#10 screw and 3/16 screw

[andywander]

...ask for a 1/2" bolt and 95% of the time you will be given a 1/2-13....

[gvasale]

two men of unknown ethnithcity go to a lumber yard to buy some wood. One of them waits in the car, the other goes inside to place an order. The purchaser goes inside and is asked by the clerk what he wants. The purchaser says "I need some 4"x2"s." The clerk says " you must mean 2"x4"s."

The purchaser, looking puzzled, says "let me go and check with my friend who is in the car" Back in the store, he says to the clerk "you're right, I need 2'x4's" The clerk says "How long do you want them?" The purchase says, "let me check" and goes outside.

Returning back inside, he says to the clerk " I need them for a long time. I'm going to build a house."

[form_change]

Here in Oz a tree is called a tree. When it's cut it becomes timber and lumber is how you describe someone walking with a heavy or clumsy gait.

(What ever happened to the furious arguement about metric vs. imperial? Perhaps we should all work in dioptres...)

[John Stevenson]

The true reason we use the larger size first like 4 x 2 is when you whack someone round the bonce you get to use the widest side so have less chance of missing.

.

[loose nut]

Here abouts timber is a tree in the forest about to become lumber, lumber is what you get after cutting a piece of timber into long rectangles.

We quote lumber with the small # first IE: 2 x 4, 4 x 8 etc, same thing only different.

[bob ward]

Here is a question for the Brits or Aussies/kiwi's, if you go to a lumber yard to buy some studs do you ask for 50 x 100 mm's or do you still ask for 2 x 4's.

In Oz and NZ lumber is not a word in common use, its all timber which is bought at the timber yard. Mention lumber and you are likely to have someone start singing the Monty Python lumberjack song.

Timber sizing convention here, same as the UK, is always large size first eg 6 x 2 or 150 x 50. How you refer to the timber size depends on whether you are talking about pine studs, or rough sawn hardwood.

Pine studs, since not long after metrification in the mid 70s, have been produced in metric sizes only, 70 x 35, 70 x 45, 90 x 35 and 90 x 45. Soft imperial conversions don't work with those sizes so they are only referred to in metric sizes.

Rough sawn eucalyptus hardwood on the other hand, is produced in metric equivalents of the old inch sizes, so you can refer to an either 8 x 3 or a 200 x 75 and you will get a 200 x 75.

Timber lengths in either pine or hardwood are in 300mm increments, ask for 10 footers and you get 3 metres.

The guys at the timber yard speak both metric and imperial, so you can ask for 8 foot of 70 x 45 pine or 2.7m of 4 x 2 hardwood and no one bats an eyelid.

[Your Old Dog]

............................
Of course it doesn't get a simpler than Metric..but I won't go there

Rich

Anybody within back-of-the-head-slapping range of Rich?

[J Tiers]

I'm guess that you still quote 4 x 2's or 8' x 4' sheets because it is easier then asking for a 2550 x1250 mm sheets. For some things Imperial is better then Metric.

Noted.........

Where is the unit for people-size measurements? Metres are too big, you need too many decimal places. MM get ridiculous as you get into thousands of them.

"Oh, it's about 1.21 metres"............ that's just silly. but "it's about 4 feet" is perfect.

That is the good thing about inches... they are "right sized" for people-size stuff. Even feet are a good unit for people-sized stuff. Metres are not, way too big.

[Timleech]

I'm guess that you still quote 4 x 2's or 8' x 4' sheets because it is easier then asking for a 2550 x1250 mm sheets. For some things Imperial is better then Metric.

The steel stockholders, at least my local one, do talk in metric dimensions but know what you want if you give the imperial sheet size.
I use steel in 2m x 1m and 2550 x 1250 (or is it 1225? not so sure now ) and am quite likely to place an order on the phone for " 2 No. 2 x 1 x 5mm, 3 No. 8 x 4 x 6mm" and they'll know exactly what I mean. I think if I asked for a 6 x 3 of 5mm they would query my meaning to be certain.

Tim

[loose nut]

Neither, it would be the larger dimension first, so 100 x 50 or 4 x 2.
Either of those, probably.

Oh, and we don't have lumber yards in the UK
Timber yards, before and after metrication.
To the best of my knowledge, hardwood is still sold here in Imperial dimensions but softwood in metric, and plywood still comes in actual 8' x 4' sheets to a metric thickness but if you ask for an 8' x 4' of 6mm steel plate you get 2550 x 1250mm

Tim

I'm guess that you still quote 4 x 2's or 8' x 4' sheets because it is easier then asking for a 2550 x1250 mm sheets. For some things Imperial is better then Metric.

[vpt]

You don't state your location.... probably far from teh US....

I thought I had my location listed in my profile. I live in stevens point, WI

[tyrone shewlaces]

... and plywood still comes in actual 8' x 4' sheets to a metric thickness

Ha. Kind of like the failed Mars orbiter project?

That's the case over here too. I think every year or few they make it 1mm thinner.
Now there's a non-standard for you. Lumber.
What is the point as you approach 1" where you can no longer label something to be 2". It gets compressed thinner ever few years.

[J Tiers]

I'm with John from the UK, metric is easier.

It is overtaking the US more and more. The sooner you learn it and except it the better off you will be.

7/16, 1/2, 9/16, 5/8, 11/16, 3/4, 13/16, 7/8, 15/16, 1

Or

10mm, 11mm, 12mm, 13mm, 14mm, 15mm...

You don't state your location.... probably far from teh US....

Carpenters use fractions.... because they always have.

Anyone else who makes an accurate measurement uses decimal.....

All "furriners" compare only fractional with the decimal metric, and apparently assume that US machinists make measurements to 512ths of an inch

The one and sole real benefit to using metric in daily life is simply because it is so widespread......

It would be nice if metric were standardized as well, but just because it is widespread means it is a functional decision to use it, warts and all.

[J Tiers]

To the best of my knowledge, hardwood is still sold here in Imperial dimensions but softwood in metric, and plywood still comes in 8' x 4' sheets to a metric thickness.

Tim

And here, plywood comes in metre dimensioned pieces as well as 4 x 8

[Timleech]

People confuse Metric with decimal.


Here is a question for the Brits or Aussies/kiwi's, if you go to a lumber yard to buy some studs do you ask for 50 x 100 mm's or do you still ask for 2 x 4's.

Neither, it would be the larger dimension first, so 100 x 50 or 4 x 2.
Either of those, probably.

Oh, and we don't have lumber yards in the UK
Timber yards, before and after metrication.
To the best of my knowledge, hardwood is still sold here in Imperial dimensions but softwood in metric, and plywood still comes in actual 8' x 4' sheets to a metric thickness but if you ask for an 8' x 4' of 6mm steel plate you get 2550 x 1250mm

Tim