On Sat, 05 Oct 2013 19:21:27 -0700, Erik wrote:



Curious... does anyone know if socket drive sizes are standardized
imperial world wide? You know, 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 3/4"...

Don't recall ever seeing or hearing of others

Erik

I found this.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/s...+drive+size s

One post says,
"Things like the Hazet catalogue list them in dual sizes. 1/4" =
6.3mm, 3/8" = 10mm and 1/2" = 12.5mm square drive."

So you can say they are standardized.
They just call a 1/4" drive a 6.3mm drive.
Maybe there's a French or German mechanic who could say what they call
the different drives in everyday talk,

I grew up with the non-metrics so that's ingrained in me.
Seems it's no big deal to convert either. I don't bother arguing
about it. The metric system has obvious advantages with some things,
and plain doesn't matter with others.
Only time I remember arguing about it was in college, with a science
professor. He was telling us how much better the metric system was
and that everything should be measured metrically.
I understood all that, so I asked him if we should do it with time.
Why should a day have 24 hours? Or a minute 60 seconds?
He was caught off guard, and had no good answer.

On 10/5/2013 10:15 PM, Metspitzer wrote:


One think they could do would to make the metal in metric look
different from "standard" bolts. It works with electrical terminals.

They do. They make some a little bigger, others a little smaller.

At work , we use more metric, but it does not take long to be able to
tell a 1/4" from an M6.

Our industry shifted from 100% SAE to 95% metric. If you want to do
commerce with the rest of the world you use metric.

On 10/5/2013 10:51 PM, Vic Smith wrote:


I understood all that, so I asked him if we should do it with time.
Why should a day have 24 hours? Or a minute 60 seconds?
He was caught off guard, and had no good answer.

Using "military" time of 24 hours would avoid a lot of confusion.

In article ,
Ed Pawlowski wrote:

On 10/5/2013 10:51 PM, Vic Smith wrote:


I understood all that, so I asked him if we should do it with time.
Why should a day have 24 hours? Or a minute 60 seconds?
He was caught off guard, and had no good answer.

Using "military" time of 24 hours would avoid a lot of confusion.

I also think use of the 24hr clock would be a good thing... I'm
personally not used to it and have to think a little when presented with
such times, but have a feeling if immersed in it, would be an old pro in
a few days

Looks like Decimal time has been dabbled with. (I only skimmed through
this article.):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimal_time

A few years back watch Manufacture 'Swatch' thought it'd be cute to do
their own decimal time 'standard' as well. (Only skimmed this one as
well):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swatch_Time

Think I remember once hearing of... (in Russia possibly?) 24hr UTC in
use across a large area. Don't have time to look into it at the moment,
but here's the UTC article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTC

Erik

On Saturday, October 5, 2013 12:49:20 PM UTC-7, wrote:
On Sat, 05 Oct 2013 12:47:59 -0400, wrote:
On Sat, 5 Oct 2013 07:59:45 -0700 (PDT), Harry K
wrote:
On Saturday, October 5, 2013 5:53:01 AM UTC-7, Tegger wrote:
" wrote in

:



After trying for the better part of an hour to figure out how many

equal-sized slats I could get from a particular width of plank,

including the scrap caused by the width of the cutting blade, I was

calculating things in 16ths and 32nds of an inch and not coming out

even.



You're flummoxed by a measurement system that has been used to build just

about everything under the English-speaking sun for over 1,000 years? Maybe



it's you and not the measurement system.

Tegger



Had you ever _used_ the metric system for anything you would see how ridiculous the English system is.



A lie.



I lived in Germany for 6 years and did all my work in metric. Cursed our stupid system the day I got back here and am still doing it some 40 years later.



Irrelevant.



One of the stupidest arguments against going metric I heard was from a mechanic. "I won't know what wrench to use with out looking at the size marking"



Stupid people say stupid things.



"Hey, stupid you don't look at the size marking on a 9/16 now, why would you have to on an 11mm?. You just reach for "that" wrench now just as you would in mm size"



After many years, he probably knows which wrench to reach for without

looking.



One of the big advantages of metric for mechanics is there are a lot fewer bolt/nut sizes to deal with.



Yeah, right. sheesh



The real reason is we are in an international world now and fewer

things will be available in "American" sizes. You can't even call it

english because they converted to metric years ago.



Your mechanic has needed metric tools for years unless he only works

on 20 year old American cars. Even most of those had significant

metric content.

Fortunately the English through out Whitworth measure at the same time. Back when a good mechanic needed 3 different sets of wrenches.

Harry K

On Saturday, October 5, 2013 4:44:23 PM UTC-7, Doug Miller wrote:
notbob wrote in :



The other problem, is, too many Americans (Eng) have no clue of the

difference between volume and weight. I can't tell you the number of

times this has come up on rec.food.cooking, when ppl jes do not know

the difference between fl oz and wt oz. Jes this morning I ran

across a baking recipe on King Arthur Mills website. It gave a bread

recipe in ounces for both flour and water, but didn't specify what

measure the water was in, fluid or weight. Fortunately, it had a

radio button that instantly converted the recipe to grams. It was

weight for both.



No, you stated that particular problem backward. The problem there is that *you* don't

know something that most other Americans who cook *do* know, namely, that for cooking

purposes, it doesn't matter at all whether you measure 'x' ounces of water by volume or by

weight, because they're almost exactly the same.



To be precise: One quart of water has a volume of 32 fluid ounces or 946 cubic centimeters.

946 cc of water has a mass of 946 grams. One pound (16 ounces weight) is 453.6 grams, so

946 cc of water weighs 946 / 453.6 = 2.08 pounds = 33.37 ounces weight.



Now divide that into 32 fluid ounces volume, and you get -- drum roll, please -- 1 fluid ounce

of water weighs 0.96 ounces.



That's more than close enough for cooking. Nobody cares, because it doesn't matter. The

ignorance on display here is yours, not everyone else's.

And how close does an ounce of milk come to being "not important". It weighs more than water you know.

Harry K

On Saturday, October 5, 2013 4:46:42 PM UTC-7, wrote:
On Sat, 05 Oct 2013 14:00:16 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:



On Sat, 05 Oct 2013 12:47:59 -0400, wrote:









"Hey, stupid you don't look at the size marking on a 9/16 now, why would you have to on an 11mm?. You just reach for "that" wrench now just as you would in mm size"



After many years, he probably knows which wrench to reach for without

looking.





Of course he does, just like the mechanics that use metric on a

regular basis. Some people are just afraid of change, but in a couple

of weeks, it is just as simple, maybe more so.

If he's done it a for a lifetime, he knows exactly which wrenches are

used for each nut. Changing that isn't a couple of weeks.

You're right. If he's using them daily it'll be far less sthan a couple of weeks.
Harry K

On Saturday, October 5, 2013 5:06:08 PM UTC-7, Erik wrote:
In article ,

Frank wrote:



On 10/5/2013 4:39 PM, wrote:

I thought that there had been some legislation afew years ago mandating a

change over to the metric system about a 10-year period. But that seems to

have died.



As an electrical engineer, I have learned to think in more than one

language/metrology system. I can convert lengths pretty much in my head.

But weights and volumes/measures still require me to stop and try to

remember the conversion factors. The liquid oz and the volume oz still

give me fits when reading something and I don't know the exact context so I

don't know which the author means.





As a chemist, it would have been practically impossible to work in a lab

encumbered by the English system.



Didn't NASA loose a Mars probe 3 or 5 years back?



If I recall correctly they think they tracked it down to an incorrect

english to metric conversion (or perhaps vice versa). Also pretty sure

they mandated Metric (or SI) for all future projects at that time.



I recall it as they measured it in one system when all the others were measured in metric vice being a conversion problem.


Remember being astounded that they of all people were still piddling

with imperial units... and to make matters even worse were using both!

snip


Erik

There was also the case of the "Gimli Glider". A passenger jet with full load that ran out of fuel due to measuring in one system when insturments are in the other one. Pilot dead sticked to a landing. Makes an interesting read. Google Gimli Glider

Harry K

On Saturday, October 5, 2013 7:51:50 PM UTC-7, Vic Smith wrote:
On Sat, 05 Oct 2013 19:21:27 -0700, Erik wrote:







Curious... does anyone know if socket drive sizes are standardized

imperial world wide? You know, 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 3/4"...



Don't recall ever seeing or hearing of others



Erik



I found this.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/s...+drive+size s



One post says,

"Things like the Hazet catalogue list them in dual sizes. 1/4" =

6.3mm, 3/8" = 10mm and 1/2" = 12.5mm square drive."



So you can say they are standardized.

They just call a 1/4" drive a 6.3mm drive.

Maybe there's a French or German mechanic who could say what they call

the different drives in everyday talk,



I grew up with the non-metrics so that's ingrained in me.

Seems it's no big deal to convert either. I don't bother arguing

about it. The metric system has obvious advantages with some things,

and plain doesn't matter with others.

Only time I remember arguing about it was in college, with a science

professor. He was telling us how much better the metric system was

and that everything should be measured metrically.

I understood all that, so I asked him if we should do it with time.

Why should a day have 24 hours? Or a minute 60 seconds?

He was caught off guard, and had no good answer.

Must have been a pretty poor prof to not have a good answer.

"because it is standardized the world over and every body uses it. No reason not to change it to a decimal system but why bother"

Harry K

There was also the case of the "Gimli Glider". A passenger jet with full
load that ran out of fuel due to measuring in one system when insturments are
in the other one. Pilot dead sticked to a landing. Makes an interesting read.
Google Gimli Glider

Harry K

Yes, thats correct!

Details he

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider

Erik

On 10/5/2013 11:44 AM, Straight Mann wrote:
On 10/05/2013 11:34 AM, willshak wrote:
But then they can't call it a tubafor.

What's a tubafor?

One size less than a tubasix. Mostly used for
framing walls. Some places cheap out, and use
a tubatree for walls. Trailer homes, for example.


..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 10/5/2013 12:43 PM, wrote:
On Sat, 05 Oct 2013 11:44:48 -0400, Straight Mann
wrote:

On 10/05/2013 11:34 AM, willshak wrote:
But then they can't call it a tubafor.

What's a tubafor?

Oompah, Oompah, Oompah.


The Oktoberfest needs mo beer.


..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 10/5/2013 12:45 PM, wrote:
On Sat, 5 Oct 2013 12:53:01 +0000 (UTC), Tegger
wrote:
You're flummoxed by a measurement system that has been used to build just
about everything under the English-speaking sun for over 1,000 years? Maybe
it's you and not the measurement system.

Public schools don't teach arithmetic anymore. 2+2 is whatever makes
you feel good.

As long as it's Bush's fault when you don't get the right answer?


..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 10/5/2013 1:12 PM, Anonymouse wrote:
On 10/04/2013 09:57 PM, wrote:
I needed to rip some Trex decking into narrow strips to replace the
wooden slats in a "park" bench we have on our front porch.

Be careful when you sit on your bench the first time. Trex decking is
not very strong.


Silly rabbit. Trex are for kids.



..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 10/5/2013 3:19 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
But then they can't call it a tubafor.

What's a tubafor?

We're not making any headway.

What's a headway?

Oh, about 8 pounds.


Updoc? What's updoc?


..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 10/5/2013 4:30 PM, The Daring Dufas wrote:

Funny thing, the most resistant to the change over to The Metric System
have been my overly religious friends. Perhaps it's because it breaks
with tradition and their mindset is one that is more resistant to
change? o_O

TDD

12 apostles, not 10.
Virgin Mary, not Mary with the Cherry.
Father Son and Holy Ghost, not Pop, JC, and the spook.

10 disciples might be metric, but we're sticking
with 12 apostles.


..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 10/5/2013 5:45 PM, Oren wrote:

... if the SAE socket slips I get a metric socket out

Something fits without a slip

The one ******* metric child is 10 MM. It's neither
a 3/8 or a 7/16. Just isn't anyone's baby.

It grows up into a 15 MM, same deal.


..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 10/5/2013 7:46 PM, wrote:
Of course he does, just like the mechanics that use metric on a
regular basis. Some people are just afraid of change, but in a couple
of weeks, it is just as simple, maybe more so.
If he's done it a for a lifetime, he knows exactly which wrenches are
used for each nut. Changing that isn't a couple of weeks.


I've worked with both measure for nuts and bolts.
No big concern. It's when you run into Y2K and have
to add and subtract, the metric comes into its own.

..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

A most interesting interesting Wikipedia entry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication

Erik

In article ,
Frank wrote:

On 10/5/2013 4:39 PM, wrote:
I thought that there had been some legislation afew years ago mandating a
change over to the metric system about a 10-year period. But that seems to
have died.

As an electrical engineer, I have learned to think in more than one
language/metrology system. I can convert lengths pretty much in my head.
But weights and volumes/measures still require me to stop and try to
remember the conversion factors. The liquid oz and the volume oz still
give me fits when reading something and I don't know the exact context so I
don't know which the author means.


As a chemist, it would have been practically impossible to work in a lab
encumbered by the English system.

Does a metric centrifuge take 10 test tubes instead of 12?

On 10/5/2013 10:15 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 10/5/2013 10:51 PM, Vic Smith wrote:


I understood all that, so I asked him if we should do it with time.
Why should a day have 24 hours? Or a minute 60 seconds?
He was caught off guard, and had no good answer.

Using "military" time of 24 hours would avoid a lot of confusion.


Yeah, I know what you mean. It's always been so confusing when somebody
suggests we meet for lunch at 11:45 to beat the crowds. I never know
whether to show up for it at 11:45AM or 11:45PMg

On 10/6/13 12:31 AM, Stormin Mormon wrote:

12 apostles, not 10.
Virgin Mary, not Mary with the Cherry.
Father Son and Holy Ghost, not Pop, JC, and the spook.

10 disciples might be metric, but we're sticking
with 12 apostles.

The apostles must've been chubby. Jesus didn't need a baker's dozen
of them.

wrote in :

On Sat, 5 Oct 2013 12:53:01 +0000 (UTC), Tegger
wrote:

" wrote in
:

After trying for the better part of an hour to figure out how many
equal-sized slats I could get from a particular width of plank,
including the scrap caused by the width of the cutting blade, I was
calculating things in 16ths and 32nds of an inch and not coming out
even.



You're flummoxed by a measurement system that has been used to build
just about everything under the English-speaking sun for over 1,000
years? Maybe it's you and not the measurement system.

Public schools don't teach arithmetic anymore. 2+2 is whatever makes
you feel good.




Even if you spell it wrong ;^)

In addition to the Imperial measurement system, Britain used the
pound/shilling/pence system for centuries until 1971.
12 pence (d) = 1 shilling (/)
20/ = 1£ (pound)

(I'm not seeing any 10's in there...)

So there were 240d per £. Folks were very used to doing the arithmetic in
their heads for counting and giving change, changing units as necessary. If
they were given 37d, they knew immediately that they had "3/1", or "three
shillings one pence", or "three and one".

Commerce did not stop -- or even slow down -- on account of the money
system not being based on the numeral "10".

Maybe the Metric system is "easier", but it is hardly necessary for
figuring out the childishly simple task of determining how many smaller
boards you can get out of one larger board. Do you think the builders of
Exeter Cathedral had trouble figuring out how to size the materials for
that edifice, considering they had to do it all in Imperial?


--
Tegger

On 10/6/2013 7:43 AM, Mark Storkamp wrote:
In article ,
Frank wrote:

On 10/5/2013 4:39 PM, wrote:
I thought that there had been some legislation afew years ago mandating a
change over to the metric system about a 10-year period. But that seems to
have died.

As an electrical engineer, I have learned to think in more than one
language/metrology system. I can convert lengths pretty much in my head.
But weights and volumes/measures still require me to stop and try to
remember the conversion factors. The liquid oz and the volume oz still
give me fits when reading something and I don't know the exact context so I
don't know which the author means.


As a chemist, it would have been practically impossible to work in a lab
encumbered by the English system.

Does a metric centrifuge take 10 test tubes instead of 12?


Never thought about that.
Would mean in the metric system, a car should have 10 wheels

On Sun, 06 Oct 2013 07:08:42 -0500, Unquestionably Confused
wrote:

On 10/5/2013 10:15 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 10/5/2013 10:51 PM, Vic Smith wrote:


I understood all that, so I asked him if we should do it with time.
Why should a day have 24 hours? Or a minute 60 seconds?
He was caught off guard, and had no good answer.

Using "military" time of 24 hours would avoid a lot of confusion.


Yeah, I know what you mean. It's always been so confusing when somebody
suggests we meet for lunch at 11:45 to beat the crowds. I never know
whether to show up for it at 11:45AM or 11:45PMg


Add 12 for military time

11:45 AM is just 1145 hours

11:45 PM + 12 is 2345 hours

or subtract 12

1300 hours - 12 is 1:00 PM

On 10/06/2013 01:33 AM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
The one ******* metric child is 10 MM. It's neither
a 3/8 or a 7/16. Just isn't anyone's baby.

Good grief! I always use my 10mm when I can't find my 25/64". ;-)

On 10/06/2013 09:48 AM, Frank wrote:
Would mean in the metric system, a car should have 10 wheels

A binary motorcycle has 10 wheels.

On Sun, 06 Oct 2013 01:25:16 -0400, Stormin Mormon
wrote:

On 10/5/2013 12:45 PM, wrote:
On Sat, 5 Oct 2013 12:53:01 +0000 (UTC), Tegger
wrote:
You're flummoxed by a measurement system that has been used to build just
about everything under the English-speaking sun for over 1,000 years? Maybe
it's you and not the measurement system.

Public schools don't teach arithmetic anymore. 2+2 is whatever makes
you feel good.

As long as it's Bush's fault when you don't get the right answer?

NO, there is no "right answer" and it's Bush's fault anyway.

On Sat, 05 Oct 2013 20:46:25 -0700, Erik wrote:

Using "military" time of 24 hours would avoid a lot of confusion.

I also think use of the 24hr clock would be a good thing... I'm
personally not used to it and have to think a little when presented with
such times, but have a feeling if immersed in it, would be an old pro in
a few days

....
"12-hour / 24-hour Conversion:

Both notations look similar from 1:00 a.m. to 12:59 p.m. (01:00 to
12:59), except that the 24-hour notation has no a.m./p.m. suffix. To
convert a 12-hour time to the 24-hour notation, from 1:00 p.m. to
11:59 p.m. (13:00 to 23:59), one has to add 12 hours, and from 12
midnight to 12:59 a.m. (00:00 to 00:59) one has to subtract 12 hours."

On Sat, 05 Oct 2013 20:10:21 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

On Fri, 4 Oct 2013 18:57:28 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

I needed to rip some Trex decking into narrow strips to replace the wooden slats in a "park" bench we have on our front porch. I was tired of having to replace the painted wood slats every few years as it is exposed to the weather.

After trying for the better part of an hour to figure out how many equal-sized slats I could get from a particular width of plank, including the scrap caused by the width of the cutting blade, I was calculating things in 16ths and 32nds of an inch and not coming out even. I got out my metric ruler and solved the problem in a matter of a few minutes. I don't know why I didn't think of that after the first few minutes of English measurements. Hopefully I will have learned my lesson.

Works like this. Say your plank is 6". Your plank is 96/16.
Your saw kerf is 3/16".

Right. Then forget the 16ths part. Just do the remember and do the
arithmetic on the 96 and 3 parts.

Let's say you think getting 3 slats from that is about right.
That's simple eyeball work, and your feel for what looks good.
You'll lose 6/16 from the 2 kerfs.
Leaves 90/16. Divide by 3. 30/16 is 1 7/8" per slat.
Mark the plank, and cut there, with the kerf outside of your mark.
Repeat. No scrap.
You can get real close to same sized slats.
If you need more precision, use 192/32 as you plank starting number.
But getting anything to 1/32 precision is about the best you can do
with a typical saw and that kind of material.
It's not micrometer metal working.
Doesn't matter at all if it's metrics or inch.
You just have to be able to multiply and divide.
They taught that in grade school when I was a kid.

I figured it out myself some time ago. It's not rocket surgery.

Oren wrote:
On Sat, 05 Oct 2013 20:46:25 -0700, Erik wrote:

Using "military" time of 24 hours would avoid a lot of confusion.

I also think use of the 24hr clock would be a good thing... I'm
personally not used to it and have to think a little when presented with
such times, but have a feeling if immersed in it, would be an old pro in
a few days

...
"12-hour / 24-hour Conversion:

Both notations look similar from 1:00 a.m. to 12:59 p.m. (01:00 to
12:59), except that the 24-hour notation has no a.m./p.m. suffix. To
convert a 12-hour time to the 24-hour notation, from 1:00 p.m. to
11:59 p.m. (13:00 to 23:59), one has to add 12 hours, and from 12
midnight to 12:59 a.m. (00:00 to 00:59) one has to subtract 12 hours."

Zero Dark Thirty is easy to understand if you are used to using military
time.

Vic Smith wrote in
:

Doesn't matter at all if it's metrics or inch.



^^^
THAT was my point.



--
Tegger

Jack Goff wrote in news:-
:

On 10/06/2013 09:48 AM, Frank wrote:
Would mean in the metric system, a car should have 10 wheels

A binary motorcycle has 10 wheels.



And the Can-Am Spyder has 11.


--
Tegger

On 10/6/2013 10:20 AM, Jack Goff wrote:
On 10/06/2013 09:48 AM, Frank wrote:
Would mean in the metric system, a car should have 10 wheels

A binary motorcycle has 10 wheels.

There are 10 kinds of people in the world, those who speak binary and
those who don't. The real weirdos speak BCD. O_o

Oh yea, check out this mono-cycle. ^_^

http://rynomotors.com/

TDD

On Sun, 06 Oct 2013 14:48:50 -0500, The Daring Dufas
wrote:

On 10/6/2013 10:20 AM, Jack Goff wrote:
On 10/06/2013 09:48 AM, Frank wrote:
Would mean in the metric system, a car should have 10 wheels

A binary motorcycle has 10 wheels.

There are 10 kinds of people in the world, those who speak binary and
those who don't. The real weirdos speak BCD. O_o

Oh yea, check out this mono-cycle. ^_^

Wouldn't that be 1 kinds of people?

Works like this. Say your plank is 6". Your plank is 96/16.
Your saw kerf is 3/16".
Let's say you think getting 3 slats from that is about right.
That's simple eyeball work, and your feel for what looks good.
You'll lose 6/16 from the 2 kerfs.
Leaves 90/16. Divide by 3. 30/16 is 1 7/8" per slat.
Mark the plank, and cut there, with the kerf outside of your mark.
Repeat. No scrap.
You can get real close to same sized slats.
If you need more precision, use 192/32 as you plank starting number.
But getting anything to 1/32 precision is about the best you can do
with a typical saw and that kind of material.
It's not micrometer metal working.
Doesn't matter at all if it's metrics or inch.
You just have to be able to multiply and divide.
They taught that in grade school when I was a kid.


I agree that anything smaller than 1/32 is WAY down in the noise, but the engineer in me wanted the numbers to crunch perfectly. Anyway, the slats are cut, they look to the naked eye to be the same size, now I have to dismantle the old park bench with rusted-on nuts on the screws and clean things up and reassemble it all.

On Sun, 6 Oct 2013 15:49:44 +0000 (UTC), DerbyDad03
wrote:

"12-hour / 24-hour Conversion:

Both notations look similar from 1:00 a.m. to 12:59 p.m. (01:00 to
12:59), except that the 24-hour notation has no a.m./p.m. suffix. To
convert a 12-hour time to the 24-hour notation, from 1:00 p.m. to
11:59 p.m. (13:00 to 23:59), one has to add 12 hours, and from 12
midnight to 12:59 a.m. (00:00 to 00:59) one has to subtract 12 hours."

Zero Dark Thirty is easy to understand if you are used to using military
time.

Same as knowing Beer:Thirty. 1730 hours somewhere.

Now I need to bend two of the Trex pieces to make the curved armrests. I am hoping that immersing the precut (to length plus a little extra) armrests will soften up in boiling water so I can shape them.

On Sun, 06 Oct 2013 11:20:34 -0400, Jack Goff
wrote:

On 10/06/2013 09:48 AM, Frank wrote:
Would mean in the metric system, a car should have 10 wheels

A binary motorcycle has 10 wheels.

But a binary unicycle still has only 1 wheel.

" wrote:
Works like this. Say your plank is 6". Your plank is 96/16.
Your saw kerf is 3/16".
Let's say you think getting 3 slats from that is about right.
That's simple eyeball work, and your feel for what looks good.
You'll lose 6/16 from the 2 kerfs.
Leaves 90/16. Divide by 3. 30/16 is 1 7/8" per slat.
Mark the plank, and cut there, with the kerf outside of your mark.
Repeat. No scrap.
You can get real close to same sized slats.
If you need more precision, use 192/32 as you plank starting number.
But getting anything to 1/32 precision is about the best you can do
with a typical saw and that kind of material.
It's not micrometer metal working.
Doesn't matter at all if it's metrics or inch.
You just have to be able to multiply and divide.
They taught that in grade school when I was a kid.


I agree that anything smaller than 1/32 is WAY down in the noise, but the
engineer in me wanted the numbers to crunch perfectly. Anyway, the slats
are cut, they look to the naked eye to be the same size, now I have to
dismantle the old park bench with rusted-on nuts on the screws and clean
things up and reassemble it all.

When I rebuilt a bench for my wife, I took one of the original slats, used
it to set the fence on my table saw and ripped all the new ones in a matter
of minutes.

I then used one of the originals to determine which router bit would make a
matching round over and ran them all through the router table.

Then I drilled the holes for mounting them to the frame, again using an
original slat as a template. I made a dipping tube from PVC pipe and used a
piece of wire in the holes to dip them in stain and then hung them up to
dry.

The old bolts were so rusted that I just snapped them off and replaced
them. A pretty simple weekend project.