# Do you work in Imperial or Metric?



## Jim Dobson

Do you work in Imperial or Metric?

Being an Aussie and 52 years of age I was mid school when Australia started the change over from Imperial to Metric (something that even to this day 40 years later isn't even completely instituted). Here we were one day at school learning Imperial and the next we were told to scratch that and start learning Metric. Something that even our teaches struggled with. So a lot of us around my age have always been in a bit of a twilight zone when it comes to both systems. Older people can easily work in Imperial and younger people can easily work in metric because its what they were solely taught.

Ok, after saying all the above I do find working in metric a whole lot easier, but I still work a lot in imperial as well.

I still to this day wish that I'd been taught just the one method.

What's your preference and what were you taught?


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## randyjaco

I use both, but being in the US, I am pretty much forced to use Imperial. I wish we would wise up and go all Metric. {But it will never happen 8^(  }

Randy


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## Rbeckett

I actually still use both too.  Some stuff is easier in Imperial and some is easier in metric.  So I just switch as needed.

Bob


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## John Hasler

I use mostly USA customary (which is not quite the same as British Imperial) because my tools and machines, being about as old as I am, are all customary.  However I am quite comfortable with metric and if I could afford all new stuff might go that way.  Metric stuff is not at all hard to come by here, though the selection of metric hardware in the village hardware store is limited.


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## 1935ron

Prefer imp but work i metric only when i have absolutely no choice


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## Pat of TN

Inch. Even at where I work, we work in inches - because our machines are inches, our tools are in inches. The majority of our work comes in, in metric; but you know how easy it is to convert metric to inch? Divide by 25.4. If our CAD guy hasn't already made a company print changed to inch, it's simple enough to scribble the converted dimensions and tolerances onto the print.

But I suppose, the only reason we can do that is because it is a small company, a little over a dozen shop employees in the machine shop. A big plant could perhaps have problems converting hundreds, or thousands, of prints and dimensions...

On the other hand, other shops in the area have gone metric, particularly because they deal a lot with international business, which is nigh-exclusively metric.

Oh, but as far as a hobbyist view, yes, inch. My 1950s-vintage lathe will not cut a metric dimension, I have to measure it in inches. Otherwise it will not come out right... I couldn't tell it, we are cutting to 12.7 millimeters, it would just shut down on principle... "WHAT IS THIS FOREIGN CRAP" it would exclaim! But if I say, Mr. Lathe, we are turning to 500 thou, it becomes happy and works magic.

Something to keep in mind, a piece has a dimension in either system. If it is a 16mm bushing and you measure it with an inch mic and inch telescoping gauges (facetious indeed), it will press whether the hole is 15.98 mm or .628 thou.


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## darkzero

Being in the US, I also use US Customary. Although I have a DRO & plenty of digital measuring tools that can switch to metric, I still prefer to work with US Customary. And when I do have to machine to metric specifications, I always convert to inch to do my work. That's how I learned & that's what I'm used to. When someone says a few thou or a couple of hundred thou, I can get a visual of how much that is. But when it comes to metric I'm lost. 

When it comes to bolt heads & metric threads, I do have a good idea of what size the bolt head is or the thread diameter. I used to work in automotive repair/performance (mostly on imports) so that's where that came from. However when I machine parts that use fasteners, I always prefer to use metric fasteners.


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## JimDawson

I work in Imperial (US Customary) for machine work because that's what my equipment and measuring tools are calibrated in.  If I have metric drawings to work from, I convert to Imperial for measurements.  But I do a lot of engineering in Metric because it is easier to do mass and motion calculations SI units.


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## 12bolts

Some of my measuring tools are metric, some are imperial. I just use whatever is at hand. I can easily convert roughly in my head, or switch between the 2 without problems. Use a metric inch conversion chart on the wall for quick referencing.
Im 51 Jim, so in the same schooled era as you.

cheers Phil


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## savarin

I use both often in the same project but I prefer to use metric, its easier to me even though I only ever used imperial until middle aged.


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## Jim Dobson

Interesting reading the replies and thanks for posting them.

I like fractions such as 1/8th, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 etc but must admit to a major struggle when it comes to 9/128, 11/128, 7/64th, 11/32 etc etc

I'd be lost without my digital calipers that at the push of a button convert a measurement from fractions, to metric or inches.


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## Andre

A unit is a unit, I don't care if America switches to the metric system, it's just a size measurement unit.

Although I usually work in imperial, I have the capability to work in metric if needed.


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## Cami

I used both at different jobs...SI being used when paired up with immigrant coworkers; English welder; German machinist.  

I often work for an English production engineer and we use inches when dealing with our product but any fixtures he designs are in SI.

Work I do for myself is all in inches.  All the trades I've dealt with use inches.  We're a metric country but there's this 363KG...er.. 800lb gorilla next door who doesn't want to change.


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## Ebel440

I use imperial as that's what everything is here but I do make parts that are metric simply convert the mm to inches. I am actually getting pretty good at just knowing the rough sizes mentally. I didn't explain that well but I can see 100mm and think 4 inches which isn't exact but close.


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## chuckorlando

I dont think it makes a hill of beans which you use if the tools read it. Now fractions suck and I really cant stand them my self. But dealing with decimals is just as easy in either. 1 is always smaller then 2 in any of them.

Now if you dont have the proper tools to read mm(I dont) you just do as Pat mentioned and convert each number before you start working. In theory the drawing should come with both on it if it may go to a shop that uses the other. If it's drawn in England to be sent to a US firm it should have both and the other way. IN THEORY


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## zmotorsports

At work I pretty much use solely imperial.  At my home shop I use both.  Imperial being my standard but many of the motorcycles and autos I work on are metric so I am well versed in both.  As far as hand tools, I pretty much have complete sets of both as automotive is mostly metric nowadays but in the 80's-early 90's even they were a mixed bag.  Engine and engine related components being imperial whereas body and chassis fasteners were all switching over to metric.


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## projectnut

Like many others I use both.  I have both metric and imperial measuring tools, drills, fixtures, reamers, taps & dies, etc., etc..  Most of my stock is in imperial measurements, but since it's cut and shaped to size it really doesn't matter.  I was lucky enough to purchase a Bridgeport with both metric and Imperial dials.  Later when I added a DRO it got even easier to think and act in both worlds.  I still prefer the Imperial measurements since those were the ones I grew up with.  Now that most things are manufactured for "world wide use" metric has become much more popular.

None of the saws, mills, lathes, drill presses or other equipment seem to care which tooling or measurements are used.  Most of my work is repairing older industrial machinery.  Consequently I still do quite a bit of work in imperial measurements.


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## cvm19

I have inch-based machines but sometimes work from metric plans. Three tools are critical to me: a calculator (e.g., a specialized conversion calculator for iOS), a pencil (for reasons already mentioned), and my Starrett 799A digital caliper. Even though I'm more physically comfortable with a dial caliper, the electronic one lets me switch from inch to metric or back with one button touch. It's a thing of beauty, ...makes work easy. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## hvontres

+1 for using both. Most of my measuring tools including my tape measures are "bilingual". At work, I design equipement in metric and prefer that over inches, but sometimes the old "empeiral" units work better... I find, that when I am laying out projects in the yard I use feet and inches. But I have actually found that when trying to cut lumber to exact sizes, I actually prefer the metric side of the tape measure. There are numbers every 5mm (~3/16"), so it is a lot harder to get lost in the fractional makings. Plus, I really like decimal measurements much better. I also tend to use mostly metric fasterners. First off, whenever we need to clean off the benches at work, I wind up with another grab bag of mixed fasternes  Also, since I work with them every day I have gotten used to picking metric sizes for a given job. I also think that the metric "medium" pitches are alot easier to deal with than having to figure out if I want to use a UNC or a UNF for a given task.

Just my $.02


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## MarioM

I use both.  Being in South America, must of the technology came from USA, but at present it is mixed up.  We study both at school.  When I need to visualize something in my mind I better do it in metric, but I am so used to use imperial in some things that still use it, like depth units for diving, imperial..... surfboards sizes, imperial......tire pressure, imperial......person height, metric......distance, metric......and so on....completely crazy!!!!.

At the shop all my machines are imperial, so working with thousands of an inch no problem, but struggle using fractions and use a chart.  It is something like not knowing which hand to use, left or right.


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## cvairwerks

I've used both over the years, but the majority of my work is inch and Mil Spec, so much easier for me. Easier to work to a .003" tolerance rather than a .0762 mm.


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## David Kirtley

I am equally comfortable in either but preference doesn't usually come into the choice. The project usually dictates which I will use. If I am doing something that uses bearings, I usually will use 608 bearings because they are dirt cheap. I order them by the box of 100. Same with M8 x 1.25 screws. They fit the bearings. Stock comes in Imperial dimensions. Tooling and fasteners are easier to find in Imperial sizes. Machining information such as Machinery Handbook have an Imperial bias for the tables.

What I don't like are conversions. Not because I can't do them but because they are a huge source of error potential. If I am working in metric, I want metric scales and such. Thankfully, with modern digital indicators and calipers, it is a non issue.


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## Ulma Doctor

i was raised imperial, learned metric in grade school but didn't use it until i started working for a living.
i use both systems now and have measuring tools and tooling in both Imperial and Metric.
i prefer the metric system it's easier for me to do computations quickly.
when using imperial, i find myself always wanting to turn every fraction into a decimal so i can gauge it's size.
for example 47/64", i know it's larger than 1/2" but i have to crunch numbers to find out that it's smaller than 3/4"
whereas in metric  you'll have 10 mm, 12 mm, 16.5mm etc., pretty easy to do the math when working metric...
converting back and forth usually for me is relegated to charts and memory


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## hermetic

Imperial for everything, except on my Harrison H mill, which is metric, A fact which I didn't notice when buying it, because the price ws so right \i didn't care!!
Phil
UK


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## orjo

Here in Belgium we only use Metric.
But I know how to convert to Imperial if I have to.


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## Round in circles

I've had to smile about the guys who hate fractions & prefer metric .. pray tell me what is metric but fractions & multiples of 10's  100's and 1000's

 I live working in different mathematical measurement bases other than in tens or multiples it keeps my mind active , it allows me to see patterns & values that I suspect I would miss if I was only schooled in the metric system .

 My daughter is nearly 13 ,  she was amazed earlier this year when I showed her how to multiply , divide ,  add & subtract fractions and explained that a fraction really showed that the top set of numbers was just a part of a whole one that's been divided up  into the bottom  set of numbers . Her teachers are shy of anything that's not metric which shows just how dumbed down modern schooling is here in the UK .
 Munchkin wants to become a veterinary surgeon so it's important to get a handle on maths early in the game and learn to enjoy the mind games you play when  doing them. 

 Years ago in the British  Army I played with all manner of explosives  handling equipment most of which that was pre 1930's German machinery , a heck of a lot of it was Withworth / imperial and made in Germany .

I was always taught that the non metric stuff was designed to take the load that the quality of steel of the day could handle where as metric thread  was frequently mis-engineered too high so as to use metrically dimensioned metal .  Though these days with our knowledge of steel making etc. it's becoming the norm to have the steel formulae developed /manufactured  to the load  that the thread is going to have placed upon for all manner of threaded rod /nuts  it no matter what thread form is used.


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## pdentrem

I was schooled in INCH (Imperial) first. In 1977, we had the switch to Metric. 

At work I have to use inch, metric, microns etc. Our manual machines are inch. The modern EDMs, milling center and other CNC machines don't care. As long that you toggle the correct switch or setting!

At home I use inch.
Pierre


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## atwatterkent

Inches forever. I'm 68 and set in my ways. When someone brings me a print of a part they need machined with metric dimensions, I tell them to come back when they FIX the print.
I bought a Hardinge TM horiz mill a few years ago. It has metric feed screws. I would have brought it back to the guy but it was 300 miles away. I promptly put a DRO on it to solve the PROBLEM


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## Jim Dobson

atwatterkent said:


> Inches forever. I'm 68 and set in my ways. When someone brings me a print of a part they need machined with metric dimensions, I tell them to come back when they FIX the print.




LOL !


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## Cami

pdentrem:  Toggling the correct switch setting indeed!  It can be a hazard:  All my torque specs at work are in Newton metres and I use an elecronic torque wrench.  Somebody borrowed it and switched it over to foot pounds and returned it without my knowing.  That first nut seemed to put up quite a fight....then, "DAMN!"


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## Bill Gruby

I work in US Customary Units.  You may have to look that one up?  :lmao::lmao::lmao:

 "Billy G"


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## savarin

Bill Gruby said:


> I work in US Customary Units.  You may have to look that one up?  :lmao::lmao::lmao:
> 
> "Billy G"



So do you work with the international system or the surveyors system for your linear measurements?:whistle:

Its interesting to note that US customary systems of measurement are dependent upon the international system of units for their formal definitions.


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## John Hasler

savarin said:


> So do you work with the international system or the surveyors system for your linear measurements?



I don't think any new work is being done in the survey foot.   The State Plane Coordinate Systems are being converted to metric.  The North American Datum is already metric.



> Its interesting to note that US customary systems of measurement are dependent upon the international system of units for their formal definitions.



Yes, since 1893.


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## Walt

My measuring tools are all imperial. I have imperial and metric wrenches, taps and dies.

My job as a chemist is all metric, all the time. 

Walt


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## Falcon67

All imperial here but I do keep a metric Crescent wrench handy for the occasional odd ball fastener.


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## darkzero

Falcon67 said:


> All imperial here but I do keep a metric Crescent wrench handy for the occasional odd ball fastener.



What is a metric Crescent wrench? What a "Crescent wrench" to me & everyone I know around here is an adjustable wrench. Being adjustable, doesn't matter if it's metric or imperial. :headscratch: :lmao:


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## JimDawson

Ok, Here it is....The metric, heavy duty adjustable.:roflmao:


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## GK1918

whoa, that was a good got- cha   I was about to say metric pipe wrench !


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## Fabrickator

I was taught in US std. but working in the motorcycle/automotive industry for many years, I learned both.  If something is metric, I keep it all metric including any mods or repairs.  If I'm making something from scratch, I use fraction/decimals.  I have the tools, tooling and hardware to do a job either way.


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## maker of things

Falcon67 said:


> All imperial here but I do keep a metric Crescent wrench handy for the occasional odd ball fastener.


I think I got one of those in a set with left hand metric screwdrivers.  

My brain is wired for US inches too.  I can visualize metric measurements but do so by comparing to inch.  (holding thumb and forefinger with a slight gap) 3mm, hmm that's about 1/8".  I convert all the drawings I receive to inch as well.


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## Downwindtracker2

As a millwright, it was much easier to use the system the machine was built in. The numbers come out even. At home,now, I use mostly imperial.


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## dirty tools

I prefer imperial but I am forced to use metric   :nono:


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## DaveSohlstrom

I work in both and have been known to mix then on projects of my own.

Dave


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## eightball

All my measuring tools are US inches. But 25.4 is so easy to remember, i really dont have any problems. With the dang smartphones now, i rarely break out my old texas instruments calculator. I did buy some metric rulers. 150,300,and 1 meter. And i have a tape measure with metric on one side and inch on the other. I only purchased these so I could measure things that i knew were metric, It was less confusing. I still do most of my machining in inches because thats what my mics are.


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## David S

I repair old mechanical clocks and am always in a "mixed mode" mode.  Bushings are all metric, however springs etc are referred to in imperial.  My machines are all imperial.  Lot's of measuring instruments, so can switch between metric and imperial, however I prefer dedicated conventional analogue mics.  I have one for metric and one for imperial.

David


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## SG51Buss

I grew up with U.S. Std., and think that way.
Working as a motorcycle mechanic in the '70s, I became proficient with Metric.

Now, as a hobbyist, I prefer and choose to use U.S. Std. because it takes me back to the 'good 'ol days'.
But, working in Metric is not a problem, just requires a momentary schizophrenic mind flip.

Have also worked in B.S. Whitworth.
Takes a little longer, requires me to bang my head against the wall 'till I'm cross-eyed, then it works out fine.
I still have 3 barleycorns as a standard.

But furlongs take a fortnight.

Out here in ranch country, we buy 'bob-waar' in 80 rod rolls, and deal with bushels, cubic-yards, sections, shovelfulls, hands (horse height), and penny-nails.

My Japanese friends once asked me how large my home was, in 'mats'.
Huh???  Whut's a 'mat'.

Being dain-brammaged helps...


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## DavidL

As a 78 year old hobbyist I build model stationary engines.  Available drawings can be either metric or imperial so I work in both systems.  Most digital measuring tools I have switch to either system which avoids the need to convert drawings. Drawing conversion is a pain and one usually makes an error somewhere along the line.
The one analogue measuring device I do have is a set of metric micrometers, so the trusty calculator lives nearby! (Factor 25.4 is imbedded into my old brain!)


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## jbollman

randyjaco said:


> I use both, but being in the US, I am pretty much forced to use Imperial. I wish we would wise up and go all Metric. {But it will never happen 8^(  }
> 
> Randy



10-18-14  REF. Metric to Imperial or USA threads.  Note:  .03937 is 1 thousands of a meter

To convert metric to imperial threads ( USA threads)  or vise-versa tank examples:  Suppose you have a metric thread of 16 mm  to convert it 
to Imperial.  MULTIPLY it by  .03937  which gives .62992.  The converse of this is - say a shaft is  7/16" or .4375 OD.  DIVIDE this 
by .03937 which is 11.1125 mm.   Many years ago when I started a job at a corrugate box plant some of the processing machines
the company had were both metric & imperial units.  I worked as a machine repairer/rebuilder.  This math was used on a 
 Texas Instrument  Scientific calculator model TI-30XA.  Any calculator will work as long as it has at least 4 decimal places. This made it very easy to calculate both dimension catagories.  This particular unit was quite low in cost.  I had used it many times & now being retired I still use it in my machine shop.  Around the world both threads are used.  We all have to get used to it - if I can do it - anybody can do it !!!

Respectfully submitted,

jbollman


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## billb2011

I use imperial, thats what most of my tools read and its just easier because Im used to it. 

About 20 years ago though I worked at a mill and ran a drill machine that was made in Germany and was set up metric. What was funny about it was the spindles on the aggregates were metric but on 32 millimeter centers. Never could figure that one out. I always thought that was the magic of metric to be divisible by ten haha.


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## Eddyde

Though I was brought up on Imperial, I think Metric is the better system. I can judge most Metric distance, volume & weight units fairly accurately, However, when it comes to Celsius temperature, I am clueless. Imperial length when used in decimal inches, is pretty much as easy as Metric.


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## KBeitz

Living today in the US of A you really need both systems...
You really don't need two adjustables any more.
You can buy both in one wrench. Metric on one end and imperial  at the other...


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## savarin

I could do with one of those, my metric adjustable keeps slipping on the odd imperial bolts I have.


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## higgite

KBeitz said:


> Living today in the US of A you really need both systems...
> You really don't need two adjustables any more.
> You can buy both in one wrench. Metric on one end and imperial  at the other...
> 
> View attachment 273689


How do you remember which end is which?

Tom


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## roadie33

One good reason the US has not converted to Metric is the cost.
Can you imagine what the cost would be to the transportation system to replace every sign on every roadway, train track, and other speed, distance or weight sign would be!
That alone would cost another trillion or two, and we are not needing that added to the deficit.
As for me, I use both systems when it is needed.
One thing tho that ticks me of is some of the older vehicles have a mixture of Metric and Imp nuts and bolts in use. I guess the manufacturer didn't want to waste the leftover imp hardware and kept using it in some applications.


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## BaronJ

Hi Guys,

At my age I don't care   I was never taught anything but imperial measure, but use either as needed.  Though I do have some sympathy for Cami,  I've never been able to get my head around Newton metres.


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## KBeitz

A lot of parts on older vehicles was out sourced. Parts put on might have came metric.


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## savarin

The other problem I have with metric and imperial tools is handedness.
So I bought these.


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## westerner

darkzero said:


> When someone says a few thou or a couple of hundred thou, I can get a visual of how much that is. But when it comes to metric I'm lost


I am 58, raised on 'Merican'. I work on lots of Japanese and European stuff, and can wrench in metric. Wrenches, sockets, etc. I know all the wrench sizes that do and do not cross.  But when I build something, I work exclusively in inch.


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## Round in circles

roadie33 said:


> One good reason the US has not converted to Metric is the cost.
> Can you imagine what the cost would be to the transportation system to replace every sign on every roadway, train track, and other speed, distance or weight sign would be!
> That alone would cost another trillion or two, and we are not needing that added to the deficit.
> As for me, I use both systems when it is needed.
> One thing tho that ticks me of is some of the older vehicles have a mixture of Metric and Imp nuts and bolts in use. I guess the manufacturer didn't want to waste the leftover imp hardware and kept using it in some applications.



  Be prepared for further anal irritations . Chinese made fixings of all grades are often a combination of say imperial threads but with metric  heads 
 or Americn A/F heads with BSF or BA thread , sadly if the thread form is close to one but also workable into another that's what you will usually get.

 Quality made in USA or UK precision  nuts , bolts & machine screws  should be OK but as in everything that is precision made you pay a lot more for them .


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## darkzero

westerner said:


> I am 58, raised on 'Merican'. I work on lots of Japanese and European stuff, and can wrench in metric. Wrenches, sockets, etc. I know all the wrench sizes that do and do not cross.  But when I build something, I work exclusively in inch.



I can related, when I worked in automotive I work mostly on Japanese cars. Most all my tools are metric with minimal standard stuff. Bolt heads are easy for me to identify in metric. Like you when I build something I use standard but the funny thing is I prefer to use metric fastners. But if I'm making something where I need to single point threads I prefer to use standard.

A peeve of mine is if I'm adding on or modifying something like for a vehicle or whatever, if the vehicle or part uses metric fastners, I will not use standard fastners & vise versa. I hate when something has a mix of fastners.


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## warrjon

Being an Aussie I remember going to school Monday and being told we are no longer learning inches we are now learning metric, so I use both. Especially as My lathe has imperial dials and my mill has metric. If I need to turn something on the lathe to 40mm I just convert that to 1.575" to bring it close with the dials, then use a metric mic.

I have an old V12 Jaguar and it is mostly imperial but Jaguar just threw a few metric bolts in here and there, except for my spare V12 which is all metric so I can not interchange any studs.


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## timmeh

Jim Dobson said:


> Do you work in Imperial or Metric?
> 
> Being an Aussie and 52 years of age I was mid school when Australia started the change over from Imperial to Metric (something that even to this day 40 years later isn't even completely instituted). Here we were one day at school learning Imperial and the next we were told to scratch that and start learning Metric. Something that even our teaches struggled with. So a lot of us around my age have always been in a bit of a twilight zone when it comes to both systems. Older people can easily work in Imperial and younger people can easily work in metric because its what they were solely taught.
> 
> Ok, after saying all the above I do find working in metric a whole lot easier, but I still work a lot in imperial as well.
> 
> I still to this day wish that I'd been taught just the one method.
> 
> What's your preference and what were you taught?


Taught both, switch between as needed.


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## MrWhoopee

I'm 67, raised and schooled strictly in U.S. Customary (a new term for me). Foreign cars introduced me to metric (and Whitworth, damn Limeys). During my apprenticeship I had to translate several hundred Japanese blueprints for shop use (I don't speak or read Japanese). I am now quite comfortable in either system, though I instinctively choose inches over millimeters when designing.


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## RJSakowski

As a chemist and a physicist, I used the metric system for fifty years.  As an engineer, I have worked with both. I generally design in Imperial measure.  No particular reason other than it is what I have always used.  Imperial fasteners are easier to find and less expensive the metric though. My machines are equally capable of working in either system although metric threading on an Imperial lathe is more complex.  I still tend to design in nice round numbers even though the CNC could care less.

An interesting challenge was designing a piece of laboratory equipment where the part contained some features that were positioned in an 8 x 12 array on 9 mm centers.  The part was designed in inches but the problem came up with dimensioning.  Since 9mm is equal to .35433" rounding to three decimal places  would create a problem with tolerance stacking.  The workaround was to use ordinate dimensioning so that each position was accurately dimensioned to within .001". 

IMO, the biggest reason that we still use Imperial measure in the US is stock sizes.  Think about the difficulty someone would have trying to build a metric house.  It isn't much better when it comes to metal working.  

In a company that I used to work for, our UK site ran out of their supply of 4" acrylic tubing.  They hadn't ordered for a while and the stock had gone metric.    There wasn't a workable metric size so they ended up having us order the 4" tubing here and ship it to them.

The flip side of the coin is that suppliers aren't going to stock metric stock when there isn't a serious demad for it.  It's a catch 22 situation.  Along similar lines was the story about why barns are painted red.  The answer was that was the only color available for barn paint.  Asking the paint manufacturers why they only made red paint, their answer was nobody uses anything other than red.

An industry with vertical integration like the automotive industry has it easier since they either make their own components or they order  them made to their specs. and they have largely gone metric.  The same is true for the scientific and medical equipment industries.


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## Dabbler

I do both.  All my machines do Imperial, but some have a metric dial as well.  I use whichever micrometer is best for the job, and all my vernier are in both anyway.

so I'd say 80% Imperial, 20% Metric.


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## burdickjp

I'm part of the small group which works in metric in the United States.
Most obvious difference: there's a single system of drill bits in metric. It is fantastic.

There are some difficulties in buying metric tools. I recently went looking for long-reach 3-flute ball nose end mills. Kyocera makes some in metric sizes, but the minimum purchase quantity and lead time were prohibitive. I ordered some inch sizes from McMaster. It's easy enough to put 9.525 mm into my tool table for a 3/8" diameter end mill.

I find that converting inch dimensions to metric involves less rounding or truncating than the other way around, especially when discussing tolerances.


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## geoffm

99% metric these days. When I started hobby machining and welding when I was at high school, New Zealand had changed over to metric 20 years before. The machines I used in my uncle’s workshop were imperial Colchesters, second hand tooling and measuring equipment was all imperial, imperial fasteners were common and even imperial sized steel. Now anything imperial is special order and costs more. I inherited my father in laws tools which were all metric as he was a German engineer.
I can’t understand how anyone can design buildings ( at least the engineering) in imperial. I did a fire sprinkler design for the Hawaii office of my then employer. Room dimensions in feet-inches-fractions made it hard to layout and tally up dimensions. Would have been ok if it was decimal feet (23.6 feet), so I went over all the drawings, converted to SI units to do the layout and calculations, then converted back and fiddled to round numbers...


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## tomfiii

You use what works for you or you crash a satellite into Mars!


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## warrjon

tomfiii said:


> You use what works for you or you crash a satellite into Mars!



I wonder how many will get that reference.............ooops


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## westerner

warrjon said:


> I wonder how many will get that reference.............ooops


Indeed. Either system is capable of the required accuracy. If one chooses to MIX the systems, then one is required to CONVERT accurately.


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## RJSakowski

What I get a chuckle out of are the various new reports where they provide a conversion for the reader's convenience.  For example, if they were reporting a distance of 240 meters, which I would interpret as something more than 230 meters and less than 250 meters, they will give  a conversion to 787.4 feet.


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## savarin

Or use football fields and olympic sized swimming pools as conversions.
My pet "hatred" is american food recipes, cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, packets (with no mention of size or product)
I mean, one and a third cups of grated mozzarella cheese is a nonsense if its an important amount, ist it large grated, small fine grated, warm, straight out the fridge, they will all give a different amount.


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## higgite

Unfortunately, some recipes assume that you can cook. 

Tom


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## stupoty

warrjon said:


> I wonder how many will get that reference.............ooops



Do you mean  ?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/sc...ace-of-Mars-after-vanishing-for-12-years.html

or are their other mars "hard landing" situations that i'm not knowing about ? 


Stu


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## warrjon

No,

It was a NASA JPL probe, Climate Orbiter I think.


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## stupoty

warrjon said:


> No,
> 
> It was a NASA JPL probe, Climate Orbiter I think.



Did that one ever turn up then ?


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## NortonDommi

I have a couple of years on you and on this side of the ditch changed a bit earlier.  Same situation though I got whacked intermediate school and had to deal with both through exams and my apprenticeship so not only got tested on the subject but also conversions which was a pain.  I think some things in Imperial and others in Metric still have problems with Joule as opposed to BTU though.
  No real personal preference as I work on old and new stuff and the only time I get annoyed is when some muppet uses metric on an Imperial machine or vis-a versa. I can say that some of the British stuff in the early 1980's was interesting,(particularly Army Land Rovers),where they used UNC, UNF, SAE, Metric, BSF and BSW all on the same vehicle.  A right pain in the field!
Both systems have good and bad points and using two gives options plus keeps the Grey Matter working.


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## warrjon

NortonDommi said:


> I can say that some of the British stuff in the early 1980's was interesting,(particularly Army Land Rovers),where they used UNC, UNF, SAE, Metric, BSF and BSW all on the same vehicle.  A right pain in the field!



I own a Jaguar I know all about the poms using metric and imperial fasteners. I am rebuilding the rack ATM and everything is imperial except 1 grub screw.



stupoty said:


> Did that one ever turn up then ?



I don't know, must ask Google.


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## stupoty

warrjon said:


> I own a Jaguar I know all about the poms using metric and imperial fasteners. I am rebuilding the rack ATM and everything is imperial except 1 grub screw.
> 
> 
> 
> I don't know, must ask Google.




When Man kind does get their(mars) at least their will be some stuff to put in a museum   give families something to do on the weekend.


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## Downwindtracker2

For recipes, it not the measurements, we get both besides they are on the other side of measuring the cup here, it's the British terms, like the one for icing sugar.


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