Metric/Imperial Rulers

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Sisemen

Re: No Mods and Few Rules

#1 Post by Sisemen » Sat Apr 20, 2019 11:28 pm

I don't need meds. I tend to use this as a rule.
527c1879-f46d-49cf-92a9-94836d320a53_1.3eeb4d17d8a3e8256ec296b33b0e470a.jpg

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Re: No Mods and Few Rules

#2 Post by Pontius Navigator » Sun Apr 21, 2019 7:42 am

Made in China I see, like everything else just about.

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Re: No Mods and Few Rules

#3 Post by ian16th » Sun Apr 21, 2019 11:06 am

The one I have shows that 30cm and 12 inches are not quite the same.

Mind you on my rule, both scales start at the same end!
Not Quite Equal.jpg
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Re: No Mods and Few Rules

#4 Post by Sisemen » Sun Apr 21, 2019 11:36 am

Hadn’t spotted that! In my defence it’s a google stock picture - not my ruler :D

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Re: No Mods and Few Rules

#5 Post by Pontius Navigator » Sun Apr 21, 2019 12:28 pm

Sise, I did check, your pic is OK as the metric goes to 305

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Re: No Mods and Few Rules

#6 Post by ian16th » Sun Apr 21, 2019 12:48 pm

Who wants a 305mm rule?

It's like having 183cm wide beds, when they make them 6 foot wide.

You may gather, I have a pet hate of things being made/built to Imperial units and described in metric units.
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Re: No Mods and Few Rules

#7 Post by G-CPTN » Sun Apr 21, 2019 1:31 pm

ian16th wrote:
Sun Apr 21, 2019 12:48 pm
Who wants a 305mm rule?

It's like having 183cm wide beds, when they make them 6 foot wide.

You may gather, I have a pet hate of things being made/built to Imperial units and described in metric units.
Immediately after metrification, timber (lumber) in builders' merchants was marked in metric equivalents of the actual Imperial dimensions.
It might still be the case.

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Re: No Mods and Few Rules

#8 Post by G-CPTN » Sun Apr 21, 2019 1:44 pm

When metrification occurred, the drawing office in the design office of the engineering manufacturing company where I was working spent considerable time 'redimensioning' drawings with metric dimensions calculated from the existing Imperial dimensions - which were then posted onto the drawings to five decimal places.
As ani fule kno, manufacturing drawing dimensions usually imply the manufacturing tolerance according to the format of the quoted dimension, whether in fractions or number of decimal places, causing absolute confusion when reading a converted drawing.

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Re: No Mods and Few Rules

#9 Post by G-CPTN » Sun Apr 21, 2019 1:52 pm

Is Britain metric?

I volunteer for work such as tree planting and hedge-laying.
The 'leader' is a young lady aged mid-20s (who would, no doubt be taught metric at school) who mixes her dimensions - a stretch of 100 metres but a height of two feet . . .

Imperial measurements for spirits were phased out in 1988, yet it remains illegal to sell beer and cider in any other units than pints.

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Re: No Mods and Few Rules

#10 Post by Pontius Navigator » Sun Apr 21, 2019 2:52 pm

Canadians visiting could not understand our confusion. They found metric very easy. The lake in winter had ice 30 cms thick. It was only 3 feet deep.

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Re: No Mods and Few Rules

#11 Post by ian16th » Sun Apr 21, 2019 2:57 pm

A significant problem are people that cannot differentiate metric from decimal!

As I keep explaining, the UK had decimal units donkeys years ago, with 10 florins to a £ and 10 cricket pitches to a furlong.
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Re: No Mods and Few Rules

#12 Post by ian16th » Sun Apr 21, 2019 3:01 pm

An interesting oddity.

Rugby, bye and large, is only played seriously in countries of the former Empire. Countries that used Imperial measure.

So the Rugby Union metricated the Rugby pitch.

Football is played worldwide, in many countries that have never used the Imperial system, so they define the football pitch in Imperial Units.
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Re: No Mods and Few Rules

#13 Post by Pontius Navigator » Sun Apr 21, 2019 3:02 pm

The Officers Mess at Akrotiri had been planning an Officers' beach club for several years. Always on the agenda and kicked down the road. Eventually they decided now or never.

PSA were asked to cost the work in parts - front door, bar toilets, then changing rooms, kitchen, dining room as cash became available.

The price was very reasonable so they decided they could afford the lot, until someone spotted the entrance would be 2 feet wide. Scaling up by a factor of 10 killed the project dead.

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Re: No Mods and Few Rules

#14 Post by Pontius Navigator » Sun Apr 21, 2019 3:03 pm

ian16th wrote:
Sun Apr 21, 2019 3:01 pm
An interesting oddity.

Rugby, bye and large, is only played seriously in countries of the former Empire. Countries that used Imperial measure.

So the Rugby Union metricated the Rugby pitch.

Football is played worldwide, in many countries that have never used the Imperial system, so they define the football pitch in Imperial Units.
And France and Italy and Japan

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Re: No Mods and Few Rules

#15 Post by Pontius Navigator » Sun Apr 21, 2019 3:07 pm

Hark, hark! I hear. The strain of strutting chanticleer. Cry, Cock-a-diddle-dow. Full metres ten thy father lies; Of his bones are coral made

Doesn't have quite the same alliteration.

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Re: No Mods and Few Rules

#16 Post by k3k3 » Sun Apr 21, 2019 3:18 pm

The dozens rule made shopping easy as well, if something cost 3d each then a dozen cost 3 shillings.

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Re: No Mods and Few Rules

#17 Post by Stoneboat » Sun Apr 21, 2019 3:55 pm

ian16th wrote:
Sun Apr 21, 2019 11:06 am
The one I have shows that 30cm and 12 inches are not quite the same.
Mind you on my rule, both scales start at the same end!
Not Quite Equal.jpg
I think it was the late Princess Di who said "Not all rulers have twelve inches."

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Re: Metric/Imperial Rulers

#18 Post by Groundgripper » Sun Apr 21, 2019 5:51 pm

I went to buy some wood for a project in the late 1960s/early 70s. I wanted lengths of 3/4 x 12 inch parana pine.

'Ah no sir, it's all metric now, you want 19mm x 300mm wood'.

'OK, how much', I asked.

'Half a crown a foot' , came the reply #-o .

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Re: Metric/Imperial Rulers

#19 Post by OFSO » Sun Apr 21, 2019 6:48 pm

Rugby no: cricket, absolutely.

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Re: Metric/Imperial Rulers

#20 Post by boing » Sun Apr 21, 2019 7:09 pm

In the US wood is still purchased in real inch dimensions. The problem is that the dimensions refer to the size of the original rough sawed size before the wood is finish planed. So a 2 inch by 4 inch by 8 feet long board is actually 1 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches by 8 feet long.

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