5 ms·
Woodworking could be a mix of divisibility and industry specific product sizing. Dividing a 2" by 4" into pieces seems easier than dividing a 50.8 mm × 101.6 mm
by thih9 6y ago
Woodworking could be a mix of divisibility and industry specific product sizing. Dividing a 2" by 4" into pieces seems easier than dividing a 50.8 mm × 101.6 mm.
- klik99 6y agoExcept a 2"x4" is actually a 1.5"x3.5" [edit] I have no skin in this game - I grew up in England and America and literally don't care - just pointing out how weird the "2 by 4" terminology is
- goodcanadian 6y agoMy understanding was that those were meant to be the dimensions prior to planing . . .
- mnw21cam 6y agoAgreed, but that's a heck of a margin to plane off.
- nicwolff 6y agoThe board is 2"x4" before drying; after drying it will usually have cupped and twisted slightly, so the planing really is bringing the sides back into plane, which takes more removal than if it were just to smooth them.
- exporectomy 6y agoYou mean the advantage is in the fact that materials come in convenient imperial measurements? In metric countries, they come in convenient metric sizes too, so that's no real advantage when everyone else cooperates. Obviously, nobody uses 50.8 x 101.6 mm timber unless they've converted from inches, so without inches, it wouldn't exist. The advantage I'm talking about is what comes from having 12 inches in a foot. If you're only using inches and not feet then there's obviously no advantage from that.