Thread: Metric to Imperial fraction converter

Why bother? Why not become bilingual? Why not have 2 simple measuring systems?
One day you use the global standard, the next day you can fumble with the arbitrart Imperial "old money."
I've done it = no big deal. From across the room, nobody knows what you used.
Even better, the SI metric system is convenient for tool sizes, unlike the Umpearialist sistum.

Originally Posted by Robson Valley

Why bother? Why not become bilingual?

conversions are just another source of error -- buy a second ruler instead

Make yourself a chart in Excel, print it out and stick it on the wall. Invaluable.

Geezus, I regret putting the link up. The couple of thanks are appreciated and thank you to those people.

Don't let them get to you. All sites have a few of them.....

No intent to offend or put-down Bert. When I say "make yourself a chart in Excel" you could do that from the site you researched so you have them all to hand without having to look it up each time.

Most stuff I've got is metric (don't only fiddle about with wood) and the standard 1/2, 9/16,3/4 etc. I'm fine with, it's the oddball sizes in between that bring me undone. Maths was never one of my strong points.

There are only 2 numbers you need to remember when you want to convert from one to another.
imperial to metric multiply by 25.4, metric to fractions in 64th multiply by 2.52.
e.g. 2" = 2" * 25.4 = 50.8 mm, 3mm = 3 * 2.52 = 7.56/64 ~ 1/8".

39 1/3 (actually 39.37) is another useful one: 39 1/3 inches to a metre and 39 1/3 thou to a millimetre

Thanks mate, I know the 25.4mm to 1 inch for conversion. Fractions and all that stuff does my head in.

Originally Posted by BertR

Geezus, I regret putting the link up. The couple of thanks are appreciated and thank you to those people.

Bert, please don't read my endorsement of becoming bilingual as a criticism of your post.
I've been dealing with conversions between imperial and metric, decimal feet and metric, decimal feet to feet and inches, since the mid-seventies -- I spent so much of the 1974/75 summer converting decimal feet to metric that the conversion factor, 0.3048, is seared into my brain.

I've seen so many expensive errors made when using conversion tables that a long time ago I started insisting that the tape used to build a project should match the units used on the design plans. If you want a fun party trick give someone a tape marked in decimal feet.

I understand that converting between imperial (especially US imperial and metric) can be a real pain, and in my case I assiduously try to avoid it.

Originally Posted by BertR

Most stuff I've got is metric (don't only fiddle about with wood) and the standard 1/2, 9/16,3/4 etc. I'm fine with, it's the oddball sizes in between that bring me undone. Maths was never one of my strong points.

a few years after I started fiddling with wood I realised that the material doesn't care if a hole is not precisely 15/64" PROVIDED the mating part is sized to fit. I my experience, the only time a hole or pin needs to be accurately sized is when you're cutting threads -- where using an imperial drill and a metric tap is likely to cause you all sorts of grief.


Anyways, thank you for your contribution.
and don't be shy about calling out comment that's too robust.

There's a conversion chart on my website, if that's of any use. You could print it as well, HTH. MILLIMETER EQUIVALENTS

Ray

Originally Posted by BertR

Geezus, I regret putting the link up. The couple of thanks are appreciated and thank you to those people.

There's a fraction too much friction


Well done cobber great site great reference tool

Thanks for the conversion chart i will definately book mark it . Coming from an Engineering back ground mm were the only measurement we ever worked with under iso standards . It was always the old blokes in the tool room who tryed to convert back to inches