UK to revert to Imperial Measurements?

[Waikikamukau]

Boris Johnson to reportedly bring back imperial measurements to mark platinum jubilee

Being Australian, born in the mid-70s, I've never known anything other than metric measurements. yet learning woodworking primarily from online resources like YouTube, out of necessity, I've had to pick up and use some imperial measurements - and often convert them back to metric, make corresponding adjustments, etc.

Any of you fervently for or against either measurement system, or happy to use which ever makes more sense for the project you're working on? Anyone who is proficiently bi-measurement?? Interested to hear people's thoughts!

[Chesand]

Being a lot older than you, I grew up with imperial measurements but consider myself proficient in metric which I now use for woodworking.

As a retired pharmacist, we went metric in the early 1960s and had no option but to learn it for weights and liquid measurements as we were still making a lot of mixtures, creams etc at that time.

[rwbuild]

6 of one, half a dozen of the other, I prefer a metric dozen myself......

[Scribbly Gum]

Metric is so much simpler and consistent.
Imperial length measures are a dog's breakfast.
12 inches = 1 foot
3 feet = 1 yard
5-1/2 yards = 1 rod
4 rods = 1 chain
22 yards = 1 chain
66 feet = 1 chain
10 chains = 1 furlong
220 yards = 1 furlong
8 furlongs = 1 mile
80 chains = 1 mile
1760 yards = 1 mile
5280 feet = 1 mile

Now go to it converting one to and from the other.
And then we have fractions......

Now, while I am very old school and quite comfortable with imperial, it is the proverbial Saigon brothel on payday.
Metric is so much more elegant - and that other word beginning with "E" - EASY

Tom

[chambezio]

I started the Carpentry trade in 1970. All our work at Tech (you call it Tafe now) was in Imperial. In 1973 the company I worked for had a guest speaker come to run through what we needed to know about Metric. I don't remember any confusion with the transition. I am happy to work in either but I am more prominently use Metric.

England has a unique way of doing things that are simple and turning them into ......crap/mush. They have road signs and speed signs in English (miles) but the trades seems to be Metric and then there was the Pound going "Metric"?? .When Australia went to dollars and cents the whole thing was based on 10/- being $1 that was easy, but the Poms went new pence and their "dollar" was based on their Pound being 20 shillings. I think it would have been a nightmare

[Cklett]

I am German, naturally I am biased

Imperial Measurements Explained ???!!! - YouTube

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[Chief Tiff]

I’ve always been reasonably proficient in both systems; when I design something I’ll use a mixture although I tend towards metric when the drawing board and tee-square cone out. I’ll also use metric to scale down Imperial measurements; ie I’ll use 1 or 5mm to represent an inch…. if I’m honest I think better in Imperial; always estimating or visualising sizes in feet and inches.

Weirdly though my schooling was 99% metric… but I always understood fractional inches and had no issues with them despite not being able to recall ever being taught about them. A few weeks ago I came across my 1968/9 copy of Aeromodeller Annual which I acquired in 1984. In that book are the partial plans of a plane called “Grey Ghost” which I successfully built from scratch; where the dimensions were missing I had calculated them using proportional values and written them in the book… all in fractional inches at the tender age of 14. I didn’t get any formal education in Imperial measurements until I began my engineering apprenticeship and was required to read Imperial verniers and micrometers.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I've always measured my weight in Stones & Lbs, (Which can make for confused looks from the Doc when they ask 'what weight are you?')

I have no idea why, nowadays I pretty much use metric for everything else except when imperial is forced upon me.

Although, in another life when I did some work as a chippy, I'd get some odd-looks when I'd call off a measurement to the docker in mixed feet, inches and mm. 'Four foot two & five mil."

Being a 60's bush baby I grew up conversant with both systems... and using both quite happily. But I guess as imperial has fallen out of favour I've been lazy and gone with the flow for long enough now that imperial has become 'work' to use.

[Chris Parks]

It must be April Fools Day! American industry is slowly dragging the US into the metric measurement world and British industry has already converted so I doubt the idea will go over well with industries that have spent squillions to convert to imperial when there is basically no imperial tooling left in the world for manufacturing. I think he has been looking at the bottom of a few bottles or maybe more than a few. He might give Scotty a call and get some advice from him.

[Chief Tiff]

It looks like it’s merely allowing grocery trades to revert to Imperial systems. Back in the nineties when the UK joined the EU there was a furore when Brussels dictated that pounds, ounces, pints and gils had to go and be replaced with metric equivalents. Industry of course easily bends to consumer demand and so produce thereafter was simply supplied in the exact metric sizes that matched the Imperial sizes that everybody was used to. Milk was supplied in 570ml bottles and minced beef in 454g packs. Boris’ plan simply allows grocers etc to revert to pricing in either which will keep several million home cooks happy.

Incidentally; despite being a metric country Aus did exactly the same with timber and it still hasn’t changed to fully metric other than in pricing. You can’t buy 2 yards of 6” by 3/4” DAR or an 8’ by 4’ sheet of 3/8” ply…. except that’s exactly what you get. And stuff like framing timber despite being “sold” by the meter it is only supplied in feet and yards.

[verawood]

BJ probably thought up the idea on April 1st, as a distraction from his current problems.
He probably wont be there long enough to introduce anything significant.
I doubt he could get enough support for anything that significant because of the disruption and cost it would cause.
Pollies are all about the next election.

[Bushmiller]

There are still huge anomalies in the use of metric and imperial measurements. While in general metric is easier and more logical to use there are some things that seem to lend themselves to the imperial system such as the use of "thou" in engineering and pints if you are drinking beer.

Perhaps Boris' announcement is just an excuse for another party.

Regards
Paul

[A Duke]

Party????
Party party or Political party?
Regards

[Bushmiller]

Party????
Party party or Political party?
Regards

Hugh

Either way I suspect he is history waiting for a book.

Regards
Paul

[woodPixel]

This is a Dead Cat issue.

A stinking dead cat is thrown on the table, it distracts instantly from all the other issues.

I know nothing of British politics, but this is only a desperate ploy from another failing government. Just like ours tried it on with Katherine Deves for Warringah Liberals and the attempts at "Boats are Coming!" SMS.

These rancid stinking politics are the distraction of parties at their very end. If there are any tame English here, enlighten us?

Ah yes, the issue: Metric wins. Imperial is dead.