Shopsmith Forums

I've been working on a project that requites 32mm spacing and or increments of that(64, 96, 128....). Of course none of this works out well with imperial measurements. I'm actually getting a headache here.

I'm wondering if it is time to do some metrication. I have scales and tape measures in metric but things like the Incra positioned is in 1/32" but could be cross graded to metric with a kit. The scales on the shopsmith I guess could be done if you could find a steel rule with the off set zero.

The thing is so many of our tools are based on things like one turn being a change of 1/32". Not so clear if you wanted to change by 1mm.

Swapping over is not the answer for me but then what is? I guess I could fork out some cash and get a few things that work in metric like an LS positioned but that is not cheap and then I have to store two of them.

Not sure there are any good answers.

Ed

All you have to do is remember that 1mm = .03937" and have a handy calculator readily available. Maybe a voice actuated pocket calculator that talks back. .

To me, converting between inches and mm is not the problem. That's an easy calculation. The problem is that the Imperial convention is to use fractions for everything, and that is a PITA. So going from Imperial to metric is no problem, because metric uses decimal notation for everything. Going the other way, though, you have to convert a decimal number into an approximate fraction, which can be pretty time-consuming.

Maybe you could get a good ruler that is graduated in both fractional Imperial and decimal metric (on the same side), and use it like a slide rule to do the conversions. Or use a tablet or smartphone -- I bet there's an app for that.

dusty wrote:All you have to do is remember that 1mm = .03937" and have a handy calculator readily available. Maybe a voice actuated pocket calculator that talks back. .

Yea that is the "good way" to go. Those 32mm spaces are 1.25984" which I can just look at the scale and get right so those holes will be right on the money.... not.

Back when I was working some higher up gave us a date by which all of our information was converted to metric. Many years later they decided to convert the imperial to metric in this very way. The designs done that way had all these odd dimensions so anyone could tell is was a conversion. Later we had to have real metric designs with strange imperial numbers in ().

Most of that was done so it could be made in "other" countries. Not the driving force you would like but you do what you have to do.

I remember one of my cars had solid lifters and you need to adjust them, the wrench had some part number and you had to have this wrench. Turns out it was a 7/16" but for them it was a special wrench.

Ed

I have no problem working in fractional dimensions. I can pretty much just know the numbers with out adding in my head even. Of course years and years of doing that tends to do that to/for you.

BTW there is a free fraction adding app for the android phones called I believe fractionplus. If you look it up and can't find it let me know and I'll find it and post here.

Ed

reible wrote:I have no problem working in fractional dimensions. I can pretty much just know the numbers with out adding in my head even. Of course years and years of doing that tends to do that to/for you.

BTW there is a free fraction adding app for the android phones called I believe fractionplus. If you look it up and can't find it let me know and I'll find it and post here.

Ed

That is it. Really nice!

jsburger wrote:

reible wrote:I have no problem working in fractional dimensions. I can pretty much just know the numbers with out adding in my head even. Of course years and years of doing that tends to do that to/for you.

BTW there is a free fraction adding app for the android phones called I believe fractionplus. If you look it up and can't find it let me know and I'll find it and post here.

Ed

That is it. Really nice!

These are my 2 favorite calculator buttons. I've had this calculator for twentyish years now.

For iPhone and iPad there is inchcalc. The free version does NOT make metric to Imperial conversions, however the $5 app appears that it does. I just use the free one and the one by DeWalt.
I quickly tried searching for the same thing used by Android but did not find the same program.

Be well,
Ben

I don't have that problem. I simply do not do metric. My old brain is calibrated in inches, not millimeters. I'm too old to change, so any project set up metric isn't going anywhere with me. Either it is in inches, or it doesn't exist in my world.
It is only a problem if you let it be a problem.
I never build anything from patterns or instructions anyway, so I don't encounter that problem. I build from ideas in my head where metric doesn't exist.

A few years ago, I bought a woodworking calculator that does all the arithmetic calcs (+,-,X ,/) on fractions of an inch. And it will convert entries from Imperial to metric and vise versa. It has saved hours of head scratching and eliminated many mistakes. I'll bet a smart phone would do the same things, but I'm still in the dark ages with a phone with a cord on it.