How embarrassing

Christianstark said:
I have been intermingling imperial and metric in all of my projects. I’d love to go just metric, but most of the materials I source are imperial. I prefer metric fasteners, and those are easy enough to order. The Quorn project I’m doing is pretty much all imperial so far, as the plans are mainly drawn to imperial.
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I prefer imperial sized raw stock when doing metric projects, all my projects require machining to size and there is usually a size just enough larger to do a clean up cut to the dimensions I want without wasting too much stock. The only area that can be difficult is finding the right size metric precision ground rods, but McMaster-Carr is pretty good at having what I need.
I have been redrawing many older steam engine drawings that used fractions and converting to metric, including using metric fasteners. I hate using fractions, so converting to something that is easier to use makes the time at my machines more productive, and I have drawings the way I like them and not overly crowded like many I have seen.
 
davidpbest said:
You'll know you've completed the journey when you get one of these. :D

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Mars Supply | 218SB-10 SERIES 2 METRIC TYPE DIAL INDICATOR

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I have nearly a dozen different metric dial and test indicators in the shop. They measure in increments from .001mm to .0002mm.They get used more regularly than I would like. Mostly making replacement parts for foreign built equipment, tools, and appliances. That doesn't mean I've completed the journey, but rather that they are necessary to keep poorly designed and cheaply built equipment running as long as possible.

NIST may be switching to the metric system, not because it's better, but rather because it will allow US manufacturing companies to more easily sell their products in countries that already embrace the system. For many industries it was a lengthy and painful transition. The automobile industry for example started the changeover in the early 1980's. The first fasteners to change were those related to body panels and trim pieces. It took over 5 years to transition non mechanical component fasteners from imperial to metric. From model year to model year, you never knew which fasteners would be changing.

Once the non-mechanical components were transitioned it came time for the engines, transmissions, differentials, and other drive components to changeover. The total process spanned nearly a 15-year period. It was clumsy at best. Some engines and transmissions changed over slowly using a combination of metric and imperial fasteners. Others took the plunge in a single model year. It was an expensive changeover to those of us in the repair industry. It required doubling the investment in tools and equipment. Keep in mind at that time a top-of-the-line technician was making around $30,000.00 a year. They had to add another $15,000.00 to $20,000.00 of personal tools to be able to work in both worlds. A lot of highly qualified technicians left the field because they could no longer afford the tools to remain competitive.

I left the industry in the mid 1980's for a job in a machine design and building department of a local manufacturing company. The pay was nearly double what I was making in the auto repair business, and there was minimal personal investment needed for tools to do the job. I stayed with the company another 20+ years and was paid well to leave at 57 when a buyout came along.

I grew up with the imperial measurement system and still prefer it to metrics. Most all imperial calculations can still be done in my head rather than having to resort to a calculator or wall chart. I look at industry in this country as a whole to be in a similar state as the automobile industry was in during the 1980's and 90's. Slowly transitioning from one measuring system to another. At this point it's hard to tell if a complete transition will ever take place, and if it does how long it will take. As in the past I will be prepared to work in both worlds, but paraphrasing Charlton Heston "You'll have to pry my Imperial Micrometer from my cold dead hands".
 
Ischgl99 said:
I prefer imperial sized raw stock when doing metric projects, all my projects require machining to size and there is usually a size just enough larger to do a clean up cut to the dimensions I want without wasting too much stock. The only area that can be difficult is finding the right size metric precision ground rods, but McMaster-Carr is pretty good at having what I need.
I have been redrawing many older steam engine drawings that used fractions and converting to metric, including using metric fasteners. I hate using fractions, so converting to something that is easier to use makes the time at my machines more productive, and I have drawings the way I like them and not overly crowded like many I have seen.
Click to expand...
I just received the Hemingway Spherical Turning Tool kit yesterday to make my ball handles. The plans for that is basically all dimensions in imperial, aside for threads, and through holes which are all in metric...EXCEPT for the adjusting mechanism which is in imperial 1/4" x 40 TPI.

FUN!
 
davidpbest said:
If you ever decide you want to upgrade to 0.1mm crosscut accuracy, let me know. LOL

View attachment 440276

And let me know if you'd like a Tee. :)

View attachment 440277
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too big and too rich for my blood. I wish I had room, and a way down the stairs. I also would love to have a slider for big sheet processing.
I setup a 2x4 grid on the floor and rough cut everything with a circ saw, then recut if needed on the tablesaw. Mostly with my circ saw sled I am good enough.

Right now, with all the wood I have surfaced for the project, I have no room in the shop. All of it is sitting on a cart on edge so I can still get to the piece I want. It's a dance around things.. That saw while a beauty, would just fill what little space I have left.
 
I prefer to document measurements so that my designs will catch the attention of extraterrestrials, so I use the fundamental hydrogen system of measurement, based on the frequency of the spin-flip transition of hydrogen. The unit is 21 centimeters and identifies us as intelligent life.

1200px-Hydrogen-SpinFlip.svg.png
 
projectnut said:
I have nearly a dozen different metric dial and test indicators in the shop. They measure in increments from .001mm to .0002mm.They get used more regularly than I would like. Mostly making replacement parts for foreign built equipment, tools, and appliances. That doesn't mean I've completed the journey, but rather that they are necessary to keep poorly designed and cheaply built equipment running as long as possible.

NIST may be switching to the metric system, not because it's better, but rather because it will allow US manufacturing companies to more easily sell their products in countries that already embrace the system. For many industries it was a lengthy and painful transition. The automobile industry for example started the changeover in the early 1980's. The first fasteners to change were those related to body panels and trim pieces. It took over 5 years to transition non mechanical component fasteners from imperial to metric. From model year to model year, you never knew which fasteners would be changing.

Once the non-mechanical components were transitioned it came time for the engines, transmissions, differentials, and other drive components to changeover. The total process spanned nearly a 15-year period. It was clumsy at best. Some engines and transmissions changed over slowly using a combination of metric and imperial fasteners. Others took the plunge in a single model year. It was an expensive changeover to those of us in the repair industry. It required doubling the investment in tools and equipment. Keep in mind at that time a top-of-the-line technician was making around $30,000.00 a year. They had to add another $15,000.00 to $20,000.00 of personal tools to be able to work in both worlds. A lot of highly qualified technicians left the field because they could no longer afford the tools to remain competitive.

I left the industry in the mid 1980's for a job in a machine design and building department of a local manufacturing company. The pay was nearly double what I was making in the auto repair business, and there was minimal personal investment needed for tools to do the job. I stayed with the company another 20+ years and was paid well to leave at 57 when a buyout came along.

I grew up with the imperial measurement system and still prefer it to metrics. Most all imperial calculations can still be done in my head rather than having to resort to a calculator or wall chart. I look at industry in this country as a whole to be in a similar state as the automobile industry was in during the 1980's and 90's. Slowly transitioning from one measuring system to another. At this point it's hard to tell if a complete transition will ever take place, and if it does how long it will take. As in the past I will be prepared to work in both worlds, but paraphrasing Charlton Heston "You'll have to pry my Imperial Micrometer from my cold dead hands".
Click to expand...
Are you saying you can do fractional calculations in your head but you can’t do base ten calculations without a calculator?

Conversions back and forth I can understand having trouble in your head, but not figuring out a base 10 system.
 
Christianstark said:
I just received the Hemingway Spherical Turning Tool kit yesterday to make my ball handles. The plans for that is basically all dimensions in imperial, aside for threads, and through holes which are all in metric...EXCEPT for the adjusting mechanism which is in imperial 1/4" x 40 TPI.

FUN!
Click to expand...
Those are exactly the types of plans I redesign. I do occasionally mix metric and imperial, I am building a proximity stop micrometer adjustment block and since I have some nice surface finish 1/2” stock and a reamer of the right size, I am using that for the smooth portion of the adjustment screw instead of turning it down to a metric size. The threads will be metric though since I will be measuring how much it needs to move in or out in metric units.
 
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