U.S. members: 1 meter steel ruler

[Rick_Tatum]

Do any of you guys here in the States have an idea where I can get my paws on a steel 1m ruler that doesn't come from overseas? I can find plenty of yard stick metric combo sticks, mostly wood, but I want a pure metric one. Also, I purchased a metric steel tape measure from Duckworks. It was a pile of crap. Brand new, the tape broke about 6cm up from the hooks the FIRST time I used it :angfire:. Even the Chinese imported Master Mechanic tape measures are much better made.

I wish this country would get with the program and just go to metric :((

[Boatmik]

Howdy Rick,

Did you talk to Duckworks about the broken tape. They have good customer service so might find some way of fixing the problem. They would value the feedback too as they would look for an alternative supplier if it happens consistently.

By the way there is a general metric discussion here too - http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=70285
MIK

[Boatmik]

There are a number of suppliers in the US.

Snap-on tools also Amazon etc ... but google with a dollar sign in the search field normally flushes out places selling things.

http://www.google.com/search?q=meter+metric+tape+rule+$ (http://www.google.com.au/search?q=meter+metric+tape+rule+$)

[Rick_Tatum]

Thanks MIK.


Didn't know that about the $ sign in the search. I'm finding what I need now.

I am going to contact Duckworks and let them know. What little I have dealt with them, they seem like good folks over there.

[PAR]

Go to the local drafting supply house and get an "engineering" ruler. These are much higher quality and this is a common size, so likely in stock.

[Boatmik]

Thanks MIK.


Didn't know that about the $ sign in the search. I'm finding what I need now.

I am going to contact Duckworks and let them know. What little I have dealt with them, they seem like good folks over there.

The $ sign just means that there is usually a price on the page. So when you are looking for prices and real availability it is a good little trick.

MIK

[Rick_Tatum]

I hadn't thought of a drafting supply house. There is one very near me, I'll stop by after work this afternoon. I emailed Duckworks about the tape measure. Sandra replied and said they would have a replacement in the priority mail today. Great service and a pleasure to do business with folks like that.

[Rick_Tatum]

Stopped by the drafting supply place and they didn't have one. The owner said he couldn't recall anyone ever asking for one. Can you believe that?

[PAR]

I'm not sure what kind of drafting supplies they carry, but I have several nice, stainless steel rules of various lengths all from a drafting supply outfit near here.

Try artist supply stores. Also the local university or collage student book store will probably have them too.

[Rick_Tatum]

I'm not sure what kind of drafting supplies they carry, but I have several nice, stainless steel rules of various lengths all from a drafting supply outfit near here.

Try artist supply stores. Also the local university or collage student book store will probably have them too.

Instead of running all over trying to track one down, I ordered one online, and paid too much money.

[rotten_66]

Be careful Rick, a USite doing things in metric, you are going to get deported,

Ron

[joe greiner]

Stanley LeverLock, 8m/26', 30-824. Built like a locomotive. Probably got it at Lowes or Home Depot.

Cheers,
Joe

[Rick_Tatum]

Not much trouble finding a tape measure...and Duckworks is replacing the broken one. It is the elusive 1 meter steel rule that I've had trouble tracking down :). Duckworks has an aluminum rule for cheep, but I've found those to be not nearly as durable as a good steel rule.


Stanley LeverLock, 8m/26', 30-824. Built like a locomotive. Probably got it at Lowes or Home Depot.

Cheers,
Joe

[ibeanonchippy]

well american people i guess you dont have metric so i guess wood be a hassle.here in auistralia WE HAVE HAD METRIC FOR AGES SO MAYBE HUNT ONE OF OURS AND SEE WHAT it costs

[joe greiner]

We have metric of course, but we don't use it very well. http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=82205 (#4)<---

Cheers,
Joe

[PAR]

Interestingly enough, the USA is fully metric. Some things are a combination, such as car tires which have a rim diameter with inches, but the width is metric. Just about everything built in the US has metric fasteners and dimensions. School kids are taught metric and to "accommodate" the "other system" (until us old farts die off, I guess).

It's frankly the people of the US that haven't changed. We're a stubborn and rebellious bunch (something you Aussies should be able to relate to) and unless lower fuel costs or world peace is involved, reluctant to change.

I personally have to admit that I have to intentionally think about the metric system, even though it's so much easier to use. I don't have to think about the standard system, it's just natural for me to think in terms of inches and feet. In fact when working with metric I find I'm using conversion comparisons to get visual clues for the piece. If a piece is so many cm's long, I mentaly convert this to inches and then have no difficulty visulizing the size of the part.

I suspect it will be another generation or two, before the last remnants of us old buggers, finially bite the big one, leaving nothing but compliant metric users to screw things up.

[m2c1Iw]

We went metric in 1970 I was umm........well a teenager. Anyway I think in milimetres up to a metre then go back to feet For things like boats I still can't relate to something that is 4.75 metres long.

I'm in all sorts of bother at the momemt the Coquina plans are feet and inches hmmmm trying to remember how to divide fractions again :doh:
I have been forcing myself to measure everything in inches must admit for on longer measurements eg 56" it's seems more comfortable than 1422mm.

Interestingly all tapes rules etc that I've bought in recent times have both units the makers must the catering for all the baby boomer boat builders :D

[Boatmik]

I had already received part of my schooling when they changed over.

I have a clear understanding of most of the metric system, however I do have some interesting anomalies.

People's height has to be feet and inches.
People's weight has to be pounds and ounces
Boat stats - length, beam, weight, sail area have to be imperial, though strangely ballast computes in metric.

A lot of fasteners and marine fittings are still sold in imperial in OZ too. Builders have probably noticed that I have a bias toward 3/16 and 10 gauge fasteners!

And ply I am ambidextrous.

Who said the world had to make sense!?

MIK

[ibeanonchippy]

yeah well the boat plans i bought from america are all in feet and inches.dam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.no one in oz makes that anymore so i tried and tried to get the wood people interested and helpfull but total failure.so one day i bumped into a bloke he said try #$%^ so i did but instead of inches he could do it in mm's close to what i needed.but after translating feet to metres and such the boat was going to be 2 and a quarter inches shorter width wise and maybe 3 inches shorter so saved and just bought a 16 foot ski boat with a 202 cubic inch motor .does 35 mph .just the boat i was going to build would of done 70.oh well i still have a 302 in the garage maybe next year.go millimeters its so easy everyone..........like oh thats 347 mm long .....not 6inches and 4 of those little ones lol
cheerrs

[rotten_66]

The in-laws have a small country property, and last year we built a shed to keep the hay dry, well talk about a nightmare they are well into their 60's and every measurement was in feet and inches.

When asked why they do it like this, it turns out the trusty old tape measure only has imperial on it, and it is still perfectly good so why buy a new one just yet.

Catch up people, catch up...

[ibeanonchippy]

jee blokes (ozzie thing) why did all the different countrys do inches to stay in touch?europe of course did it so everyone new the mm's.australia being a opart of the united kingdom and a queen stayed with them till 68???? i remember my last 2 yrs of high school we did metric.......but.... we still have inches but at school everyone is taught metric? everything but wood lol its a funny old world we live in

[Pagie]

I worked with an old dutch carpenter for years and he measured things with a tape that had both measurements on it. He would say a piece of timber was 4 meters (turn tape over) 3 and a half inches . We built things, no probs. :)

[m2c1Iw]

I worked with an old dutch carpenter for years and he measured things with a tape that had both measurements on it. He would say a piece of timber was 4 meters (turn tape over) 3 and a half inches . We built things, no probs. :)

:D:D A novel approach indeed.

[rob540]

What gets me frustrated is the use of centimetres. Measurement is so easy if it's just millimetres. CM were never intended to be used in Aust. as I understand it, and they still get everyone confused. But it's handy to be bi-lingual in measuring length.:wink:

[b.o.a.t.]

People's height is in feet & inches
Their weight is in Kg.
Except for babies who weigh in pounds.

Most measurements under an inch are in mm.
Most measurements under a metre are in feet & inches.
Most measurements 1 metre over are in metres.
Except for boats, which just don't sound right except in feet ("she's a 30 footer mate"
vs "she's 9-and-a-bit metres mate". I know how wide a 7'11" beam is. Couldn't relate
it to a 2.4M beam to save my life. But I quite happily buy 2.4M extrusions & lengths
of wood.

Area is normally in acres.
Except when it's in hectares.

Volume is in litres. Always.
Except when it's a 2 gallon bucket or a 44 gallon drum.

And now my brain hurts.

[Kev da Fridgee]

Yep and it's the same in the Refridg/AC industry, copper tube in imperial, sheet metal duct in metric, capacity in KW or BTU depending on who you talking too and I agree with you Rob, if we worked in Millimeters and meters and threw out the CM's we would be far better off

[rob540]

Kev, I have a plan to ease us into driving on the right hand side of the road over a period of 20 years, either side being permissible for this period. We won't have any problems with that will we:C?

[Rick_Tatum]

Kev, I have a plan to ease us into driving on the right hand side of the road over a period of 20 years, either side being permissible for this period. We won't have any problems with that will we:C?

I can't wrap by brain around driving on the left side of the road to save my life! If I tried it, I'd surely cause a head-on within the first 100 meters of pulling outta the driveway :oo:

[Kev da Fridgee]

Rick, that just reminded me of a time when i was married and we went to Vanuatu for a holiday, hired a car, went for a drive and just when I thought "well this isn't so hard" yep you guessed it... nearly wiped out a couple of locals...who incidently thought it was hillarious

[ian]

I can't wrap by brain around driving on the left side of the road to save my life! If I tried it, I'd surely cause a head-on within the first 100 meters of pulling outta the driveway :oo:It's really really simple

you just position the car so that the white line down the centre of the road is beside the driver's door

[masoth]

Mate (builder) on the roof welding steel, other Mate (the owner and on the ground cutting steel to length) cuts a requirred 7 feet and 3mm length too short and when challenged says "It's my *^$*& steel and I'll cut it where I want to." Then he decides it's the tape that's wrong, and that the builder called the wrong measurement - work stopped due to much laughter and the brownies were opened.

soth:drinks_wine: