Thread: What is 4 3/8 inch in real measurements?

111.125mm = 35 eighths of an inch.

Just to add for future reference:

1" = 25.4mm
1/8" = 3.175mm
1/16" = 1.5875mm

Now it's an addition problem And Kuffy, of course, is spot on the money

There is an upside of unmetricated areas. You need twice the number of spanners and sockets, not infrequently need both metric and inch measuring tools such as squares and of course at least twice as many hammers.

I don't understand just measure the item in what ever convention you want and make accordingly

Go metric, it's a dozen times easier!

Or at least a Bakers dozen

Originally Posted by AlexS

Go metric, it's a dozen times easier!

Unfortunately he has no choice in the matter, he's working with something that has been made to imperial measurements. I've often pondered over the apparent difficulty people have with imperial, particularly when using my 1/2" collet router to cut some box joints with an imperial bit because a metric one isn't available.

I'm only 13 years older than DaveVman and come from a time that allows me to work quite happily in both so maybe the system isn't quite as ancient as his initial post would indicate. Perhaps it would be less of a problem if, when we run up against these minor inconveniences, we were able to accept that it is what it is and get on with the job.

Metric or imperial...still the same length, just expressed differently

This argument seems like Groundhog day from Dave.

Any real Joiner who hadn't been seduced by the evils of electrified appliances wouldn't care what the measurement system was, layout the first pieces by eye on a story stick and then measure everything else from real life.

The official value is 1 inch = 25.400051 MM. This conversion factor was adopted in 1933 by the ASA.

So 3/8 = 0.375 and 4 3/8 is 4.375. 4.375 times 25.400051 = 111.34377

Now .343 MM is less than 1/64 of an inch or somewhere about 3 sheets of Xerox paper, maybe 4. I don't know what is significant in the metric world of woodworking. Trivia - The thickness of a Hollerith Code Card, Tab Card or 'IBM' card is 0.0075 inch thick.

When I need to convert from flat earth measurements to metric I use the 25.400051 factor.

BTW - It was the Shelias of America that stopped the great American conversion to metric with these 5 words, "I won't cook in metric".

Originally Posted by rrich

BTW - It was the Shelias of America that stopped the great American conversion to metric with these 5 words, "I won't cook in metric".

Actually the Americans can't even work in Imperial properly. How many times have I seen them use nomenclature such as 12.3 foot? What does that mean?
They also couldn't get it right when they tried to figure out the amount of liquid in a gallon or fluid ounce. Then, because they don't like metric, they turn a hundredweight from 112lb to 100lb. When cooking they scramble the volume in measures like teaspoon and tablespoon as well.

On and on.....

I am making a jig from an American imperial plan at the moment, it is quite involved and a lot of measuring is needed. The quickest way I have found to convert, only because my jointer/thicknesser are metric is to use a set of digital verniers, just the press of a button and it spits out the answer in either system. I was surprised how quickly I converted back to imperial after abandoning it over three decades ago and never using it since.

Originally Posted by rrich

The official value is 1 inch = 25.400051 MM. This conversion factor was adopted in 1933 by the ASA.

The inch was internationally standardised in July 1959 as 25.4mm exactly

I think you will find one measurement that is exactly the same in Metric or Imperial
































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