Imperial units people, Do you sometimes get confused about time units as well? (lemmy.world)

submitted 8 months ago by MTK@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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Hi, I think in metric units, so almost everything is some form of a power of 10, like a kilogram is a 1000 grams, etc.

Sometimes I will think of an hour and half as 150 minutes before remembering that it is 90 minutes.

Does something similar happen to imperial units users? Because as far as I understand you don't have obvious patterns that would cause you to make these mistakes, right?

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[-] youngalfred@lemm.ee 3 points 8 months ago

what's the metric equivalent of ordering "four-quarter" boards?

We have a lot of standard sizes that seem to be based on imperial - 12mm (1/2inch), 16mm (5/8inch), 19mm (3/4inch), 32mm (5/4inch) etc.

If you're actually interested in taking a look, here's a link to the dressed timber section of Australia's hardware capital - Bunnings.

[-] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 1 points 8 months ago

I think you just made my point for me. Are those finished milled boards or rough sawn?

In America we refer to rough sawn and finished boards differently; a rough milled board 1 inch thick and 4 inches wide is 4:4x4 "four-quarter by four". This board will be milled to 3/4" by 3 1/2" and called a 1x4 or a "one-by-four." If I tell a sawyer "I'm looking for some six-quarter oak" he knows I'm looking for thicker than usual rough cut stock. "I'm looking for some two-by-sixes" implies I'm looking for pre-milled construction lumber. I can say a lot about the wood I want and the condition I want it in with not many words...to an American sawyer, anyway.

Oh, and then there's board feet! Pre-milled boards bought from retailers like Home Depot or Lowe's are sold price-per-each because retail, but you go to a lumber yard or sawmill you're going to pay by volume in units of "board feet." A board foot is a 12 inch wide, 12 inch long and 1 inch thick board, or 144 cubic inches. Which sounds like a bigger pain in the ass than it is.

[-] youngalfred@lemm.ee 1 points 8 months ago

That's 'dressed all round' what I'm assuming is finished milled. I'm a very amateur diyer - I'd imagine that if you went to a timber yard here they'd probably have a good idea what you were after. Just read online that most bulk wood is bought by the cubic metre, but all dimensioned wood is by the linear metre.

[-] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 1 points 8 months ago

Yeah, put through the jointer/planer to make the board straight, square and true. Sometimes called "surfaced 4 sides" or S4S.

this post was submitted on 02 Mar 2024

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