[sdiy] Metric OT rant

[Magnus Danielson]

From: harry <harrybissell at prodigy.net>
Subject: Re: [sdiy] Metric OT rant
Date: Sat, 10 Aug 2002 14:28:03 -0400

Dear Harry,

> Andre Majorel wrote:
> 
> > A bit of googling will surely give you the details of the DIN
> > specs. That's what I used a few days ago to find out what those
> > obscure US screw sizes mean. I'm pleased to know that a #10 screw
> > is 4.83 mm in diameter. :-)
> 
> HA ! now if I could only learn the difference between an M5 and an M8
> screw.   :^P

That easy is, M5 nicely fits a 5 mm hole and M8 nicely fits a 8 mm hole where
as reverse is not as fitting for either of them.

> Seriously... we get to think in a system.  For me, the 4-40, 6-32, 8-32, and
> 10-32
> are easy to regognize on sight and  I could tell you right off what size tap
> drill, etc.
> For metric, even after I multiply by .03937... I still don't know shit.

Let's not get into weither you know shit or not, please!

> I think the Metric system for science makes all the sense in the world...
> multiply
> by 10 etc...
> 
> but for tooling, metric is an evil European plot (perhaps a French plot ?
> ;^)
> to hobble America by forcing us to buy two sets of all our tooling...

No, it is not that easy...

> (we still want to do DIY on old OLD stuff as well)...
> 
> And to harass us by having us tell our childern "Son... bring me the 9/16
> open end
> wrench... or is that an M14 ???... well bring both.... and make sure they
> get back
> into the right toolboxes...."
> 
> (note I have no idea if a 9/16" is even close to an M14... lessee... a 1/2"
> is half of
> 25.4 so its bigger than an M12 so....   ;^)
> 
> We in America followed our Colonial masters... the Brits.... who then
> promply turned
> (red) coat and adopted the Metric (tooling) system. Thanks, guys...!   To
> remind us all of this betrayal, we still call our system... "The English
> system".  Hah... and to think we were gonna help you all take over the world
> again. Fat chance of that now...we're too busy trying to fit a M6 screw in a
> 1/4" hole...   ;^P
> 
> This must be some kind of collective punishment on America, and for what
> (just for being such @ssholes to the rest of the Metric world ???)

It is interesting to read your line of reasoning, since the American revolution
on the Great Brittan colonial masters where related to that of the french, and
as a result USA did quite early adopt the Metre convention. However, thy
forfathers failed to follow through and you kept with the colonial measures and
thus still follow in your old colonial masters footsteps despite all your
verbal claims to do otherwise.

You should be sure that your old colonial masters have been deemed as being as
bullheaded as you can expect when discussing the matters of measuring system.
However, very slowly they have started to adopt, following the slogan as heard
in the house of common: "Where going over to the Metric system inch by inch!".

Only as of very late have thy colonial masters given in on the means of
measures.

For thy interest in US metric thee shall read

http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/

as well as what thy National Institute of Standards and Technology has to say
on the matter:

http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/index.html
http://ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/200/202/lc1136a.htm

PS. Sorry for the slight touch of old school English, a Shakespear film got me
inspired, and just as in the movies, not everything said and seen should be
taken serious, but more as an attempt of amusement and with the artistic
freedom of providing an alternative truth.

Cheers,
Magnus