How should we describe non-metric tooling?

Advert

New Replies

Report Bug

Help/FAQs

How should we describe non-metric tooling?

This topic has 79 replies, 47 voices, and was last updated 3 June 2017 at 08:07 by Michael Gilligan.

Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 80 total)

1 2 3 4 →

Author

Posts
31 May 2017 at 22:06 #300540
Tim Stevens
Participant
@timstevens64731
Many suppliers use the term 'imperial' for tooling based on inch measurements. The term actually means 'to do with an empire' and is quite helpful when referring to whitworth threads – which date to the time when we really did have an empire. But not for anyone from outside the empire, surely? We ex-imperialists might stretch the point to BSF and BA* – but NOT to threads from the USA such as UNF and UNC, or any of their predecessors or derivatives.

Can I suggest that if you are selling inch-sized collets, or cutters, or similar things sized in fractions of an inch, the correct adjective is 'inch' ?

*BA is a quandary, here, as its dimensions are metric, although it was standard throughout the empire (while we had one). So, BA spanners ought to be listed under 'metric' although few of them match any other metric sizes.

Just a thought

Cheers, Tim
Advert

31 May 2017 at 22:06 #34914
Tim Stevens
Participant
@timstevens64731
Not ‘imperial’ – surely?
31 May 2017 at 22:14 #300541
Brian H
Participant
@brianh50089
I think "Imperial" is an excellent description; everyone knows what it means. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

Brian
31 May 2017 at 22:24 #300542
Andrew Tinsley
Participant
@andrewtinsley63637
Agreed!

Andrew.
31 May 2017 at 22:30 #300546
Tim Stevens
Participant
@timstevens64731
I'm sorry, Brian, but none of my dictionaries concur with your view. And they should know, surely, if 'everyone knows'.

The Chambers Technical & Scientific dictionary gives eight meanings of imperial, and does not apply the term at all to threads or spanners or other tooling.

Tim

Edited By Tim Stevens on 31/05/2017 22:30:59
31 May 2017 at 22:30 #300547
Nick_G
Participant
@nick_g
.

The USA as everyone knows still uses the 'imperial' system. But I hear on many Youtube videos them still calling it 'the English system'

While slightly off topic-ish I was taught metric at school but for engineering I feel far more comfortable using Imperial.

Nick
31 May 2017 at 22:48 #300549
AndyP
Participant
@andyp13730
I've always liked "footric" but I don't suppose it will catch on, let's just stick with "proper"

Andy
31 May 2017 at 22:55 #300551
Dod Mole
Participant
@georgeclarihew
We could call non imperial ( esp. 'merican ) the " colonial system " and see what reaction we get.
31 May 2017 at 22:56 #300552
S.D.L.
Participant
@s-d-l
Posted by Nick_G on 31/05/2017 22:30:47:

.

The USA as everyone knows still uses the 'imperial' system. But I hear on many Youtube videos them still calling it 'the English system'

While slightly off topic-ish I was taught metric at school but for engineering I feel far more comfortable using Imperial.

Nick

The US term is USCU United States Customary Units which was based on the English units before they were revised to Imperial (1824) and are defined it terms of metric units

Some Americans I have met don't accept the Imperial tag at all.

Steve
31 May 2017 at 22:58 #300553
MW
Participant
@mw27036
I believe in 1948 there was an international agreement between the U.S and U.K to tie up their systems so that you could easily switch between the two.

If you consider the fact that the U.S (13 colonies) was a colony started by and large the british as well as governed. With the capital in Virginia as opposed to Columbia like it is now. They are kinda using the same system. and even more so when you consider the above stated.

'The British Standards Institute defined the inch as 25.4mm in 1930 in the document "Metric Units in Engineering: Going SI". In March 1932 the American Standards Association were asked to rule on whether to adopt the same value (at the time the American inch was 1/.03937 mm which approximated to 25.400051 mm). Because the values were so close, and because Britain has already settled on that value, the ASA adopted this value on March 13, 1933.'

There was apparently a Scottish Inch at one point too. One might say that the units themselves, pertaining to latin in origin, are older than the term for the whole system. And hence why they crop up in pre-metricated European nations too.

Michael W

Edited By Michael-w on 31/05/2017 23:09:21
31 May 2017 at 23:02 #300554
Brian G
Participant
@briang
Posted by Nick_G on 31/05/2017 22:30:47:

.

The USA as everyone knows still uses the 'imperial' system. But I hear on many Youtube videos them still calling it 'the English system'

While slightly off topic-ish I was taught metric at school but for engineering I feel far more comfortable using Imperial.

Nick

I understand that over the pond, inches, gallons etc. are officially known as "US Customary Units". They aren't imperial as they rebelled before the British Empire was formed, hence their use of Queen Anne's wine gallon instead of the 1824 Imperial Gallon. Within Europe, and particularly Germany, pre-metric inches can vary significantly from country to country or even city to city. **LINK** Interestingly, the 25.4mm inch is described there as the "Imperial Inch".

Brian
31 May 2017 at 23:03 #300555
Gray62
Participant
@gray62
Why are we always looking to find new ways of describing what has been around for decades or centuries, Imperial units were defined in The Weights and Measures Act of 1824, Why does anyone feel the need to find an alternative description. It is what it is.
31 May 2017 at 23:06 #300556
Dod Mole
Participant
@georgeclarihew
Scottish inch, Royal mile – not the same size as a southern one, and lots of other variations of weight, length, Oh and the Scots pound, might get more popular after leaving the Eeeyou and we stay.
31 May 2017 at 23:07 #300557
Nick_G
Participant
@nick_g
Posted by Michael-w on 31/05/2017 22:58:29:

There was apparently a Scottish Inch at one point too.

Michael W

.

I know that yappy dog Sturgeon does not look very tall but surly she cannot be that small.?

Nick
1 June 2017 at 01:02 #300575
Ady1
Participant
@ady1
I've always liked "footric" but I don't suppose it will catch on, let's just stick with "proper"

ooh, I like that one.

Proper imperial that is, yoop
1 June 2017 at 01:17 #300577
Ady1
Participant
@ady1
Scottish inch

Proper imperial units

Edited By Ady1 on 01/06/2017 01:19:35
1 June 2017 at 01:24 #300579
Rik Shaw
Participant
@rikshaw
Imperial is imperial, why try to fog it?

Rik
1 June 2017 at 01:27 #300580
Ady1
Participant
@ady1
A quiz question one, a chain

10 chains in a furlong

80 chains in a mile

10 square chains is an acre

Edited By Ady1 on 01/06/2017 01:28:28
1 June 2017 at 01:39 #300581
Ady1
Participant
@ady1
The chain also survives as the length of a cricket pitch, being the distance between the stumps.
1 June 2017 at 06:42 #300589
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
Tim,

Have you been to Trafalgar Square ?

MichaelG.

.

Edit: Oops, Ady's link has already referenced the Imperial Standards.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 01/06/2017 06:47:04
1 June 2017 at 06:49 #300591
Hopper
Participant
@hopper
ISTR from when I lived in the USA for several years that almost nobody there knew or cared what the Imperial system was. And even fewer seemed to know the metric system existed. To them, there was just the system — the inch system they used daily.

But for me, Imperial works just fine. It's what it has always been called and seems to work. The empire may be gone but the echoes still reverberate across the world via a multitude of old machines.
1 June 2017 at 07:10 #300596
Raymond Sanderson 2
Participant
@raymondsanderson2
You do realise that the US inch is different to the Imperial inch!!!!

**LINK**

Decimal or metric is used by European because they never considered 360" / 12 they only counted their 10 fingers or that its 12 months to a year.

If the Scot's get FREEDOM will they revert to their measurement also??
1 June 2017 at 08:02 #300605
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
Posted by Raymond Sanderson 2 on 01/06/2017 07:10:07:

You do realise that the US inch is different to the Imperial inch!!!!

**LINK**

.

… was different

MichaelG.

.

I quote, from your link:

Traditional standards for the exact length of an inch have varied in the past, but since the adoption of the international yard during the 1950s and 1960s it has been based on the metric system and defined as exactly 2.54 cm.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 01/06/2017 08:02:50
1 June 2017 at 08:35 #300614
richardandtracy
Participant
@richardandtracy
Over the years in England we have been through at least 4 different lengths for the foot with the Anglo-Saxon foot of 335mm -13.2 current inches- being one of the longest variants. This page shows some of the absurd units we've used over the years **LINK** .

Regards,

Richard

Edited to remove accidental emoticon

Edited By richardandtracy on 01/06/2017 08:37:54
1 June 2017 at 08:39 #300615
roy entwistle
Participant
@royentwistle24699
Re How should we describe non- metric tooling. Can I suggest " Proper "

Roy
Author

Posts