1-2-3 blocks. What do they use in Europe and the rest of the world?

[Dan_the_Chemist]

Do they use little itty bitty 1 2 3 centimeter blocks, or what ???

[Doozer]

Why does the world use inch rims and metric tires?

-D

[nickel-city-fab]

From what little I have seen, they use multiples of 25mm such as 25x50x75

[Bented]

Inches are faster and millimeters produce more traction.

[Doozer]

Inches are faster and millimeters produce more traction.

THAT is funny ! ! !

[BCRider]

From what little I have seen, they use multiples of 25mm such as 25x50x75

Quite true... But it just doesn't roll off the tongue as slick as "1-2-3" or "2-4-6".

[Paul Alciatore]

When I saw your signature line indicating you are Canadian, it set off some thought processes in my mind.

What about 1-2-3 cm blocks? Are those ever made or used? That would be 10-20-30 mm for the dimensionally challenged.

And talking about Canada, I have to wonder what units are most used there. I only visited Canada once or twice in my younger years. I enjoyed both visits as it is a beautiful country, but I did not get any sense of what is common there other than some good food. I know that the US is the "only" country to still use English measure, but even the US is "officially" metric. Don't believe me, just look up the Congressional Record: it's there.

Anyway, if I go to a hardware store in Canada, do they have inch or mm drills? Inch or mm sized screws? What about lumber in a lumber yard? What's more common in the grocery stores, pounds or kg? Ounces or grams? I ask these things because of the proximity to the US. And because inquiring minds want to know.

PS: I am in SE Texas so a trip there would not be easy.

Quite true... But it just doesn't roll off the tongue as slick as "1-2-3" or "2-4-6".

[nickel-city-fab]

When I saw your signature line indicating you are Canadian, it set off some thought processes in my mind.

What about 1-2-3 cm blocks? Are those ever made or used? That would be 10-20-30 mm for the dimensionally challenged.

And talking about Canada, I have to wonder what units are most used there. I only visited Canada once or twice in my younger years. I enjoyed both visits as it is a beautiful country, but I did not get any sense of what is common there other than some good food. I know that the US is the "only" country to still use English measure, but even the US is "officially" metric. Don't believe me, just look up the Congressional Record: it's there.

Anyway, if I go to a hardware store in Canada, do they have inch or mm drills? Inch or mm sized screws? What about lumber in a lumber yard? What's more common in the grocery stores, pounds or kg? Ounces or grams? I ask these things because of the proximity to the US. And because inquiring minds want to know.

PS: I am in SE Texas so a trip there would not be easy.

Hi Paul --
I live on the Canadian border in the US, just an hour or so from Brian. Regularly go through Canada to get to the Midwest. Hardware stores in Canada will have metric drills and fasteners. Lumber not sure: it still measures the same as ours no matter what they call it. Kilos and mL at the grocery store. Liters of gas. Kilometers of travel. Degrees Celcius. You get the idea. Most Canadians that I have ever met can use both systems equally well though. But then again, I'm right on the border -- we used to walk across for a dime and go party over there when I was that age

On the weekends we get flooded with Canadian shoppers. It goes both ways, Americans go over there for whatever. You get used to the chicken wings, the cold, and losing the football game. Great sense of humor and decent beer though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pPRaD6TKLc

[David Powell]

We use almost every size of material, every thread, and every measuring system that exists. Some sizes are easier to obtain than others, Imperial measure still predominates, but metric items are easily available, especially at consumer level.
Much of the electricity system was built using BSF and Whitworth threads and so even those are still, to some extent, alive and well here.
IF you are going to be successful as a self employed machinist you need to be able to produce work in Imperial or Metric literally at a moments notice,
Most large industrial modern engine lathes sold here can cut metric and Imperial threads, many just with an extra handle on the gearbox. Smaller, lighter machines usually need, at most one or two gears moving to change from Metric to Imperial.
An important friend is the button on the DRO which takes you from Imperial to Metric.
Hope this helps clarify the muddle in which we exist.
Regards David Powell.

[754]

I know of a mill in Revelstoke BC that cuts a lot of metric dimension lumber or boards for the Japan market . They have a sister mill in the next town to us cuts mainly or only 1 inch lumber used for finishing mostly.
so most lumber in Canada is inch dimension, but keep in mind a 2x4 for example is a rough cut board . Once it get planed or dressed it gets smaller, a 2x4 is actually around 1 5/8 × 1 3/8 size.

[dian]

back to original question: such blocks are not used as much in europe as in the states, at least thats my impression.

[PStechPaul]

A 2x4 dimensional lumber is 1-1/2" x 3-1/2", at least in the US. But 2x8 and larger are 1-1/2" x 7-1/4", etc. My house about 140 years old and the studs and rafters are rough cut full size 2"x4" but some are 2-1/2"x4" and floor joists are 3" x 8".

[Randy]

Metric blocks with 3/8-16 threads. Sheesh.

https://www.victornet.com/detail/BL-25-50-75.html

[dian]

and on top of that you have to modify the screws to bolt them together.

[MattiJ]

back to original question: such blocks are not used as much in europe as in the states, at least thats my impression.

That is also my impression. Telescopic bore gauges and thread wire are also very rare except maybe hobby shops.