On Wed, 9 May 2001 17:10:42 -0400, Roger Turk wrote:
> Sam Ewalt wrote:
> .. > Perhaps there is no "standard" maybe I should say what is the most
> .. > common size of a sheet of plywood? In the United States it's
> .. > 4 feet x 8 feet.
> 1200mm X 2400mm
> Now, let's talk about the size of a 2 X 4. It's neither 2-inches nor
> 4-inches. When it is sized, it may be 1-1/2 inches X 3-1/2 inches if the
> moisture content is classified as "dry", or 1-9/16 inches X 3-9/16 inches if
> the moisture content is classified as "wet".
In the good old days when homes used to be built right, all of the two
by fours that went into the construction were real two by fours. The
"new" shaved-down standard was developed by the building contractors and
the lumber companies and by others involved in the building industry for
the purpose of bilking people. I don't know if similar scams were
developed by european home builders.
> Pipe sizes are something else entirely. Neither the inside diameter nor the
> outside diameter of a pipe is its nominal size.
> I, for one, look forward to the SI. Numbers will be added decimally just
> like we add money. Gone will be doing arithmetic to base 12 (12 inches = 1
> foot), base 3, base 5280, etc.
> Those who would like to retain the American/South Africa measuring system;
> would you like our monetary system to be the same as the English money
> system used to be?
Now that we are off on the topic of different measurement standards for
different folks, I would like to ask how it is that the "Wentworth"
standards were developed by the Brits for wrenches and nuts and bolts.
I do know that if you need to repair or perform adjustments on a British
made car or motorcycle or outboard motor, and you don't have any
"Wentworth" wrenches, then you are stuck, because neither American
standard nor metric wrenches are compatible with or equivalent to any of
the "Wentworth" sizes. (BTW, "Wentworth" wrenches are very difficult to
acquire in the US. You have to make lots of inquiries and do lots of
shopping to find any. When you can find them you will also find them very
expensive. I wonder if any country other than the UK has developed some
"unusual" sizes for wrenches and nuts and bolts.
Sam Heywood
