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I use decimal inches. The decimal system isn't tied to the metric system, and using fractions isn't implicit with using imperial units. The only thing special about the metric system is that the units are interrelated more cleanly in powers of 10 and that some of them come from physical constants. I use both daily, so I don't really notice conversion anymore, but I keep my records in decimal inches because 0.001" and 0.0001" are much handier unit sizes for what I do than 0.01mm and 0.001mm



If you'd read the line above the one you quoted you wouldn't have had to respond (italics for emphasis):

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Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

Mike I do understand the point, and don't disagree much. My original post was just to to make the point that the Europeans gave us the imperial system, taught us to use it. Then they decide to abbandon it and feel like we should too. I mean this in a humorous way not being a smarty.

10 is a number easy to divide by any even numbers so it is intuitive to break down into smaller units.

By the way I do have scales with 128ths on them and on depth gauge with 256ths

I work in both as well .. but in inches, I much prefer thousandths .... then its just a number like it would be in mm and NO fractions ...

The only place I prefer fractions is nut width ....

so .. you getting a new nut ??? .... all the blanks I get are 3/8 tall, they ALWAYS need to be trimmed down.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Got a ruler for those ?

We all do what is works for ourselves !
This a learning place !
It's good to share & learn here!
In our sharing we learn how other makers do things!
This helps us with our guitars & learning !
Mike

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Mike Collins

I guess I don't follow as I did read it. Sarcastic dose not to me infer you meant incorrect remarks. Not a biggiy as just was pointing out that most commercialy available nuts are 3/8 to 7/16 tall. Sorry I ment nothing bad towards you. I just miss understood what you ment by sarcastic.

Thanks guys. I'm just going to order a taller nut. I don't know why I didn't think of this to begin with. This has been very interesting and informative. I also have a hard time with decimals as I always have to go look at a conversion chart to see what the fraction is. I do like millimeters the best because it is easy to divide, but sometimes one millimeter just isn't small enough. It's just what you get used to using and it's a shame there isn't a one world measuring system. But, it's not how we measure but what we learn when we measure.

Peace

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"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

Then you just add a , (not .) behind it, and another number (or as many as you like) after that, and you can get as accurate as you want.


Yeah, that’s nice, blame the Europeans!

For your information, most of the world, except the US, a couple of small countries and some old timers in a few English speaking countries, are all metric by now.

According to the US CIA World Factbook as recently as 2006, the International System of Units is the primary or sole system of measurement for all nations except for Myanmar, Liberia and the United States. (quote Wikipedia)

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

Nice company! Have fun, you guys.




To be serious, I think this is all a bit silly. We can debate all day which system is “better”, but it always comes down to what you are most familiar with, they both work equally well once you know them. And of course you can keep your system even though the rest of the world uses a different one. The question is why is that such a good idea?

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Ok, which is better, metric or imperial degrees?

Sorry Chuck, hope you get your nut fixed.

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Horton, MI

Yep - it would be nice to all use one system......
Here is an instance where the Mars Climate Orbiter was lost because of the lack of communication in using the two different systems:
http://nen.nasa.gov/portal/site/llis/index.jsp?epi-content=LLKN_DOCUMENT_VIEWER&llknDocUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fnen.nasa.gov%2Fllis_content%2F0740.html&llknDocTitle=Lessons%20Learned%20Entry:%200740

With guitars the units you choose don't matter, if you are consistent.

Chuck - Thanks for posting this question on FB thickness. All the responses were informative.

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Steve Walden
Aspiring Builder,
Bartlesville, OK

I was just being funny. making fun of the fact that the very contries that gave us the imperial system now are metric and more less demand we change too. I made that a clear funny ha! ha! in the original post. not a serious jab but a funny one. so you see being silly (as in comical) was the point of my post not the affect.

By the way I do know the whole story. I have been in the mechanical engineer and manufacturing industry for nearly 40 years. The reason and only real reason The US has chose not to convert whole heartedly is the cost associated with retooling the entirety of our industry just to convert to a world wide unit of measure. We are on and have been on a slow conversion for decades. But for the most part our type of government lets the people and private business owner decide what is best for them and so far it has not made economical sense to all but a few high end industries to invest in retooling in order to support a single world wide unit of measure.

we have conversion tables and afe not affraid to use them By the way in case of confusion that was intended as a satirically funny statement not sarcastic.

Be forewarned…Getting past the smell is a challenge...you'll need a good dust collector and wear a respirator.

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Rich S

"The inconvenience of poor quality will linger long after the thrill of a bargain has been forgotten"

My boards are 1/4" in the middle.And thinner on the outsides depending on the radius i put on it.

You got that right Howard, and imagine if both Rick and Mario chimed in! Really tho, if you need a taller nut, PM me the height you need, and I'll mail you one for free if I have it!

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

Thanks Larry,
I love how people on the forum are so generous. I hope you'll be blessed in your guitar making.

I have to make an order from Stew-Mac anyway, so I'll get one from them.

Thank you,
Chuck

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"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins