Metric weirdness

seanm · #1 05-05-2009, 11:29 PM

I was working out in the garage this afternoon making cat stairs. I kid you not.

Anyway, I measured something with my tape measure and needed to add in the size of the body. All of my tape measures in the garage are imperial only. I hate those half imperial/half metric tape measures (although I do own a couple). I have never seen a metric only tape measure, although they must exist?

Looking at the side of the tape measure it said + 3 inches 76 mm. My first thought was, how awkward to add 76mm..... then it hit me, why give the size in mm on an imperial only tape?

bongomania · #2 05-05-2009, 11:30 PM

That was all the metric they could afford.

Rody · #3 05-05-2009, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanm

I have never seen a metric only tape measure, although they must exist?

Come over to this side of the pond and you'll see plenty ;-)

CHeers Rody

seanm · #4 05-05-2009, 11:40 PM

I figure it is one of those nitpicking gov't rules. Since the +3" is on the outside, it must have the metric equivalent. Since the actual tape is inside, it doesn't require any metric.

T-Bird · #5 05-05-2009, 11:49 PM

Hi.

^There You go Bongomania

.

Actually, they tend to use the same casing regardless of the type of tape.

Over here it's nearly impossible to get an imperial measuring devices of any kind, not that it bothers anyone that much anymore.

Way back in the day, when it became "hip" to use metric instead of the kings inch, they built a wooden church with metric plans and measured in inches. And I kid You not. That is one of the largest wooden churches here in Scandinavia. In a village of 200 people or so IIRC.

WHAT WERE THEY THINKING when building that?

Nothing, most probably

.

Regards
Sam

UnsungZeros · #6 05-05-2009, 11:51 PM

Metric conversions from xkcd:

seanm · #7 05-05-2009, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rody

Come over to this side of the pond and you'll see plenty ;-)

I bet! Canada went sorta metric..... we tend to be very schizophrenic about it. Some things we do only in metric, some we only do in imperial, some we do in both.

Speeds and distances tend to be metric. Construction is all done in imperial. Temperatures: depends on how old you are.

We also have the concept, which I believe is uniquely Canadian (correct me if I am wrong), of hard and soft metric. Soft metric is where you just convert the imperial to metric and leave it at that. For example beer comes in 341ml bottles (12 ounces). Hard metric is where you actually change to a "nice" metric number. For example, milk now comes in 1 litre and 2 litre containers.

bongomania · #8 05-05-2009, 11:53 PM

Do you have to reach a certain age before legally using hard metric?

seanm · #9 05-05-2009, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UnsungZeros

Metric conversions from xkcd:

3ml = Blood in a field mouse

I have a rough idea what a field mouse weighs, I have never taken the time to drain the blood and weight it

seanm · #10 05-06-2009, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

Do you have to reach a certain age before legally using hard metric?

Strangely, the younger you are, the more likely you prefer hard metric........ On second thought, I guess that isn't so strange..... I need a drink now

L-A · #11 05-06-2009, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanm

I bet! Canada went sorta metric..... we tend to be very schizophrenic about it. Some things we do only in metric, some we only do in imperial, some we do in both.

Speeds and distances tend to be metric. Construction is all done in imperial. Temperatures: depends on how old you are.

Canada's dual system makes for a couple of weird things. I used to sell counter panels, in imperial measurements, with knobs that used metric screws. Not only were the knobs' screws too short for the panel's thickness, but the replacement parts manufacturer we had produced metric material in a 1/12 ratio with imperial. With the variety it implies.

So there were no replacement screws. Not in my store, not in the whole town. There has been kind of a craze in the middle of last summer until the said manufacturer started making metric screws that could be cut at imperial lengths.

Absentia · #12 05-06-2009, 08:36 AM

wait wait wait hold the phone....

cat stairs?

i_got_a_mohawk · #13 05-06-2009, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanm

I bet! Canada went sorta metric..... we tend to be very schizophrenic about it. Some things we do only in metric, some we only do in imperial, some we do in both.

It's like that in the UK too.

But heck, I think we are the only country that measures weight in stone and lbs!

L-A · #14 05-06-2009, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Absentia

wait wait wait hold the phone....

cat stairs?

I can't believe I missed that on the first read.

Mark Reccord · #15 05-06-2009, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanm

I bet! Canada went sorta metric..... we tend to be very schizophrenic about it. Some things we do only in metric, some we only do in imperial, some we do in both.

Speeds and distances tend to be metric. Construction is all done in imperial.

And yet the national building code is metric.

seanm · #16 05-06-2009, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Reccord

And yet the national building code is metric.

I've never read it. How do they handle a 2x4? Do they say it is 51mm x 102mm or the real size of 38mm x 89mm?

funkalicious101 · #17 05-06-2009, 10:16 PM

In western Canada we measure most distance in units of time as well.

seanm · #18 05-06-2009, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Absentia

wait wait wait hold the phone....

cat stairs?

Yeah. We let stray cats, and the occasional racoon, stay in our garage. They like to stay in the rafters in the winter because it is warmer up there. One stray hurt his paw and it was decided that we needed to make it easier for him to get to the rafters.

So I built some stairs. The picture shows a prototype, some of the stairs are crooked since they are only tacked in place with one screw. I decided 7 stairs was too many and went with 6.

Sartori · #19 05-07-2009, 03:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanm

I was working out in the garage this afternoon making cat stairs. I kid you not.

Anyway, I measured something with my tape measure and needed to add in the size of the body. All of my tape measures in the garage are imperial only. I hate those half imperial/half metric tape measures (although I do own a couple). I have never seen a metric only tape measure, although they must exist?

Looking at the side of the tape measure it said + 3 inches 76 mm. My first thought was, how awkward to add 76mm..... then it hit me, why give the size in mm on an imperial only tape?

Get all the measurements in Imperial. Then simply plug in the numbers here.

**Rune Bivrin** · #20 05-07-2009, 04:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanm

I've never read it. How do they handle a 2x4? Do they say it is 51mm x 102mm or the real size of 38mm x 89mm?

Don't know about Canada, but in Sweden a 2x4 is 45x95 mm. And while the expression "2tum4" (literally 2inch4) is used a lot, few think about that as a dimensional specification. It's just a name with numbers in it. The same applies to 7 inch nails, but there it really only means "very long nail".