“Imperial units should only be used when measuring general levels of rebel scum.”
— Fake AP Stylebook
I leave for Germany on Thursday to teach three classes at the workshops of Dictum GmbH, one of Europe’s leading supplier of hand tools.
The hardest part of the trip might surprise you. It’s not the food or the beer (duh). It’s not the time difference, the language barrier or even dealing with the completely different cultural woodworking tradition (bowsaws, horned planes, pins-first dovetails, etc).
It’s the metric system.
I don’t dislike the metric system. Far from it. After three years of teaching at Dictum, plus many years of dealing with readers from metric countries, I appreciate its base-10 elegance. But it really jerks around my brain switching back and forth between the two systems. Especially when I get the occasional student who uses Imperial. And don’t get me started on the one who spoke Esperanto.
This year I’ve been getting a jump on the switch to the metric system by spending the last four days writing up all the materials for the class in metric and not using a conversion calculator. It’s like I can almost “speak” metric. Almost.
Now if someone could explain what the German Burger King’s “Long Chicken” sandwich is, I think I’ll have assimilated.
— Christopher Schwarz
P.S. This blog entry is also a reminder that if you e-mail me or post a comment on the blog that I might not be very responsive. I won’t be back in Kentucky until June 28. And if you are seeking to burgle us in the meantime, you’ll have to deal with the ferocity of Lucy and her four attack pussies.
“Long Chicken” tastes like, well, chicken. Just stay away from the “Long Pig” sandwich.
It’s sure not easy but I think most people can get the hang of it. I just finished on a film that is being built and shot in Bulgaria so we had to draw everything in metric. I like the simplicity of not having strange fractions but I still don’t “think” in millimeters. I can look at a piece of wood and tell what size it is in imperial but haven’t made the leap to metric visualization.
I created a set of imperial/metric conversion scales in 1/4″ and 1:50 and posted them on my blog for anyone who wants them.
Here is the link:
http://thedesignersassistant.com/2012/04/02/would-you-like-your-metrics-hard-or-soft/
Quick link:
http://thedesignersassistant.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/metric_imperial_conversionscales.pdf
The only metric measurements I use are meters for ranging artillery. Other than that the King’s foot is fine. :<)
Shame on you, sir Christopher for the feline/female cross-pollination reference. I hope Dame Lucy
clouts you up side the head upon your return from across the pond.
flippinfred
Not sure what you are referring to. 😉
I can relate, having made the opposite transition (I know, it sounds insane) from Europe to here. Euro-advice : stay away from the sandwich.
In Australia we changed to the metric system some years ago, i was brought up with the imperial system and did not find the change much trouble I use both!!
I can measure a board at 1.5M and 1/8″ long it is really easy. I don’t see what you Yanks are carping on about.
Indeed! Everyone knows that a metre is 3’10cm. Easy. I do get a bit confused when getting down to poofteenths and beesdicks though.
A bees dick is still a very course measurement, a knat’s hair is a lot finer it is equal to 100 bees dicks.
Yep, I’m fluent in both, too, having been schooled in the 70’s. I regularly measure a board as 4’2″ by 305mm. Smaller measurements than millimetres or fractions of an inch less than 1/32″ are measured in “smidges.”
Lets see if I have the scales right:
Around .8mm (1/32) equals a “smidge”
From .8 to .25mm equals a ‘poofteenth”
From .25mm to .1mm equals a “bees dick”
from .1mm to .01.. equals a “knats hair”
Now if the American magazines would include these measurements as well as metric measurements, every one would be happy. It constantly amazes me that American woodwork magazines go all over the world and they only put imperial measurements in them, DON’T THEY CONSIDER THE REST OF THEIR READERS? what arrogance.
At work (chemist) I use metric exclusively. At home in the shop, I use English units exclusively.
Never the twain shall meet. Mostly because I really stink at exact conversions, but I can ballpark!
It’s fun leading a dual life!
As far as the Long Chicken sandwich
http://www.brandeating.com/2010/06/sunday-funny-burger-king-germany-long.html
Caution – somewhat suggestive
Just convert all of your measurements into Smoots. Truly a universal non-arbitrary unit of measure if there ever was one.
I guess you haven’t forgotten your black Starrett 12′ tape measure.
I learned metric in 1976 – when we were supposedly changing over. Instead of direct conversion, we were taught that a centimeter = length of a raisin. A meter = 100 raisins. A gram = weight of a raisin. To this day, I still measure everything in raisins.
My son thinks I’m nuts for staying with the imperial system. He uses Metric.
I’ll keep my fractions, thank you.
Have a nice trip Chris.
I’m young enough to have grown up learning metric (in Australia). The problem I had is all my tools are far older than I am and sized in Imperial, as too are most of the US blogs/books I read. It was far easier to just learn imperial and make my marking out consistent with my tools.
I do exactly the same! (Australian as well).
Me too. (Australian living in US.)
I think it is safe to say most mechanics in the US are quite familiar with the metric system. Look into any mechanic’s tool box and you’ll find tools in both imperial and metric. I can look at most things and know what size it is in both systems, as long whatever I’m looking at is similar to the fasteners I see every day.
Yeah, it’s a bear especially when some tools are metric (chisels) and others are imperial (plow planes). The standard sizes in both systems are pretty close (6mm, 1/4″ or 19mm, 3/4″) but you end up just a bit too sloppy or too tight. My solution for most problems: don’t measure but gauge. “This long” is the same whatever the units.
Pop over to England on your way home, we have both metric and imperial in regular daily use everywhere!
There’s metric and there’s metric…
When Australia went metric in the 1970’s, it was decided that Centimetres would not be used in the building trades. Only metres and millimetres. Something 4 foot long is 1220mm rather than 1.22m – though either is acceptable. It cannot be described as 122 cm. That’s a no-no.
In Europe, Centimetres are commonly used in the building trades. Stick a European on an Australian building site, and it can get very confusing! The fact that the nasty big hardware chains sell tape measures in centimeres, is just plain stupid here in Australia!
However, Centimetres are used in the sewing trades. For women moving into woodworking, it is one of the first lessons to learn. No centimetres in this game!
So as I said, there is metric and there is metric…
I am one of those fortunate people who is bi-lingual. I did primary school in Imperials and high school in the transition to metric. I am happy with both and tend to operate in both – often all mixed in together. I still always buy my drill bits in Imperial sizes!
The quickest way I estimate mm to inches is to remember that 100mm is roughly 4 inches. From your bench diagram: 100mm goes into 400mm 4 times, and 4 x 4 = 16 inches. or 100 goes into 2000mm 20 times, and 4 x 20 = roughly 80 inches for the bench length. It’s not exact, but it’s pretty quick and simple math that will get you close when a calculator isn’t at hand.
There should be a reality TV show where American craftsmen are given challenges and provided metric measuring tools and drawings and Asian and European craftsmen using Imperial drawings and tape measures and squares.
I had a hard time with metric when I moved to Europe, not with using the dimensions, that was much easier than doing the Imperial stuff with the fractions. But just with judging a length by eye, or matching the dimensions of a piece of stock to cut down to dimensions in a plan. I found that the distance between my outstretched finger was 50 cm, finger to wrist joint was 20 and I was a little over 180 cm tall, with my belt at about 100 cm.
I completely relate, having had to adapt from metric to imperial when I moved here FROM Germany. Even still got both kinds of measuring devices – not a good idea. The way I am coping is by strictly stinking with inches and feet – even when I go back to Germany.
We are not the only ones struggling with this. Once a VERY expensive probe was lost on MARS when ESA (the European Space Agency) and NASA collaborated on a mission to the South pole on Mars, and the probe crashed be course of the discrepancy of Metric- and Imperial measurements 🙁
even those guys struggle with that.
If in Germany – forget Burger King, have a “Curry Wurst” – seriously !!
As much as I hate fractions, I do appreciate how easy it is to use dividers to accurately measure out “half units” of any measurement pretty easily. I don’t know it for a fact, but I would guess that the origin of using fractions in the imperial system was born from the tools used to divide larger units into smaller units, and the fact that “half” of one measure could be very easily found, allowing 1/4’s, 1/8th, etc. on down the line to be much easier to deal with when using simple tools like a divider and a try square rather than a tape measure or ruler. Now that we have digital calipers and calculators, using decimal notation (base 10) for measurements makes more sense than fractional notation (essentially an extension of a base 2 counting system) since most of the planning is done on paper with a ruler or in a computer with a keyboard than at a drafting table, or even directly on the workpiece, with a compass and a square.
I would love to hear if anyone out there could actually verify whether my hunch is correct or not, but it certainly does make a compelling story! (Now, if this is NOT true, I certainly hope I don’t create some wierd internet urban legend factoid.)
David
Half units are easy, true. 1/3, less so, but they still have 12″ (2x2x3) in a foot, and 3 in a yard.
Doesn’t matter whether you use imperial or metric; if you cut it too short, it’s still too short.
As El said above, many of us in the UK have perforce to be reasonably familiar with both, though industrially it’s regarded as wise to stick consistently to one system. However, in the privacy of your own workshop, you can mix and match somewhat. If it’s easier to make it 100mm x 400mm x 1/4″ (because that’s the size of plough iron and mortice chisel you happen to have) then you can do. It’s sometimes easier to use millimetres for small measurements because they’re clearer on the rule than 64ths, and inches for longer ones because numbers like 48″ are easier than 1220mm.
When all else fails, throw away all tapes and rules, and just make it fit. A stick with pencil marks is plenty good enough for most furniture jobs.
Chris,
I worked in science most of my life, where no one would consider using anything but SI (“metric”) units of measure. The reason is simple: it makes things simple and keeps them simple. You may be too young to remember doing “supplemental” physics problems involving slugs, poundals, BTUs and the like, but they cured me forever of any desire to work in customary units for most things.
However, making linear measurements in woodworking is an exception. The main difficulty I think I would find with SI units in woodworking is loss of a binary system, in which successive levels of refinement proceed in powers of 2 (1”, ½”, ¼”…) versus powers of 10 (or more generally, 1000) in the SI system. May just be old habit, but I think jumping by a factor of 10 to the next smaller unit seems just too big to guide my intuition the way powers of 2 do. Base-10 may be elegant, as you say, but binary is sublime. Given your experiences in Germany, I’d be interested in your thoughts.
Petty point of nationalistic irritation: the units of measure customarily used in the United States are just that, “US customary units,” and not Imperial units. The Imperial System was established in 1824, long after the US and the British Empire had gone their separate ways, and was never adopted by the US. I’d be surprised if the US ever even considered adopting it.
Both Imperial and US customary units are derived from traditional units previously used in England. They differ most significantly in definitions of independent volumetric measures, e.g., gallon. (Remember buying gas in Canada in the old, pre-liter days?) However, the fact that most units of linear measure, including inches, may have been defined to be equal under the two systems at some point, doesn’t mean you and I measure things in Imperial units. US customary, please.
Having worked using both systems (I made all my own hand tools using the imperial system) I find the metric system infinitely better. But then I was taught engineering and was taught to measure everything with a micrometer, I think the problem the US has is getting rid of fractions, once you get use to measuring using decimal places it does not matter if you use metric or imperial. The most useful tool in my workshop is the vernier calliper I have two one metric and one imperial, no fractions no problems.
Although here in Australia when I buy a piece of 19mm (3/4″) board it actually measures 19.05mm (3/4) and 6mm (1/4″) dowels they actually measure 6.35mm (1/4) we went metric but did not change the machinery, having said that the system works well here although I do think it would do Crisis’s head in.
What really sucks is trying to buy lumber. Board-feet are so nice for furniture makers. Anybody know how many cubic meters of wood one needs for a Shaker end table?
The best conversion guide I’ve heard was from the Canadian McKenzie Brothers (Bob and Doug). To convert from Imperial to metric you simply double it and add 30. Here’s a short sound wave of the boys from the Great White North explaining how it works: http://bobanddoug.com/sounds/gwn/mtrcbeer.wav G’day ey.
One more reason to use gauge lines, dividers, and ticking sticks instead of numerical measurements. And don’t forget the story tape from Lee Valley: http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=65359&cat=1,43513,65359
My work got so much more accurate when I expunged most numbers from my workshop.
I live in Germany. Just discovered this blog one week ago by googling “the anarchist’s project workplan +tools”. I was looking for something COMPLETELY different (wanted to find out if there are any project planning philosophies for chaotic people), but Since I do a lot of woodworking in my spare time, I ended up reading several great articles instead.
Too bad that I didn’t know you where teaching here. I would love to attend.
Stay away from Burger King AND currywurst. Eat a Döner; it’s by far the tastiest and healthiest fast food meal you can get on the German streets.
So how big is a metric two-by-four? Seriously. The root question being: is framing lumber strictly an American invention, or did other cultures also invent framing in sizes convenient in their own measurement system?
it’s already a few months I’m searching and reading woodworking articles on Internet. I now plan to buy my first tools. I’m European, and I’ve always used the metric system for everything. But the most interesting websites, books, videos I find are in English, and measures are expressed in foots, inches, …
So I now have to choose the measurement system I’ll use, and I have nearly decided to use the US/English system …
Vincent,
I think you can mix them. It’s a bit like speaking two languages. And knowing both will allow you to pass easily between the cultures. I don’t count one as ultimately superior to another.
Bon chance,
Chris
Those peopke advocating the base 2 system as being easy are cheating because in fact in US you use things impossible to figure like 5/8 or 7/16.