Pirates! - Why the US doesn't use the metric system.

Gas prices are fun for us when buy gas in the States. US gallon to litres then US $ to Canadian $ . We didn't have much of a increase when we went to litres. Everybody was up in arms, so I guess they didn't dare. Though it's amazing how they can find any excuse to raise prices.

What I don't understand is why when ISO standardized pipe threads, they used the British straight instead of the American taper.

I think I've seen a 1/128" once . I have cheap 1/64", but I only use it as a inside /outside on the wood lathe, never using the numbers.
 
Everybody knows that the metric system is bad for the environment. It takes nearly four time as many litres of gasoline to travel as far as a given number of gallons. And it takes way more fuel to heat a house to 60 degrees celsius than it does to heat it to 60 degrees fahrenheit.
 
I use imperial regularly, but I prefer metric when I can use it.

A joke about imperial measure I drag out from time to time...
How big is 1 acre? It's 10 square chains, obviously. What's a chain? A chain is 4 rods long, of course. What's a rod? 16.5 feet, naturally.
 
I'm 64, grew up with imperial in the Uk, but I went metric completely when I moved here in 2000. Found it much easier. A small thing maybe, but you can use both sides of a tape measure!

I have to say I'd gone completely native.....then I bought a Harley. The swines, bolts are seemingly at random imperial and metric, anything sourced from, ahem, outside the US, is metric, the rest imperial.

I'm saving up for a big tap and die set to send to Milwaukee. Anyone care to contribute?!
 
I started Imperial, then Canada went 'Metric' in the 60s... Most of my machining is still in imperial, and all of my stock is still bought in imperial sizes. Although we sometimes like to kid about the US being Imperial and thus archaic, Most 'metric' countries still carry forward a lot of imperial deadwood.

Metric is the universal system for scientific measurement - it would be easier if machining was all metric, as it is a lot easier to work in and less error prone. That being said I'm not trading in my inch-based measuring equipment any time soon!
 
I dislike the metric system, but use what system needed to get the job done.
as for the " building materials , when was the last time you measured a "2x4" ? it hasnt been a 2x4 for a long time , also a sheet of 1/2" plywood is no longer 1/2" thick its sized metric in thickness only the 4x8 still applys so like it or not the metrics are sneaking up on us!
 
Compatibility with legacy systems has always been a headache for manufacturers. And one of the reasons for clinging to archaic systems of measurement.

I recall when GM went metric, they used a 16mm head on the tensioner for the serpentine belt. Their strategy seemed to be one of trying to make fastener sizes close enough to be able to use SAE tools. The 5/8" SAE wrench wouldn't quite fit the 16mm head and an 11/16" wrench was way oversized. Most metric wrench sets at the time jumped from 15mm to 17mm so you had to buy the 16mm wrench separately, if you could find it.

Probably the best example of compatibility issues was Johnny Cash and his Cadillac..
 
hermetic said:
You mean you don't ask for 1/2 a liter of lager?
Lager, filthy foreign muck that tastes like P*ss We drink PINTS of bitter!, or as the Hob Goblin advert says

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By admitting you drink anything in pints you may be subjecting yourself to the same fine as those imposed on the shop keeper for selling goods in imperial measurements. If drinking something from the US you should be drinking 473.1755 mL. If drinking something made in Great Britain you should be drinking 454.6090 mL. So much for minding your P's nd Q's
 
I've been metric all my life (New Zealand started to change in 1969 the year I was born), but I have brought old machinery so I'm really only coming to terms with having to think of small units in imperial latter in life (being a member of a predominately American forum helps).

The one things which seem erratic to me about the imperial system is you can't seem to decide if you want to use fractions or decimals to divide you units - you go 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32 ...etc but then jump to thousands on a inch. Logically you should be using 1/1024th of an inch. At least metric sticks to decimals, you would never see something called up as 1/8 mm.

Strangely enough timber will always be 2 x 4 to me even thought I've never really used inches.
 
Base 10 in mathematics is much easier for most all of us to deal with.
 
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