Some mistake, surely?

[flying haggis]

We have miles, and miles per hour. My car tells me my average miles per gallon. But we don’t buy gallons of petrol any more. Hmmm.

Just be thankful we don't use the completely confusing L/100km

 

[whereistheceilidh]

Been reading too much Private Eye?

....too much Private Eye.....shurely not.......

 

[JAW911]

20p a foot? how many decades ago was this?

I think you missed the point

 

[Diver Fred]

I find it a lot easier to design furniture in feet and inches. After all "Man is the measure of all things", so designing in in terms of "feet", makes perfect sense, as should "spans" and "hands". It more directly links the objects to us.
I also find it a lot easier to work out, and play around with proportions, based on the old imperial system.

I have said for a long time that furniture made in imperial sizes is more comfortable.

I have absolutely no problem in working in imperial or metric, but I find it easier to make a mistake in metric. Yes metric is simpler but most of the great technical advances were made under imperial or the US version of it! The point about all of the peculiar(?) imperial measurements is that they mostly are for certain trades. Surveyors would use chains, a farmer bushels etc. You would know and understand those you worked with and probably ignored others.

As I get older I find I'm forced to use metric more and more often. Nowadays when measuring up I do imperial first then check in Metric (measure twice, cut once, etc.)
Imperial measurements are easier when it comes to construction where ratios are an important function.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I think you missed the point

I didn't.

 

[spanner48]

No: 5/0d per ft; 15/0d per yard

 

[Phil Pascoe]

4/- a foot.

 

[jetsetwilly]

Think I've a whole socket set in Whitworth somewhere in the attic....

Mine are in the workshop on the shelf marked 'wadkin'

 

[jetsetwilly]

Never come across that method. Why would you add 40 and subtract 40 when you could simply add or subtract 32(depending on which way you are going)?

Yep it's 32. The units are different sizes (9F=5C) and the zeros are in different places (32F apart).