Topic Title

Please Paul,

I'd never want you to go to Mars. We all would be loosing a great companion in this forum. I just remembered of this article, read some time ago, and wanted to bring it up to our discussion. Please stay here!!

...But consider the transition. Let's say we change the plywood to metric. That changes the stud lengths. Then changing the stud gauges changes the wall thicknesses. Doors and frames change also, etc. So now the lumber yards have to stock both systems and manufacturers have to contunue to produce legacy material along with the metric. One system for legacy work on existing non-metric construction and the other for new metric work.

Yes this is in the core of the challenge. For several years we lived here with both designations for steel frames, and structural concrete beams. The ¾ inches of diameter on a steel bar was known 'also' as 19 millimeters, what was roughtly the same. This happened with plywoods.
Until today the wood is sectioned with 5,40m, what means 8 feet, and the wood beam for roof structure is commonly known as 8x16 (cm) what is actually 3"x 6".
Later, after looong years, the millimeter became the only designation recognised, when both measures were already widely understood and connected.

What happens to remodeling a historic structure when you can no longer get the old plywood.

Indeed this is not a big problem to solve, because any dimension can be easily reproduced using any measurement system, metric, imperial or any future new one. And for sure, the objects has similarity on absolute dimensions after all, using any system.
Mechanical industry works widely with three digits over decimal point on millimeters, what virtually covers any dimensionning need.

It doesn't fit, and it's a much bigger problem than the auto industry changeover. If someone has a plan for this, I want to see it. I'm eager to do it, I just don't see how the USA could swing it.

The biggest difficulty is in the cultural area. It is not really dimensional the difference, but the size sense that should be worked on.

Thanks,
Miguel

It's interesting what metric measurements we've adopted into our
culture in the US. We've obviously rejected the idea of going metric
for everything. Our imperial units are so woven into figures of speech,
slang and cultural icons that a change would be tough. Here are some
metric things we use, off the top of my head. There's even a mix of
both sets of units for some things.

Liters have mostly replaced "cubic inch displacement" (CID) for
automobile engine sizes. Medicine is measured in volume both in ml and
ounces, but in mass it's mostly metric, mg. Cigarettes are abailable in
100mm size. I've heard third-hand (from nobody that I knew!) that in
the drug culture one can buy in grams, ounces, pounds and kilos. We've
accepted metric measurements in Olympic events, yet still have track &
field events in imperial.

Thanks for the sentiment, Miguel. But I have no intention of going anywhere. I remember seeing the article you referenced before but I don't really care what NASA uses because I don't deal with them anyway. However I am sure that if they use nothing but metric it would eventually trickle down to the rest of us. That is probably the only way we will ever convert to metric, is a gradual infiltration of the society with metric measurements. But I have no desire to convert, I am very happy with imperial measurements.

Miguel,

It's not a problem of producing the dimensions. As I see it, a metric sheet of plywood placed over a construction grid based on 16" centers (in existing construction) will fall about 20mm short at the 48" grid point. You can cut a 48" sheet down to 1200mm but you can't stretch 1200mm up to 48".

I suppose we will eventually have to convert to metric so we can supply Chinese plywood to our undocumented Mexican workers.

I suppose we will eventually have to convert to metric so we can supply Chinese plywood to our undocumented Mexican workers.

At last, a sane and sensible rationale.....

I suppose we will eventually have to convert to metric so we can supply Chinese plywood to our undocumented Mexican workers.

At last, a sane and sensible rationale.....

I guess we should start paying them in Pesos, too.

Of course, then they wouldn’t want to be ‘undocumented’ any more.

Hmmm…you might be on to something there.


-Redd

...will fall about 20mm short at the 48" grid point. You can cut a 48" sheet down to 1200mm but you can't stretch 1200mm up to 48".

Hi Dick,
Indeed, the measure of a sheet was 1,22m what means precisely the 1220 mm needed. This is caused by the use of machines that originally were imported 'from USA'. Updated machines became to be manufactured in our country, but for obvious reasons would stay using the same value, for compatibility over legacy.

I suppose we will eventually have to convert to metric so we can supply Chinese plywood to our undocumented Mexican workers.

This is a reason that wasn't put into the account yet, but is possibly the biggest. The globalization allows huge growing of international trade and 'peopleware' exchange, what requires to talk a same language.
In 'our' yard means to talk with the same measurements and standards.
This is enough for me, to regard to the need for a future unification.

Thanks,
Miguel