Newbie question :) be kind...

But, not used by real people.

On Sat, 19 Jan 2008 11:30:19 GMT, I said, "Pick a card, any card" and "Brian Smith" instead replied:

So what? It's still there and still a standard.

-- Ray

There are plenty of "things" that are still there, but not used in reality.

Good morning Ray;

Not trying to piggyback onto this conversation. You're right, the metric scale is defacto on most of the planet. The exception remains the USA although it's gradually coming around, too.

Canada, has a mix of measurement systems that baffles the mind. People relate to what they are familiar with. Many of the goods we purchase come from the USA as well as overseas. When one talks about ounces and gallons, it gets a bit vague. The American ounce is larger, but their gallon is smaller. Most people here can related to a 2x4 board, but if you ask for a

50x100 (mm) board, few would immediately recognize what you're talking about. Measuring cups are another issue. Canada rounded off the conversions, the American conversions are more accurate. Thus, we purchase liquids in containers that could be 4.54L, 4L, or 3.79L, depending on its source.

Vehicles are equally confusing. Anything foreign (Japanese or European excluding older Britsh cars) are metric. All Ford vans are made in the USA. Nearly all transport trucks are likewise. Even though they may have metric speedometers with metric dimensions, their parts may still be in SAE.

I absolutely laugh when I see HO scale listed as 3.5mm per foot. Huh??? So, what's the standard again? To scale things accurately in metric, how about scales of 25:1, 50:1, 100:1, and 200:1? Rather easy in metric, wouldn't you say? Maybe too easy as the Mensa types would still need 3.5mm per 12 inches. No offence Lads, but how hard can this get?

Cheers, John

Yeah, so? Dick Cheney swore an oath to protect the Constitution, but ignores it in fact.

I just disagreed with you. (is - isn't - is etc)

Of course not, they communicate with you in the language they know you know. If you were a boatie or a pilot they'd probably talk to you in nautical miles.

I'm not saying they can't, I'm reporting what I see and hear.

The youngsters around here have learned metrics since the 1960s. (I was in about the last year of school where (UK) imperial was taught) I know for sure that my children (now ages 30 and 28) were taught _no_ imperial measurements at school. Now we have people talking about heights in feet, weight in pounds (US - we had stones) three or more shoe and clothing size ratings etc etc.

I see no outward signs of the US going International Standards Metric.

Here in NZ we went metric around 1974. It took 20 years for almost everything and everyone to change. I have two classic cars with imperial speedometers so I _still_ have to mentally convert speeds when I drive them. My old-time New Zealand Railways prototypes plans don't change to metrics. Things like standard 1 1/4" pipe handrails are easier than

31.75mm pipe handrails come easier when modelling. The model engineers still use BA standard nuts and bolts, but that's largely because their plans, taps and dies etc will last forever and it takes them 40 years to complete a 7 1/2" gauge loco. ;-)

Sure Ray, so can I, and do. But then most people probably don't have the mathematical skills to do conversions in their heads on the fly. N.M. are still standard for aircraft navigation. The precise size of a soft-drink can is unimportant to most people: 'too small/right/too big' is the mental calculation. Needing a 4' x 9' sheet of ply to repair the shed and being faced with metric sizes at the hardware shop is a more practical situation where size does matter. Needing a UNF bolt and being offered only metric is a point where world standardization would be an advantage.

I'm slamming impracticality, not "things American".

Can you compare US mpg with UK mpg with international km/100 litres without recourse to a calculator and conversion tables? How do US vs European economy cycles alter those direct comparisons? How about HP per ton/lbs per horsepower/Kw per Tonne?

The Brits had different thread types for every industry and car manufacturer. As a teenager rebuilding old cars, motorbikes etc I had to know which cars used what types of bolts and never mix them. The change to metrics was a breath of fresh air in a smokey furnace. (to mangle a cliche) Towards the end of the British car industry one got cars with parts from different factories and often three different types of nuts/bolts. (A right pain in the a...)

Greg.P.

What the story with that spacecraft was the onboard computers were programmed in inch/feet/mile and all spacecraft commands and telemetry are sent in metric.

A large step equals 1 m. A normal step 10% less, about 3 feet. My thumb, I say _MY_ thumb, is 2,5 cm wide. About 1 inch. My hand is 0,1 m wide, that is 10 cm. That is enough for daily use. We use metric about 200 years now on continental Europe, and the inches and miles are lost and gone forever. The rest of the world will follow, simply because of its merits. The better is the enemy of the good.

Groet, salut, Wim.

Good afternoon Greg;

Even the metric version has coarse and fine thread pitches with some sizes having four thread pitches.

Cheers, John

A typical pace is usually counted as 30", so two paces equal roughly 5 feet.

Tell me! I owned a 1955 MG-TF 1500. Lovely car, totally primitive, but in San Diego that was more often a charm than a problem. The combination of British fasteners, side curtains, SUs, and electics from the Prince of Darkness was a certain, er, uh, challenge. Delightful to take a girl on a picnic up on Palomar Mountain when it was running.

I've bought the "metric" model with metric lead screws. However the task I bought it for is to manufacture NZ prototypeGarden railways model kits. The largest standard CNC mill can mill up to an area of 9" x 7" approximately. (note dimensions in US sizes) Garden railways rolling stock is bigger than that so I need to modify the mill to suit the sizes required. The 1870s goods wagons were commonly 15' long over the body, so that's 7

1/2". The standard 1930s-50s coach was 56' long over the body so I need 28" milling length. (or I can do it in two halves, 14") The longest wagon is 24m over the body (24m/24 = 1m = 39.37")

Ok, so I need a bigger mill. The choice was:

- a CNC router ($$$)

- rebuild a crap Chinese mill to CNC.

- an expensive European mill,

- rebuild a CNC Sherline to size. I went Sherline for quality, interchangability of parts/accessories and the likelyhood of their being around in 2009/2019/2029.

So, now I need to bolt together an assortment of off the shelf and home-made components. I have all the gear to do this with metric bolts, but everything on the Sherline is UNF. I don't want this to be like a British car where one needs to know what factory the motor/gearbox/brakes came out of before picking up a spanner - the mill is a means to produce models, not a hobby in itself. If I want to extend the mill I have to match material sizes - is the plate offered locally metric or imperial? 12mm vs 12.7mm plate could result in a very uneven mill bed! I can buy UNF bolts etc on special order - about two weeks and $2.50- a bolt if I'm lucky, months if I'm unlucky. I can buy bolts etc direct from the US - $0.50c each and a couple of weeks turnaround, but the suppliers often don't want to ship, shipping itself can be problematical and Customs can be a pain.

And what differs about 3 feet from 30" ? I hear you say: about 6 inches, about a handwith. And that is what 'about' is about. About a handwith per pace.

Wim.

If you add up the difference it amounts to another pace every five paces.