What did you do Today 2018

[MikeParticipant @mike89748]

Tell me this: if this Brexit thing ever becomes reality, shall we be allowed to return to what my dear,late mother always referred to as "God's measurements?"

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

Posted by roy entwistle on 04/02/2018 10:02:27:

Lbs, Pints and Furlongs for me too

Roy ( I can work in millipedes as well )

Edited By roy entwistle on 04/02/2018 10:02:55

You've got me thinking there Roy, I can still remember being taught about rods, poles and perches at school along with the furlongs and acres and I remember that an inch is 3 barleycorns long etc. (can't remember much else though!)

Brian

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 04/02/2018 00:21:03:

Posted by ChrisH on 03/02/2018 22:24:00:

But what does a newton look like? Who sells stuff by the newton? Someone describe what a newton of spuds or sugar looks like to me.

.

That's the easy one, Chris

A newton is approximately 0.225 pounds force

Therefore, to a reasonable approximation, it is the force exerted [in Earth's gravity] by the weight of a typical [small] Apple.

The clue is in the name

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 04/02/2018 00:29:02

Would that be an iPhone, iPad, or Macbook, Michael?

Reminds me of a conference in Cambridge where a presented was setting up his Macbook on the lectern, and it slide off on to the floor with a dreadful clunk. Stunned and horrified silence, then the session chair stepped forward and said "this is Cambridge, Newton's University – Apples always fall to the ground." Laughter and applause while presenter picked up his fortunately undamaged laptop and got it going…

[Tony JeffreeParticipant @tonyjeffree56510]

I prefer the FFF system personally… https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/FFF_system

[ChrisHParticipant @chrish]

I thank MichealG, Mark and Richard for their replies, but it all rather proves my point really. I'll stick to working in units that I can understand and visualise rather than abstract approximations.

Chris

[colin branniganParticipant @colinbrannigan54160]

I am retiring end of March after 52 years of tool making including my apprenticeship of 5 years working first in inches until around 1980 then it was metric which was a massive change, but a change for the good as far as I could see, once you get into the swing of it is quite easy to use. I still find letter or number drills scattered around in my tool boxes, and can still remember tapping drill sizes for various Whitworth threads

Being employed by a worldwide company I had drawings in metric from Europe and Asia and sometimes drawing in inches from America, I can work in both because I have to.

As an aside Newtons are used to measure the force required to move the gear shift lever in your car if you have cable change, different car makers have different limits, 1 to 4, 4 to 6 or 6 to 8 Newtons , it use to be ounces but that was long time ago.

Colin …………….wondering if retirement will suit me

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Gordon W on 03/02/2018 16:44:56:

Yes, literally glued. I asked her afterwards what glue and what, if any, hardener but she had not noticed and did not seem very interested. Today the silencer fell of my car. Think I will go to bed 'til March.

Mitre Bond

Neil

[MikeParticipant @mike89748]

I remember that, when the publishing industry moved from imperial to metric measurements, my employer gave me a tiny little ruler about 250mm long. It wasn't much use, in that my main duty at the time was designing tabloid newspaper two-page spreads. Instead of picking an argument with the powers that be, I went to the nearest office supplier and asked for a long metric ruler. "How long?", I was asked. "Oh, about two foot six", I replied…. And, although I worked with metric measurements for many years after that, I still visual lengths in yards, feet and inches.

[Nick WheelerParticipant @nickwheeler]

Posted by ChrisH on 04/02/2018 10:53:38:

I thank MichealG, Mark and Richard for their replies, but it all rather proves my point really. I'll stick to working in units that I can understand and visualise rather than abstract approximations.

They're ALL abstract approximations! It's just you've trained your brain to visualise imperial units.

[norman royds 2Participant @normanroyds2]

I think imperial i see imperial i was taught imperial and no mater what i do I cant get new fangled metric system but everything seems to be metricnorm

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

I have no great problem with most systems, but I do think the differing systems is one reason for some of the big mistakes that are sometimes made by politicians and managers. Note I did not include engineers.

[norman royds 2Participant @normanroyds2]

I been to ELLENROAD STEAM MUSEUM to day whit a couple off friends good out norm

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

There was a lot of whinging when the diary industry went over to imperial units. not least about the "difficulty" in changing from the established conversion factors for weight of milk to volume. What used to be tons to pints (1792) or gallons (224) became tonnes to litres. In reality, as far as they were concerned, one tonne is 1000 litres given that the density of milk and water are almost the same and we are talking about putting the stuff into lorries and bottles.

Interesting conversion site here. Seems to cover almost any unit ever invented! Thank god for metric….

Murray

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I've bitten the bullet. It's more convenient to use millimetres start to finish when 3D printing and now I've got a fully metric lathe, I've started using it in millimetres. It does take some getting used to, especially when working out diameter cuts with 0.02mm divisions = 0.04mm off the diameter.

Neil

[norman royds 2Participant @normanroyds2]

Plus every time there been conversion it has cost us dearly the first time 240D pennies in a pound and now there only 100 pence now .plus 6 pennies hot cross bun now cost about 17 pence and even losing letter in our words see wee are losing out norm

[Nick WheelerParticipant @nickwheeler]

Posted by norman royds 2 on 04/02/2018 16:16:58:

Plus every time there been conversion it has cost us dearly the first time 240D pennies in a pound and now there only 100 pence now .plus 6 pennies hot cross bun now cost about 17 pence and even losing letters in our words see we are losing out norm

But those letters were artificially added by people who thought that English grammar should match Latin.

[Alexander Smith 1Participant @alexandersmith1]

Discussion of the change from imperial to the metric system always reminds me of my father in law- a mason and builder in the north east of Scotland. When his familiar 3 foot folding rule finally broke, he had to buy a new one and only metric folding rules were available -hence the "Nicolson" system was developed. Measure the wall or foundations in number of full rule lengths, add on anything extra in feet and inches and the rest as fractions of an inch I.e. 4 metres, 2 foot 6 and a 1/4 inches plus (for anything left over and extreme accuracy, a"thoughtie" which the Scottish readers will understand.

I had my own problems with the "new" system when ordering ready mix for the kitchen extension. All carefully worked out in feet and converted to cubic metres rapidly when the company insisted that it had to be metric. The Lorry started to discharge it onto the front drive for barrowing and it was only when it reached the hedge on one side and the flower bed on the other that the penny dropped – to convert cubic feet to cubic yards (or metres) you divide by 27, not the 9 I had used. Father in law wasn't phased – "Bung it in the hole- it will save on blocks". We could have put a tower block on those foundations!

Sandy

[RobinParticipant @robin]

Posted by norman royds 2 on 04/02/2018 16:16:58:

plus 6 pennies hot cross bun now cost about 17 pence

One a penny two a penny

This is not decimalisation, this is BOGOF

[Conroy StarkParticipant @conroystark]

I use a metric system. everything is ten time more or ten times less, not like the alternative with no relation to preceding or post measurement.

So when I was planning to make some solid Oak furniture for our home and was looking for a timber merchant, I was so pleased to find one here in Wales that quoted by the cubic meter.

Edited By Conroy Stark on 04/02/2018 18:46:27

[WatfordParticipant @watford]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 04/02/2018 13:57:18:

Posted by Gordon W on 03/02/2018 16:44:56:

Yes, literally glued. I asked her afterwards what glue and what, if any, hardener but she had not noticed and did not seem very interested. Today the silencer fell of my car. Think I will go to bed 'til March.

Mitre Bond

Neil

Perhaps only to be used on higher orders of the clergy.

[Conroy StarkParticipant @conroystark]

However on another topic, I completed the machining of a Arrow Fletching Jig for a friend today.

Machined some slots and holes in 1100 grade Aluminium (friend supplied) rubbish stuff to machine it does not clear as well as 6061, then fitted a M4 helicoil to give longer screw thread life.

Then turned some parts in 6010 and Delrin.

Job done.

Edited By Conroy Stark on 04/02/2018 19:04:09

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

My plan is to put the fire out by throwing petrol at it!

Only criticise the Newton if you understand the difference between a Pound(force) and a Pound(weight) and use the Imperial system's Slug.

After wrestling with Slugs for 5 minutes the logic of SI might win a few converts. If not do some calculations in Slinches.

Go to the bottom of the class if you love imperial and can't explain what a Blob is…

Dave

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

That's me to the bottom of the class then!

I started using metric (and Imperial) as an apprentice with a company making large diesel and gas engines. They decided to build a French engine under license and equiped a department with all metric tooling with the instruction that no conversions would be allowed, if you had your own measuring equipment then it must be metric.

Nowdays I model mid 19th century traction engines and I'm blowed if I'm going to convert everything to mms.

Brian

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Watford on 04/02/2018 18:45:34:

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 04/02/2018 13:57:18:

Posted by Gordon W on 03/02/2018 16:44:56:

Yes, literally glued. I asked her afterwards what glue and what, if any, hardener but she had not noticed and did not seem very interested. Today the silencer fell of my car. Think I will go to bed 'til March.

Mitre Bond

Neil

Perhaps only to be used on higher orders of the clergy.

It's an in joke here, mitre bond is basically a huge bottle of superglue plus a big activator spray. You can use it to glue anything to anything, even bishops.

Neil

[LimpetParticipant @limpet]

Posted by SillyOldDuffer on 04/02/2018 19:12:48:

After wrestling with Slugs for 5 minutes the logic of SI might win a few converts. If not do some calculations in Slinches.

Go to the bottom of the class if you love imperial and can't explain what a Blob is…

Dave

 

I was trained in both imperial and metric and am happy to work in either – but only came across slugs and blobs last month while studying 'Design of Machinery'.

You learn something new every day – whether it's useful or not remains to be seen

Lionel

Edited By Limpet on 04/02/2018 21:48:45

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