Wacky new form of measurement.

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ColeyS1

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Years ago I use to have a builder quite often ask for something 4ft 2mm long. I use to think it was entertaining.
Just had somebody come in with.........a piece of string as measurement !!!!! It varied from 4-5mm depending on how hard he pulled :)


Coley
 
I'm often searching in the woodstore for a piece of 3'' x 2'' that has a length measured in mm.
 
He had quite small hands ! It was a new one on me.

Coley
 
I worked with a chippy on his own self build, and as he favoured a one metre folding rule I was often told that the length of timber that he required cut was

"one metre and 22 inches"!! or similiar

bloody akward to measure with a standard extending tape.
 
ColeyS1":2wk5mvib said:
Years ago I use to have a builder quite often ask for something 4ft 2mm long. I use to think it was entertaining.
Just had somebody come in with.........a piece of string as measurement !!!!! It varied from 4-5mm depending on how hard he pulled :)


Coley
I suppose that answers a long standing question at least. ...
The other answer is twice as long as half it's length. :D
 
Nothing new about this form of measurement, I've been combining imperial and metric for years 78" plus 10mm etc etc :lol: :lol: :lol:

The string method tho.. allows for expansion I spose :D
 
I used to be a computer operator, the IBM laser printer we used was calibrated in mm for width and inches for length, so we'd print on 305mm x 12" stock. No idea why though.

I've just ordered 35 6"x2" rough sawn joists, 4.8m long.
 
Mm is straight forward. 12mm + 24mm = 36mm

1/12 + 1/15 = 2/27 or rather it doesn't. You can't easily use a calculator to work it out.

It's just a bizarre system.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
DiscoStu":3frf8gi1 said:
Mm is straight forward. 12mm + 24mm = 36mm

1/12 + 1/15 = 2/27 or rather it doesn't. You can't easily use a calculator to work it out.

It's just a bizarre system.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


^^ That exactly :p
 
DiscoStu":1mbfux7c said:
Mm is straight forward. 12mm + 24mm = 36mm

1/12 + 1/15 = 2/27 or rather it doesn't. You can't easily use a calculator to work it out.

It's just a bizarre system.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
DiscoStu, you're obviously a young person*. Us old gits have no trouble with that. :wink:

*another clue he's young is he's used his iPhone and Tapatalk (I don't even know what the latter is :!: )

Cheers, Vann :D
 
Having now lived in a metric country for 8 years, I've converted to it and even got rid of my imperial tape measures.
But I still think in inches, way too old to change that.

What does amaze me is that despite the system being around for ever, theres still not a standard way of telling someone else the length. In the uk it was always in mm. Here its cm and so many points. So if I'm asked for a 2.5 drill for example, they want an inch, not a tenth.
And engine sizes are converted from cc to hp for some bizarre reason, so I have a 1400 HP car (eat your heart out clarkson)

Oh well, its all greek to me.
 
What game has 10 pieces of wood separated by a chain?
:|
 
Bm101":1upl1loy said:
What game has 10 pieces of wood separated by a chain?
:|
a while back I explained that measurement to an american. He said he had always thought it was just decided by the distance it took the ball to bounce once.
 
Peter Sefton":3d56gg06 said:
We usually talk about 8'x4' sheets ....mm thick

I don't measure now Peter. I bought one of your Woodpecker 'T' squares. I just look at the holes, and stick a pencil in one that looks about right! :D
 

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