down Under and in a Aussie Hardware Paint Department it was paint, paint and more paint to be mixed.

Around mid afternoon an expat American appeared at the Counter and asked for a 1 gal tin of brand X in X color. I could have had some fun asking if he mean't a  US or UK gallon? But keeping professional, I enquired if what he really wanted was 4litres?

He smiled, and fortunately all returned to normal in our metric paint world!!  [big grin] [tongue]

 

[Kev]

[size=13pt]A beautiful spring day Down Under and in a Aussie Hardware Paint Department it was paint, paint and more paint to be mixed.

Around mid afternoon an expat American appeared at the Counter and asked for a 1 gal tin of brand X in X color. I could have had some fun asking if he mean't a  US or UK gallon? But keeping professional, I enquired if what he really wanted was 4litres?

He smiled, and fortunately all returned to normal in our metric paint world!!  [big grin] [tongue]

[member=19746]Untidy Shop[/member]

I hope you recorded his FATCA status on the transaction [wink] [big grin]

 

[Stephen B]

[size=8pt]A beautiful spring day Down Under and in a Aussie Hardware .............returned to normal in our metric paint world!!  [big grin] [tongue]

[member=19746]Untidy Shop[/member]

I hope you recorded his FATCA status on the transaction [wink] [big grin]

[big grin]  [big grin]

[member=13058]Kev[/member]

 

[john molloy]

both systems have there own advantages imperial for thing that an 1/8 is OK like a roof..metric for finer things .buy a tape that has both on it easy .the rest is just in your head

 

[Kev]

both systems have there own advantages imperial for thing that an 1/8 is OK like a roof..metric for finer things .buy a tape that has both on it easy .the rest is just in your head

I personally don't think the degree of accuracy you want to achieve is a good foundation for choosing a measurement system for a project. To me the driver is more about available materials ... if plans are imperial I typically wouldn't bother to convert or would convert on the fly as required.

I can't foresee a situation where I'd ever convert to imperial from metric unless it was to assist someone else with limited metric comprehension.

 

[sancho57]

[size=13pt]A beautiful spring day Down Under and in a Aussie Hardware Paint Department it was paint, paint and more paint to be mixed.

Around mid afternoon an expat American appeared at the Counter and asked for a 1 gal tin of brand X in X color. I could have had some fun asking if he mean't a  US or UK gallon? But keeping professional, I enquired if what he really wanted was 4litres?

He smiled, and fortunately all returned to normal in our metric paint world!!  [big grin] [tongue]

Hey Kev,

Did He order it shaken not stirred?

[member=19746]Untidy Shop[/member]

I hope you recorded his FATCA status on the transaction [wink] [big grin]

 

[Stephen B]

[size=8pt]

A beautiful spring day Down Under and in a Aussie Hardware Paint Department it was paint, paint and more paint to be mixed.

Around mid afternoon an expat American appeared at the Counter and asked for a 1 gal tin of brand X in X color. I could have had some fun asking if he mean't a  US or UK gallon? But keeping professional, I enquired if what he really wanted was 4litres?

He smiled, and fortunately all returned to normal in our metric paint world!!  [big grin] [tongue]

Hey Kev,
[size=14pt]
Did He order it shaken not stirred?
[size=8pt]
[member=19746]Untidy Shop[/member]

I hope you recorded his FATCA status on the transaction [wink] [big grin]

[size=14pt]Shaken of course! Not that he had a choice, because any stirring would have been by hand!  [eek]  [big grin]

[member=13058]Kev[/member] [member=10147]jobsworth[/member]