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Thread: Metric and English Conversion

  1. #1

    Metric and English Conversion

    While mounting some euro-hinges and euro-drawer glides. I found myself wanting to give up converting everything and just use metric. This got me thinking ... How do Europeans buy wood? In America we use the board foot unit which is 12"X12"X1" What do Europeans use? Cubic meters? Board Centimeters? Anyone know? I cant wait to tell my local sawmill guy I want my wood in metric and watch the gears in his head grind to a stop.
    Last edited by Mark Grotenhuis; 12-10-2010 at 9:32 PM.
    If a brad nailer shoots brads, and a pin nailer shoots pins, a framing nailer must shoot framers ... right?

  2. #2
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    I posed that very question to Fine Woodworking over a year ago and got a reply from an editor saying they wanted to use it in the magazine. Unless I missed the answer somehow, they never did.

  3. #3
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    Shoulda asked this a couple years ago. I am no longer on speaking terms, but had a friend who married a girl from Germany, and her father was very much into woodworking.
    Eric Wheeler

  4. #4
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    Sorry I can't help either. I was trained at different stages in both the metric and imperial systems, and have used both for quite long periods.

    In Ireland the UK wood coming from a timber merchant is usually still sold in cubic feet or by the cube - not board feet. On the other hand most machined stock comes in mm.

    I've no idea what the practice in Europe is.....

    ian

  5. #5
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    When I was starting out working with wood I got one machine that provided a lengthy manual with tutorials and lessons — all in Metric. They talked about boards in so many CM, Centimeters. The strange thing is, with long boards, the measurements got into the thousands of CM, instead of so many Meters + a few CM. Seemed pretty inconvenient to be talking about 1400cm (about 4 feet)

    I was new and had to decide if it was to my advantage to learn Imperial or Metric. So I wimped out and went for feet-inches-fractions and all the complications that entails. I got a $14 carpenter's calculator to crunch the numbers when my head starts to spin.

    Where I really envy Canadian, Brits and Germans and others is in their ease at calculating volumes and in the 36mm cabinetry system.

  6. #6
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    Ya know.. Canadians are metric too .. lol.

    I am in the building supply business in Canada.. We sell in both metric and Imperial. Plywood is actually bought in metric.. but we sell it in imperial.. So we buy 9.5 mm x 1220 x 2440 Standard sheathing.. and sell 3/8" x 4x8.

    In Europe, plywood is simply 1220 x 2440 and lumber is sold by the meter...

    In Canada, logs are sold by the cu Meter.. mills will buy in Cu meter but sell in BF ..


    The reason they would say 1400 cm is that its simple. The Imperial system is complicated, so its natural to expect that metric will be even more complicated, because your not familiar with it.. but the truth is that its much simpler.

    1400 cm is actually 14 meters, just under 50 feet. 1400 mm is 140 cm or 1.4 meters..

    You would not say 1400 inches long, because you would have to divide by 12 to get feet.. but in Metric.. 1400cm is simply 14 meters.. Rather than write 14M + 3 cm .. which is how you would write 14' 3" .. in imperial.. you can just say 1403 cm ..

    In other words.. Learning metric is easy.. converting it to imperial is difficult.. Since most North Americans still think in Inches and feet.. its complicated.. If you just built in Metric.. you would find it simple.
    Last edited by Rick Fisher; 12-11-2010 at 8:36 PM.

  7. #7
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    Builders here in NZ talk in mm, other trades in cm.

    4x2 is 100 x 50.

    I am getting on a bit and still think in imperial, but work in metric.
    .. If walking is good for your health, the postman would be immortal.

  8. #8
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    I finally gave up on the Imperial system when I decided to make some kitchen cabinets using the 32mm system. Converting from metric to imperial simply added complexity and increased the errors.

    So when I bought a new planer I order the digital height gauge in mm. I also began making all my drawings and furntiure in metric units.

    Boy, is it ever easier, no odd fractions to add or subtract so far fewer calculation errors.

    For simplicity, use 20mm thick material instead of 3/4", etc.

    Regards, Rod.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rod Sheridan View Post
    I finally gave up on the Imperial system when I decided to make some kitchen cabinets using the 32mm system. Converting from metric to imperial simply added complexity and increased the errors.

    So when I bought a new planer I order the digital height gauge in mm. I also began making all my drawings and furntiure in metric units.

    Boy, is it ever easier, no odd fractions to add or subtract so far fewer calculation errors.

    For simplicity, use 20mm thick material instead of 3/4", etc.

    Regards, Rod.
    I have to agree with Rod in that its much easier to use either metric or standard and not try to convert back and forth. Once one gets used to the idea of 50mm x 100mm (2 x 4) then its easy. and since the metric system is base 10 it alos jives with the regular number of fingers on human hands.

  10. #10
    The US Metric Association web site might be of interest to those wishing to make their lives simpler.

  11. #11
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    If you force yourself to learn the metric system.. (and enter the 20th century. ). Learning to adapt imperial to metric will happen automatically.. I am sure Rod agrees, it just starts to happen.

  12. #12
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    Allways some reticence to change..

    Certainly easier when you get used to it.
    .. If walking is good for your health, the postman would be immortal.

  13. #13
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    What do Europeans use? Cubic meters? Board Centimeters? Anyone know? I cant wait to tell my local sawmill guy I want my wood in metric and watch the gears in his head grind to a stop.[/QUOTE]

    Cubic meters.
    Jaromir

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Rod Sheridan View Post
    I finally gave up on the Imperial system when I decided to make some kitchen cabinets using the 32mm system. Converting from metric to imperial simply added complexity and increased the errors.
    I'm interested in learning this 32mm system. Can you guide me in the right direction? A book or PDF or webpage maybe? Do you know any good places to buy metric measurement tools?
    If a brad nailer shoots brads, and a pin nailer shoots pins, a framing nailer must shoot framers ... right?

  15. #15
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    Mark, up in Canada pretty much all tools are Metric and Imperial. So a Stanley tape will have Metric on side of the blade, and Imperial on the other.

    You can also buy tapes / Rulers which have only metric or only imperial, but the norm is to have both. .

    If you like higher end stuff.. Lee Valley should sell Metric measuring tools.. otherwise, any Canadian tool store/ Outlet.

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