The best measuring tape tutorial I've ever seen
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- čas přidán 2. 10. 2023
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Funny video mocks metric system: • BREAKING: The USA is s...
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▼ *IMPORTANT DETAILS ABOUT VIDEO:* ▼
★THIS VIDEO WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY★
ISOtunes is a small, family company in Indiana that makes Bluetooth hearing protection for the shop, yard and everywhere else. (Support small business and save 10% when you use this link, or the discount code: STUMPY) bit.ly/3BHYdH7
*My Table Saw and Bandsaw are AWSOME! Check them out at Harvey Woodworking Machinery:* www.harveywoodworking.com/
*My hand tool collection includes premium tools from Bridge City Tool Works:* bridgecitytools.com/
*Please help support us by using the link above for a quick look around!*
(If you use one of these affiliate links, we may receive a small commission)
*Some other useful links:*
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★SOME OF MY FAVORITE CHEAP TOOLS★
-123 Blocks: lddy.no/vpij
-Mechanical Pencils: amzn.to/2PA7bwK
-Lumber pencil: amzn.to/2QtwZjv
-Pocket Measuring Tape: amzn.to/2kNTlI9
-Irwin Drill Bit Gauge: amzn.to/2AwTkQg
-Nut/Bolt/Screw Gauge: amzn.to/2CuvxSK
-Self-Centering Punch: amzn.to/2QvbcrC
-Self-Centering Bits: amzn.to/2xs71UW
-Angle Cube: lddy.no/10nam
-Steel Ruler: lddy.no/10mv7
-Utility knife: amzn.to/3nfhIiv
-Center-Finding Ruler: lddy.no/10nak
-Bit & Blade Cleaner: amzn.to/2TfvEOI
-Digital depth gauge: amzn.to/3mwRf2x
-Wood Glue: amzn.to/3mqek6M
-Spade Bits: amzn.to/3j8XPtD
★SOME OF MY FAVORITE HAND TOOLS★
-Digital Caliper: amzn.to/384H1Or
-Marking Gauge: lddy.no/10muz
-Marking knife: lddy.no/10mv0
-Narex Chisels: lddy.no/sqm3
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-Mini Pull Saw: amzn.to/2UEHBz6
-Gent Saw: lddy.no/ss2x
-Coping saw: amzn.to/2W7ZiUS
-Shinwa Rulers: lddy.no/zl13
★SOME OF MY FAVORITE POWER TOOLS★
-Miter Saw: amzn.to/3gqIlQ8
-Jointer: amzn.to/3yc3gfZ
-Planer: amzn.to/3mn6BGF
-Router: amzn.to/3grD22S
-Sander: amzn.to/3DdvD0Y
-Cordless drill: amzn.to/3D9ZiIm
-Brad nailer: amzn.to/3gsRkjH
-Mini Compressor: amzn.to/3mvrmQr
-Bladerunner: amzn.to/2Wl0TtJ
-Jig Saw: amzn.to/3zetTBY
-Scroll Saw: amzn.to/3gq9qDc
-Multi-Tool: amzn.to/3muZuMi
★SOME OF MY FAVORITE OTHER TOOLS★
-Drill Bits: amzn.to/3B8Ckzh
-Forstner Bits: amzn.to/3kk3wEI
-Shop Vacuum: amzn.to/2Wkqnbl
-Machine Setup Blocks: amzn.to/3gq7kDh
-Counter-Sink Bit: amzn.to/37ZukUo
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(If you use one of the affiliate links above, we may receive a small commission)
You said in the video you'd post a link to your Imperial vs. metric vid. I don't see it anywhere. Have I overlooked it? Or did I mishear you?
They must just standardize kumquats as universal standard. Problem solved
It's in the video description.
@@randomuser778 I really enjoyed that episode
1:30 Why do you say we Français are angry of your Système Métrique video "BREAKING: The USA is switching to METRIC!", you just said we shorten our 1 Toise tall king about 2m to be 180cm or 6ft like you say, and that we didn't like mathematics witch is almost true as we invented the first calculator and smartcards and it's micro processor for a reason, I liked it a lot.
I know how to read a tape and still watched this video to the end. I really appreciate you helping all of us do better work, and work better. Thank you!
Me too.. LOL!
I also "I know how to read a tape and still watched this video to the end." I fully appreciate this is a big issue for so many.... 👍
I think it’s hilarious that as a professional of 30 years. I am watching and appreciating this whole video!
I find that deeply concerning
I hope you didn’t work in the US for 30 years haha
Nothing wrong with that mate
I was a carpenter/apprentice for 14 and crude oil for another 10. As a carpenter I would sometimes try to get to 32nd accuracy and at times 1/8 buying oil ( most often 1/4” in oil). Different oil tanks are larger in diameter so more bbls per foot. 20’x12’ diameter is 20 bbls. 20’x13.5’ is 25. The big boys we bought in the field were 3000 bbls at 127 bbls per foot. I enjoyed watching this too
@@SchizSchoolExactly, that’s why I always do my own building work at home. Makes you wonder about other so-called professionals. like doctors etc.
With the finish trade people that I work with as a general contractor, anyone calling out a “strong” measurement - or a “light” - wasn’t referring to 16ths, they typically are talking about 32nds or 64ths as it can make a difference in things like trim and tile setting. For trades like drywall where 1/8” is close enough, they’d use shorthand like 52 and 5 for 52-5/8” or 35 and 2 for 35-1/4”.
Yep + or - and H or L all mean 1/32 to me.
For me 13/16H is 3 big lines + 1/16 then put my mark on either side of the mid point.
If I want to keep the line, I place it on the short side of the 32'nd. If I want to cut the line off, I place the mark on the far side of the 32'nd. I technically do this for all my measuring, accounting for the line itself.
Wen I call out something like 32 and eleven and the new guy asks "11 what?"
Came here to say this.
The guys i work with and i use strong/heavy as 32nds.
So 12 and 1/2 strong means 12 and 17/32.
if I say 5 and thirteen sixteenths strong, I don't mean 5 and seven eighths
Like many other elementary and middle school teachers who saw this, I can only smile and wish that I had a nickel for every time a student asked "When am I ever going to use this?" I've seen way too many woodworking videos that apologize for involving math. That's like a writer apologizing for all those pesky words. Don't blame the tool because you didn't find value or pay attention while you were supposed to be learning fractions.
Funny enough when I took shop class when it was classroom day and not shop day I and two others would sleep the entire class. We also had the highest grades because they paid attention in elementary school. For me my dad had me in the shop when I was old enough to help. The rest could be awake and pay attention and just couldn't get it
The only correct answer to "When am I ever going to use this?" is "You won't, but some of the smart kids might".
@@woodworkingandepoxy643True, there are few substitutes for working alongside a dad who really involves you in what’s happening! I made sure to do this with all my kids - I was so proud of my 3-year-old son being able to drill perfectly straight holes! - and absolutely insisted that they learn fractions through and through.
Turns out they learned math so well that they’ll only be doing woodworking and house-repair projects because they want to, not because they have to.
Reading a tape is part of my daily life. Unless I'm grouting and caulking.
The most dangerous thing in my experience with a tape measure, is marking exactly 1" off your measurement. It's definetly a thing in the industry. I've heard of it reffered to as the usual 1" or the infamous 1" or even the God damned 1"!
It's kind of a roulette. You might be 1" long and be able to recut, or 1" short, and have made scrap...
Still the best woodworking a shop-related channel on the internet. No flash, no camera tricks, no fancy production needed. Just quality content and world class presentation.
I use the "strong" term in a similar but distinctively different way.
I work both as an on-site millwork installer, as well as in a cabinet shop.
On site, we use 16th tapes. In the shop, we use 32nds. When we say ⅝ "strong" on site, it's because we don't have the 32nd marks on our tapes. We do NOT mean 11/16 by "⅝ strong", but instead this would actually refer to 21/32.
Not ignoring lines over here 😅
Yeah, that's how I use the terminology too.
Came to post the same thing. Strong and easy were for getting 32nds from 16th tapes on the job sites I worked on.
We used "strong" or "shy" to indicate 32nds in the wood shops I've worked in. You only have to do this from the 8th markings, if it's a 16th, just read the 16th.
This is the kind of conversation that pisses off the metric weenies. Everything's a decimal point. In America, we can figure out the structure of a fraction on the fly.
Same!
Your crack at the French was uncalled for. Thank you for that
Personally, I ignore criticism from countries that lack the technology to put men on the moon.
@@pm92564 just want to point out that that would currently actually include every country on the planet.
Whhaaa I've heard the French make more smart azz comments about Americans then anything.
@@topiuusi-seppa5277 He is aware.....
I love French : 1 lite = 1kg=1dm3.
I'm european and will probably never need to use imperial BUT I do have inches on my measuring tape and I'm glad I now know how to read these. So thank you.
It's still a useful skill, you might get plans for something in imperial units. I used them all the time when I was building model airplanes from plans.
Imperial units aren’t so bad until you start adding, subtracting and worse multiplying or dividing them.
Metric is obviously superior and the US should switch.
I think there's something cool about using the measurements of the human body to make things.
@@wayward-saint We have switched where it is important.
@@jdilksjr Whaaa? But don't you know that American's using gallons to measure the amount of milk they purchase will surely be the downfall of the world? And buying fill by the cubic yard? More like the downfall of civilization, I say!
As a metric user i found this video very helpful. Always eager to learn, no shame in that. Clever way to read quick.
How many degrees are in a metric circle?
360 @@h2s142
@@h2s142 360? That should be the same in the Imperial system as well?
@@reneberthold334 Correct. One of the few things that didn't change fortunately. Or those in the military are going to be in a pickle...lol. Or those who love hiking from one place to another.
My only critique is that strong/heavy or light. Even + or - symbols reffer to 1/32nd of an inch. Not a full 1/16th. 5/8 strong/H/+ is 5/8 + half 1/16th. Or 21/32.
Many of us here in the states are working finer than a 1/16. I work with many mediums in home construction.
I even account for my line with all my marking, offsetting it from the measurement, so the cut is on the measurement.
Was at school in the 60’s when the change from “Imperial” to “Metric” arrived …..not only in measuring but also in money.
Had a great maths teacher who taught us everything we needed to know, so was always able to work between both.
One thing he always said: “If it’s built or made in inches, measure it in inches & visa versa”. Stood me in great stead over the years.
We have a 1930s beach hut in Somerset and when I was measuring one day I was surprised to find that the timbers were erected on 600mm centres, not 24 inches as I expected. When I mentioned it to the site handyman, he told me it because a whole batch of the beachbhuts were prefabricated in Sweden and then shipped over here. Some or the new post war ones on the site were prefabricated in Scotland and were built on 24 inch centres meaning that they are slighly larger.
in 1999, NASA messed up the Mars Climate Orbiter mission because one group of engineers failed to convert their measurements.
metric money?
@@nickel0eye yes, in 1971 the UK switched from the old £s, shillings and pence (12 pennies = a shilling, 20 shillings =£1). to our current decimal system of 100 pennies to £1.
@@tonysutton6559 I had no clue!
I've been using a tape measure for decades, but i always enjoy hearing the basics again. Thanks James.
Croissant's in a wad...lol that made my day.
Hi! I'm from the Dominican Republic. I have used inches as well as meters since I was a kid, and I do not understand the problem of using one or the other. I think this variety is beneficial because we have options.
Tienes razón, es como hablar más de un idioma.
I sometimes use the terms "heavy" and "light" when calling out measurements to my cut man. That tells them to either leave the line or cut it, depending on how tight of a fit I am looking for. For example, If I measure a piece, and it's something like 34-5/8" but there's a little bit of play I would tell them "heavy" after the measurement, they would leave the line and hand me a piece roughly a 1/16" longer. "Light" would be the opposite, where they cut the line and give me about a 1/16" less. Other times, when trimming a piece, I might say "gimme a blade", since a circular saw blade is an 1/8" thick, they would slice off 1/8" off the piece.
or fat
Well, you can measure the sixteenths, they're marked on the tape. Light, heavy, leave or cut the line, are getting at 1/32" or 1/64", that is the space between the 1/16 hash marks. You're more accurate than you claim to be!
You could start measuring in 32nds, but if it works it works
That was what we used. "Leave the line" or "split the line" "erase the line"...
Thank you for making this video. That said... metric is still and will forever be easier.
As a drummer who can somewhat read sweet music, I understand fractions ( whole note, 1/2 note, 1/4 notes etc)
I cannot stress enough your recommendation for hearing protection. Earlier this year I endured prolong noise working in my shop without using my hearing protection because I was too stubborn to stop what I was doing. I ended up suffering severe tinnitus along with major vertigo. Thankfully after about a week it subsided. I'll never make that mistake again.
To this day I don't understand people who go to concerts without earplugs. The sheer noise just HURTS.
James, this video was of particular interest to me because I can NEVER measure something the is the exact size I need - yes, all those little lines used to confuse me. I got it now. Thanks!
When I was still married, I told my wife, a teacher, that using a tape measure is the reason I understand fractions. While I was never able to learn/memorize the formulas, I could fairly easily visualize the increments in my mind and perform whatever function was required and after a while, memorization kicks in and you just know the answer. She ended up incorporating ruler markings in to her lessons.
Rhythmic notation in music is another good example for fractions.
I felt this way about math in general. If it was abstract, I just didn't get it. Relate it to something I could relate to...I instantly got it. Same for algebra and everything else.
This is how I learned Geometry. It didn't stick until I had to start dealing with angles on the job site.
I remember asking my teacher something like, "Can you give an example of where this can be used in our lives instead of triangles on a chalkboard?" ... he told me to shut up. Tax dollars hard at work right there.
@@thezfunkThere's a book about, 'The Math Instinct'
@@MrNsidemy grandson is learning early geometry. He was having some trouble. So Grandma pulled up some video of a defensive back taking “the angle” to catch a wide receiver.
It was fun seeing how fast he caught on and now loves it!
I am a retired sheet metal worker. When I did fabrication in the shop I would cut structural steel, angle iron, band iron, channel, etc. on a large power hack saw or a 22" abrasive cut-off saw. If the project was large we would have an assigned helper who was given a list of cut sizes and types of structural steel, I required for the project. Since he was an apprentice, I would lend him a 72" folding steel rule, with the warning that if he cut up my rule, he might face death or worse! The helper came back to my work area with the cut sized materials on a large cart. I noticed that a lot of the cut list materials were not on the cart. I asked him why he did not cut all of the required materials on the list? His answer: "I couldn't cut the pieces you wanted that were more than 72" because your ruler wasn't long enough." So help me, Iam not making this up! It truly happened! I suggested that maybe he should look into some other occupation!
At least he didn't cut your rule
Yeah! There are only so many specific Facts that you can teach someone... At some point,The worker needs to have the kind of brain That can logically figure things out. Some people's brains just don't work that way.
@@drgruber57I went to school with a person who could flawlessly reproduce a set of steps I provided.
Change on variable and they were lost.
I explain this as someone who _"can't problem solve their way out of a wet paper bag"_
I ran into this in my wood shop as well as in shop class back years and years ago as a kid in the 80's. If a person can't figure out to mark a line them place the rule on that line and measure from there, get away from them as fast as you can. Good way to loose a job or fail a class in school actually.
@@drgruber57 and some people can figure it out, it just takes them a little longer and more instruction. A little compassion goes a long ways.
Metric is fine, but base 12 is just so intuitive for so many things. I'm glad I'm comfortable with both
Well, if there is an audience for a video describing how to read a simple ruler, it doesn't seem so intuitive. I don't think such a video exists for metric. Because nobody would even think about watching it.
Another video filled with useful information, which is increasingly rare on CZcams. Thanks, Jim.
Early in my construction life, I was a residential drywall hanger. The tape was used in 8ths, as in: 4 and 2 meaning 4 and a quarter of an inch, or 4 and 7 being 4 -7/ 8". Also, we used a shorthand system we called "off's". The sheets of drywall used in a pro setting are generally 12' lengths, or 144". Lets say you're cutting pieces for the ceiling in a bedroom and they all are roughly the same measurement, lets call it 10' 2" or 122 inches. You would simply say to your partner at the stack of drywall to take "22 is the off". The sheet being 144 minus 22= 144". Or, if it was 10' 4" or 124" you'd say" take 20 off" and so on. If there were fractional inches involved, say 124 and 3/8" it would be "take 19-5 off" meaning 19 and 5/8" to get you a 124 and 3/8" piece. Once you get used to it it is quite handy.
Fix your math. 144-22=122, not 144”. Are you trying to screw up the guys that are already struggling with how to read their tapes?
Obviously a mistake, so very glad for comment though. Keep up the good work.@@bigk4755
Just testing you were reading it😂
@@bigk4755 It was obviously a typo. He was trying to explain a shortcut to someone that might be interested in it.
Working as a construction engineer and doing survey at times, the first thing I look for is if the tape has 11 inches or 9 “inches” before the first foot mark. Much of surveying is measured in tenths and hundredths of a foot so I have both kinds of tapes in my garage now that I’m retired. I also have two daughters who can use either one easily. Pisses their significant other off when they pull out dads tenths tape and hands it to them to use. I have a bunch of folding rules that have both intervals on opposite sides as well. Plus a metric and inch one. After a while you just learn to deal with whatever you grab out of the drawer.
Yes I'm the European who loves the metric system, but living in Mexico where you only can buy metric and imperial system measure tapes. I never ever understood the imperial thing till i found this video. Great explanation and now after twenty years i finally understand how the Imperial system
works. Thanks for sharing.
Living in New Zealand where we use the metric system, this is quite useful for me as well, as lots of materials are imported, and those aren't always in metric measurements.
We're in somewhat of the same conundrum just the other way around. All of our plywood seems to come from countries that use the metric system. So, when I go to the store to buy a sheet of half-inch plywood the stock is listed as half-inch nominal. The actual measurement is something like 15/32nds, because if they used millimeters, it would totally befuddle people. I wish we'd switch purely to the metric system, but we're a hybridized system using. both metric and imperial.
@@pawpawstew Not sure where you are, but the metric system is not why 48in x 96in APA rated plywood is consistently 1/32" under nominal thickness. The only nominal size with an actual that (coincidentally) ends up close to a mm increment is 15/32in @ 11.91mm. The other sizes are not even that close. For example actual 23/32 in (18.26mm) is the thickness of nominal 3/4" (3/4 is 19.05mm). Yes, APA plywood is annoyingly under thickness. But producing sheets to metric increments is not the reason.
Good video, other than one item, “strong or long” or “short” doesn’t mean the next 16th, but that the measurement is in between marks on the tape. Yes, finish carpenter’s and cabinet installers are generally that accurate. Even some framers.
That depends on who is saying it. Framers have little use for what would essentially be 32nds.
I framed here in New England for 40+ yrs, we all use "short/long" or 32nds, especially when doing things like rafters and cutting sheathing. Or squaring things up.
@@ThomllamaI’ve only ever heard it refer to “before or after the smallest graduation” as well. I guess where he is framers used to rock 1/8 graduated tools only back when that was still a thing and it stuck.
So good to be in the USA where we do use the Imperial System. I grew up in Canada and when we changed to metric. I went to Riverside Secondary School and our Mascot was the Rebel Ghost. SOOO I was a Rebel and stuck to the Imperial measurement system. Loved it when I filled up my cars in Detroit. I bought Gallons and not liners.
Being a rebel is sometimes not the smartest decision.
My job was constant set of confusion, depending on which associate group I was talking to. SI to one group. The next group over used standard units, mostly, except Rankine for temperature and both lbs-mass and lbs-force. The fab guys liked mils. And K & M had a different meaning depending on whether I was talking to IT or finance. Half my job was being the translator between groups.
The other way I think about it is that the fraction should always be an odd number at the top of the fraction. So you can jump between the ticks in odd increments if its 16th.
🤯
Ah that makes sense, it's the same as the fractional imperial currency system that was used by Britain. If you were to add thirteen shillings to ten farthings, you would end up with 634 farthings, or 634/960ths of a pound. Simplifying that, you get 317 halfpennies, or 317/480ths of a pound. That is so much simpler of a monetary system than modern decimal dollars and cents, it's a real shame they phased it out.
@@coolbugfacts1234 😂
@@coolbugfacts1234how many demi-furlongs are there in a thruppence?
Love your videos, LOVE your humor!
When I was learning this stuff growing up, I learned heavy and light measurements.
So, three and a half heavy meant three and a half plus a 32nd. (about half way between 16ths.)
Or, 5 and a sixteenth heavy means the same as 5 and three 32nds.
In rough framing, this really didn't matter that much. But in trim work, it made all the difference in the world.
Also, I did not know about the 'strong' way. Thats awesome!
It's adorable how many people of the current generation don't know this basic skill, I hope this helps them!
The fact you have felt it necessary to do this video says a lot about the American education system. On behalf of them thanks for showing.
Yes, I remember learning this stuff in grade school.
I mean, they teach for getting kids into college and are light on fractions or are teaching them in a weird way which isn't intuitive vs teaching to survive which is why in many places shop, music, etc have been cut for "important" classes!
Of course, we now have a generation that's starting to realize college is a waste of money in many instances and are shifting back towards the trades where you can make oodles of money with far less effort than going to college and quickly realizing their education is sorely lacking on things that used to be commonly taught or passed on!
3, 6 and 12mm sizes for fixings are quite commonly used in my metric country, despite not being the easiest to divide into 10 or 100. Thats partly because they are loose (slightly under) approximations for 1/8 1/4 and 1/2 inch. Traditions stick long after the reasons for them have passed.
Also a lot of us still have inperial drill bits, wrenches, etc, to work with old fixings and new USA manufactured equipment. And a lot of our tapes and rules have both imperial and metric marks.
Great video, I often lead volunteer groups on construction style mission projects. When I first started doing this, I was surprised at the number of well-educated people who had no clue as to how to read a tape measure. By the way, I have both the in ear as well as the over the ear hearing protection from Iso-Tunes, both are great. I bought the over the ear verison when I started wearing hearing aids (guess, I should have been using hearing protection sooner ;-) ) that way I don't have to deal with my hearing aids when I put the hearing protection on and when I take it off.
You’re very nice, and I like how you spend your time doing it. I work in construction, but still watch your videos and always get something new. Keep doing. Congrats
I'm amazed that you have to teach this stuff.
DYI-er here. For those who don't pickup a tape every day, start your day off by making sure you know the scale of your ruler. When doing projects in my garage, I can switch between tape measure (different brands on which ever is closest), to speed squares and then to a carpenter's squares. One of my carpenter's square has 1/8th, 1/10th, 1/12th, 1/16th on it for reason I do not know why for use in my garage. (I am sure there is one trade that will use these different scales). You can get into real trouble when you flip that square and use the "wrong" scale. At times I also work with precision flat metal rulers. Some with a space at the end to protect the edge of the scale and others that start exactly at the end of the ruler and go to 1/32th. I also have a T-square where the smallest increment is 1/4". If you count 3 little lines over on that, you may not recover from that mistake. It is easy to use one tape measure everyday, hundreds of times a day, and get it right, but one project every few months using different scales and rulers, take your time.
If your T square is 4 ft long it is probably a drywall T square. The reason for it being in quarter inches is when you measure a piece of drywall for a cut, you have to cut it a quarter in short or it will not fit.
The 1/10" increments are used in surveying work, and the 1/12" increments are for scale drawings where 1 inch = 1 foot, so 1/12" equals one scale inch.
@@5thearthI was about to comment something very similar. 1/12, 1/24, and 1/48 scales are not uncommon in engineering and architectural drawings.
to @actionjksn: You are 100% correct and that is what I use it for mostly. Sometimes I use to rip plywood sheets down to manageable sizes for the table saw. Point is, be aware of the scales.
Thanks for the info on the other scales. I suspected that those scales would be helpful in reading prints or something.
I use the Fastcap metric/standard combo tape, they have the metric on one side, complete with diamonds on the 32mm increments, perfect for cabinetry.
And if you want to do some steampunk, it has the fractions printed on the side with the outdated system.
Another bonus of a combo tape is if you want to convert a simple measurement like 750mm, you just look at the tape and you can see it's about 29 and 17/32 inches
We had a guy use one on a site, he would often pull tape from opposite end and read tape upside down and make bad calls. He had it for about a week then just got one like everyone elses
It’s what I use. But, I’m doing furniture, cabinet carpentry where I like the precision metric gives me.
Combination tapes are handy - sometimes a dimension is easier to express and remember and work with in metric units than imperial units - and vice versa, of course. Also, fractional inch sizes are easier to divide by two, because you just double the bottom of the fraction e.g. half of five eighths is five sixteenths.
If by "outdated system" you are referring to the Imperial system it is current, modern. New measuring tools are still being made, it is still in daily use. That is not "outdated". It is just different. I sometimes hear people from the UK refer to weights , often of people, in "stones", another old system of measurement. Why not use KG or N (newtons)? The metric system dates back to the late 1700's so it is getting old. Does that make it outdated?
@@paulalmquist5683 An inch has been defined as 25.4mm for hundreds of years, not three barleycorns like it used to be, because the imperial system was invented by people who thought inbreeding was a good idea.
Hi. I live in Australia and we use the metric system but I found this tutorial really interesting. Thanks for this.
I grew up in the UK when standard (imperial) was still in use, sadly we went metric and I had to learn a new system. Great video James, takes me back.
I've also heard heavy and light depending on the side of the line the cut falls on.
Being a Canadian who first learned Imperial, then metric, I’m fluent in both.
For the most part I prefer metric for most applications (distance, volume, speed, etc). However, I really have a hard time reading a metric tape because the millimetres are too difficult to see. Even with my glasses on. If the lighting is poor or the conditions are less than ideal I’ll use my imperial tape wherever possible.
Also, all our tools and materials are imperial, so
@@christophehorguelin7044 You may think everything is in imperial, but I think most plywood is actually metric thickness. I could be wrong but it all comes down to marketing.
A 16th is 1.5mm, half a mm makes a difference between the tape being legible and not?
Rob Cosman did a nice video on why Imperial is better--in this one instance. But you Canadians are extra lucky. When it's -40, you don't have to specify C or F!
Nether do you. @@mikestewart505
Great video thank you, here in the UK I was brought up with the Imperial system, which changed when I was 11, so over we went to metric! I can still work in both, only because we are so mixed up over here, 4x2s sold in meter lengths 8'x4' boards in mm thickness??? MPG but gas sold in litres? Still buying our beer in pints, unless it comes in a can!Crazy! Thanks again keep 'em coming.
Not just different in the USA. In Canada you can buy tape measures that have both metric and imperial. And I think I commented on your imperial/metric video, having grown up in Canada during the transition. For me, I switch between both on the same project, on the same tape. For instance if I want to cut something in half, it’s easier to measure and divide in mm as it is to divide a fraction. However, I can’t visualize in metric. My mind can understand what 5’ is, but my mind doesn’t understand 1000mm.
So much about how Americans (and Canadians of a certain age, such as myself, who do all our wood working and construction with feet and inches) work, and the craftsperson's way of thinking, are embedded in these practices. Measure twice, cut once, but how to measure accurately, repeatably, and how to transfer marks and measurements accurately, well, that's a core piece of doing quality work.
My hot take; Everyone should learn both. Working only in metric is self limiting. And is a non-starter in the US and Canadian trades, including construction and woodworking.
If you do cabinetry, using anything but metric is insanity. We all know 3/4" cabinet plywood is not 3/4", that's because it's actually 18mm plywood. And most cabinet hardware is designed around the 32mm system.
@@coolbugfacts1234 That's 100% true. People who can't measure in millimeters are also limited. But people who can't think about fractions, and the ways that a lot of building is done to a tolerance that is good enough, not to a tolerance of 1-3mm, is also valuable.
Im in the UK and enjoy flicking between imperial & metric to keep my co-workers on their toes 😂
I'm Spaniard and I found your video VERY useful for me because most of the time I use metric. Thanks!!!
As a fairly well educated boomer in the UK, I have the luxury of being able to work in both both Imperial and metric, and to swap between them at will, because that's what we were taught. I know some young people who genuinely struggle with feet and inches, and who resist Imperial measure because it seems illogical to them. One great advantage with inches is measuring and marking lengths of a few feet or so. For example, let's say 61": on a metric tape measure, that's 1549mm, or 'one small division to the left of the number 5'; but because the numbers 1 to 9 repeat every 100mm, it's very easy to mark against the wrong division, 100mm out (or more), especially when marking multiple pieces. I've done this more than once! Measuring in inches, the mark will go against the number 61, and that's that.
Yes, the luxury of cross checking. I flip from metric to imperial as the situation suits. I think of fabric 60". A sheet of ply 8 x 4, but beware to measure your ply before cutting as metric boards can be a different size.
I spent some time in Europe and I much prefer the imperial system. Being able to quickly divide halves just makes sense when it comes to construction. Similarly, Celcius is annoying - setting your temperature in .5 increments? Weird.
When you mention «setting a temperature», do you realise you're talking about the workings of a particular device, and not about an actual scale?
Quick tutorial: the Celsius scale itself is decimal, divided in increments of one, having roughly its 0 at the point where water freezes and its 100 at the point where water boils at sea level. Whenever you spot .1 or .5 or .whatever would only represent the measuring precision of the thermostat in the system you're using. So with .5 your device would potentially provide 200 adjustment steps between 0 and 100 °C, but with .1 that would be up to 1000 steps.
If you not only can deal with ½, ¼, ⅛ and so on, but you actually prefer it, you should feel at home with .5, which is exactly ½, and any regular person would read, let's say 20.5 °C, as twenty and a half degrees = 20½ °C. You just quickly divided the degree in halves, and you kept aligned with the semantics of your favourite measuring system.
So, we mentioned .5 would be one half. But then .1 would be one tenth, .01 ten tenths (or one cent), .001 one hundred tenths (or one thousandth), and so on. You don't even have to think: read the number backwards, from right to left, and you'll read 1 , 10 and 100 in the previous examples, you know with 1 that you can count 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, that's ten units, hence each unit is one tenth of its big group, it's the same with the other divisions.
There aren't more straightforward fractions than tenths because most of us have ten fingers. Although I'm just thinking less safe carpenters or builders who lost a couple of fingers might actually prefer a system based on fraction denominators that can be divided by 2.
@@riangarianga the whole boiling argument from Celsius is overdone. When was the last time you set your stove top to 100c? Yeah, not possible. Fahrenheit is a human friendly scale and makes sense. It doesn't need to be scientific to work well. Use Celsius in the lab, sure, just like use metric for critical engineering.
I prefer imperial measurements, as well as imperial currency units. What's thirteen shillings plus ten farthings? Why it's simple, it's exactly 317 halfpennies, or 317/480ths of a pound sterling. It just makes so much more sense than dollars and cents.
I shouldn't be surprised that people need this video but you did a very good job of teaching it.
the fact that this video needs to exist is a glaring reflection on the US schools and parents.
In the UK, 4 ' 11/16" would likely be referred to as 4' 5/8" Full, rather than strong. I worked in a flat glass shop in the UK for ten years and even though the UK had been metric for over a decade when I started, 99% of all measurements that came into the shop were in imperial. The stock sheets of glass came in metric sizes so you very quickly learned to convert imperial to metric in your head, so you could easily figure out how many pieces you could get out of a stock sheet. My boss was staggeringly good at it. If you gave him an imperial measurement, say 37' 5/16", he would convert it in his head to metric within less time than I could read it off a tape measure (UK tape measures have imperial one side and metric on the other)
The word used might be a regional thing, even here in the US. I use heavy or light for the 16ths, what I picked up on job sites in VA. Still had to explain it to a lot of people, some older than me.
I feel bad for yelling at some friends that are a little younger than me for not knowing how to read tape this past weekend. To be fair they did miss cut a bunch of stuff and we had to do a supply run. I see why my pops was upside my head growing up now 😅
Everything comes full circle I suppose.
That's why I always tell them to hold the "dumb end" of the tape and I do the important measuring myself.
There are many people now that cannot read cursive, an analog clock or roman numerals.
@@motofunk1to say nothing of running a spinning wheel, thatching a roof, or chipping a hand axe……
@@mzaite using your own hands would be advanced class :)
@@motofunk1 (XI ) x (VIII) = LXXXVIII
Many years ago I bought a Starrett “Crazy 8ths” tape, and that was a massive upgrade for me. Thankfully you can get most tapes these days with additional markings.
You do the best refresher courses! And I love my ISO tunes.
I'll often hear/say "52 and 11" or "36 and 9" and drop the 16th. Everyone on the job should know if the numerator is an odd number more than 7, you're talking about 16ths.
If you're in your shop building fine furniture, 32nds might come into play. But that's a different conversion. Great information James.
I remember as a kid playing with a tape measure, but first guessing what the measurement would be, then taking note of how far off I was. I actually got a lot better at guessing over time. And everything in my house was well-measured 😉
Great tutorial James. Thanks.
I've been using metric tapes for five plus decades now but it's still a pleasure to see a tutorial on imperial
It gets very obvious with a bit of practice. If anyone really cares about their accuracy on a job site, they’ll take the time to make sure they know a tape measure like the back of their hand. At seventeen years old I was chewed out for not calling and cutting accurate measurements. When I got home I spent the evening studying my Stanley Power Lock like a book. That was all I needed to do to get it down. Of course, I did get made fun of for awhile. But that subsided after I proved myself.
James , excellent!
Although I am brought up on metric units I am fascinated wth Your video. LIKE!
I'm just happy that I don't know anybody who needs to watch this video! Everybody I know graduated from high school! Thanks!!
We've been getting Lufkin (Crescent) "quick read" tapes at our shop for the last few years. They have every inch, quarter and eighth printed on the entire length of the tape. It's eliminated a lot of mistakes made by the new kids coming in that simply can't read a tape.
The failure of students not understanding is on the teacher, not the student.
Teach them the right way instead of teaching the next generation how to be dumb.
Do better.
What ever works, works!
@@davearonow65 US customary units have been defined in terms of metric since the Mendenhall Order of 1893. Learning them instead of metric is like learning how to ride a penny farthing instead of how to drive a car.
Those things are a horrible mess.
@@coolbugfacts1234 You cannot work in the trades on houses in America if you only know metric. It isn't used at all by any professional and all of the building material is sold in feet and inches. I think engineers and architects who design large commercial buildings may use metric. Blueprints for homes are in feet and inches.
Job sites should have a Standard Tape measure on display that you can compare YOUR tape measure to (and everyone else on the job site) so that you know the two are equal. Tapes can get out of wack and that will lead to problems.
Tapes are out of whack, right from the factory. Use one tape for the entire project. Check even your shop rulers. These things are like squares. Many aren't. Trust but verify.
Calibrating tapes is pretty easy, I'm surprised more people don't know to do it. Get a board, and using a quality steel rule, make a knife mark at say, 500mm. Grab a pair of linemans' pliers, and slightly bend your tape measure's tang so that it reads correctly.
My combination square's ruler is also a hair off, but I assume they make it that way to compensates for marking.
One of my previous bosses used to go to Yellowstone every other year, and fish for his dinner. When you got a fishing license, they would give you a pamphlet which had the minimum legal fish size. One year, they reduced the size paper the pamphlet was printed on, and reduced everything else too, including the minimum fish size. When the game warden came around, he checked the fish with a metal rule, and my boss had some fish that were too small. When he pointed out that it was OK with the pamphlet, they didn't fine him, but I think he had to throw it back. I don't know what they did with the rest of the incorrect pamphlets they had printed.
Many are printed wrong, even the same model, same brand. There is no fixing them.
Glad you mentioned PPE or protective gear, so many youtubers seem to be cavalier about tool safety which teaches the wrong thing.
Thank you for the plug about hearing protection .
When you are working in the shop, you have a pretty small chance that you will get something in your eye, but few people will argue against using eye protection.
However, if you are in a loud environment, the chance of hearing damage is 100%, but very few people bother with hearing protection.
I guess the difference is because it hurts to get something in your eye, but hearing loss is something that accumulates over time. As I write this my tinnitus is blaring in my ears. I have been conscientious about hearing protection for over thirty years, but now I’m 67 and wish I started younger.
You upset the Frogs? Good boy. You are now an honorary Brit.
Laughs in metric.
I was working on a crew replacing roof boards in rural Maine, and an older carpenter was on the ground cutting boards to length for us. I called down "6 feet one and nine sixteenths," and he called back up "no, we don't use steenths!" Learned my lesson, I guess. And, I've read tapes for decades, but I never tried your "8 sixteenths plus three more" idea. A nice new thing to learn!
more tapes now have the fractions written right on them, which helps carpenters avoid errors, and newbies to read a tape
Great video sir ,thanks for sharing your knowledge .
HI Stumpy: Many thanks for another very informative video. I always get something of value when I watch your channel. I appreciate you and the work that you do, please keep up the good work.
You helped me break it down into halves, quarters eights, and sixteenths. That really does make it easier to read
It should. Maybe watch again.
@@StumpyNubs So whenever the marker lands on the last eighth, it is counted as the next number? Right? So basically you're just counting by eights instead of halves, quarters, eights, and sixteenths.
@@Gi1d3d No. There are eight 8ths in an inch. So if it lands on the last one, that the seventh... so 7/8.
I encourage you to watch the video again carefully. It is explained in detail.
@@StumpyNubs I see what you're saying 1/8, 2/8, 3/8, and 4/8 at the top. Then you landed on 7/8 at the bottom for the measurement. Which would be the last eighth.
I used to use Metric measurements at work, and Imperial at home. The Imperial made the most sense to me for wood working and building Musical instruments
I’ve always used “strong” or “weak” as a builder to refer to thirty-seconds measurement especially for trim or finish work. Never did I mean a 16th. Good video!
From 1997 to 2007 I taught Building Maintenance at a vocational technical school for high school juniors and seniors. We did everything in that class; carpentry, electrical, plumbing, etc. Of course, reading a tape measure was an integral skill. I taught it pretty much the same way as shown in this video. The issue I ran into were the number of students (a lot) who didn't have a very firm grasp of fractions. I found that I had to a basic unit on fractions before reading a tape measure became clear to them.
I've been pretty consistent in wearing hearing protection every time I've run any kind of power tool. Plus, even when young, I didn't listen to loud music. Now at age 67 I still have pretty decent hearing. All my siblings, both younger and older, have hearing aids!
For most of my early construction career, I didn't wear hearing protection. After years of listening to Skil saws, it's surprising that my hearing is still decent at 74; I only have a little loss in the highest frequencies
This is one of the best and easiest to understand videos on how to use an imperial tape measure. I just might put aside my metric tape measure (for only a moment though).
As a construction supervisor, I had a fair amount of turnover with employees. When most came to work, they could not read a tape comfortably. I had a class in my shop one rainy day. I drew scale two inches on my white board and I took the time to explain how to read a tape. Why there were different size lines as you showed here. They did the best they could learning but only one or two of them I could trust to read measurement that counted on the job. One of them brought one of the newer tapes with all the lines numbered. I looked at the tape and it had so many numbers on it my eyes crossed. I told them If that helped with their measuring, have at it. But learning to read a tape without all those numbers was so much quicker.
Thanks again James, great job explaining the tape measure. Fred.
Reading a tape is easy, if you do it all the time. I did it for years in the trades long ago. I still can read a tape, but I can't hear a spoken measurement, because I didn't wear hearing protection then, because it wasn't easy or cool. Now I wear really cool hearing aids that cost thousands of dollars and give me some of what I lost. Protect your ears! Good video James.
Thank you, Stumpy. Great video!
I use your technique. It works great. I have a Lufkin tape that goes down to 32nds. Crazy, but I love it and use it as my go to tape.
Thanks. I learned something. It never occurred to me to count back from the next full inch, now I will.
Great video. Thank you
Thanks again Stumpy!
This video will be great for teaching my kids. Thanks you!
More pearls of wisdom. And I’m 40 km from Paris at the moment 🌞
This is good for many people
I'm from the metric side of things and unlikely to change, but I still liked this enough to subscribe. Also thumbs up for the hearing protection thing. It's not only about losing ability to hear stuff... It's also about losing ability to have silence.
Excellent guide! If you really want help, they make tape measures with the fraction printed on rhem
In Australia we use the metric system, however it’s a great rundown on teaching fractions.
Another great video. Keep up the good work.
Your handling of the debate is masteful
I got the isotunes with your last special offer.
I REALLY like the muffs. The in ear ones I use while mowing though because of my sun hat.
They both are very, very spiffy.
Cheers!
p.s. I can read a tape measure but thanks for the refresher.
Thank YOU !
As an Australian growing up with metric, but being born a few years after the change so also exposed to a lot of imperial, I think this tip is brilliant. I always struggled working out the fractional inches by manually counting, and this simplifies it so much. It’s so simple and logical, but until it’s pointed out, likely doesn’t seem obvious. As an aside, my father was a concreter for decades, and used to stump me with phrases like “2m by 10m and 4 inches deep. That’s two cube.”
Took me a decade to realise 4” was the same as 10cm, so all he was doing was a short hand of 1/10th of 2x10, or 2x1 to give the concrete volume in cubic metres. Personally I can estimate inches and feet better than I can in cm and m.
4:35 This might be a local practice. To me "strong" and "weak" mean slightly more than or slightly less than the measurement that was called. Depending on what you're working on (and who you're working with) you develop a working understanding based on if it's framing, doors/windows, finish/trim, cabinets, etc.
Back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth and I was doing my engineering apprenticeship in Wales, college work was done in metric and workplace work was done in imperial. I now live and work in Canada where I amaze my work colleagues by being able to convert not just fractions to decimals in my head but also to convert metric to imperial and vice versa. My tape measure with both metric and imperial measurements on is quite a thing to behold, apparently. And this in a country where we have distances and speed limits in kilometres, the opposite to the UK, where everything but distances and speed limits are in metric. And, as a tinnitus sufferer, I thoroughly endorse your hearing protection recommendation.
Thank you.