Square decks are over rated.

Next thing you know, they will want square basements.

 

Just wait til he tries to square up a curved deck...

 

Bunch of miserable old, lazy bitchy farts.

If I ware a kid starting out, I wouldn't work for any ya'll.

 

Come on now, I'd say everyone needs to work for someone like Irish or the like to harden their soft little hearts and supple hands. :whistling:laughing: Be better for them in the long run :thumbsup:

 

After noticing and reading this thread, I've added the correct 'diagonal for square' measurement to the deck calculator at https://www.blocklayer.com/deckcalculatoreng.aspx (thanks for the idea)

I think Railman is right 'Cant square something up that doesn't have parallel sides'. But it happens.

And reading from top or bottom of tape is not going to make any real difference.

(Ducking for cover)
The thing that amazes me most though, is that the US (you lot) still cling to Feet and bloody Inches. We changed over here (Australia) in the 1970s. Best move we ever made. As far as teaching kids goes, WTF would you teach them Feet and Inches in a Metric world?

 

...................

(Ducking for cover)
The thing that amazes me most though, is that the US (you lot) still cling to Feet and bloody Inches. We changed over here (Australia) in the 1970s. Best move we ever made. As far as teaching kids goes, WTF would you teach them Feet and Inches in a Metric world?

As the world's biggest economy, we never had to go metric.

As the world does though, we'll slowly learn to use it.

 

they actually did try to teach it here in parts of the U.S. i remember them starting to teach it when i was in 4th ,5th, or 6th grade (mid/late 70's), can't remember when exactly. very unpopular and didn't last long.

that was trying to teach it after already learning american. metric is probably easier if you're taught only it starting off. i'm basing part of that on looking at a metric tape, you're just counting numbers, no fractions. of course, you gotta know how to count.

 

Worse tape measure I ever owned, inches on one side and centimeters on the other. After a few screw ups I threw it on the slab in a fit of rage.

 

I bought a dual measure tape just to force myself to learn and gauge metric equivalents.

Worked.

(shrugs)

a 2x4 that is 1.5 by 3.5 is 38 by 89 mm.

(unless I've gotten senile)

 

An observation about the deck forum here. One guy ask for advice on a above ground pool deck and no one replies. Some guy who obviously doesn't know the trade post up about having trouble squaring a deck and there's pages of replies.

 

I thought there was a reply.

I've done in ground, never above ground.

 

If you're OCD, metric tapes are better because It's marked to 1/25th of an inch, which makes it 50% better than the 1/16 marks on inch tapes.

The down side is that trapezoid you built is now out by 8 instead of more than 3. Time to panic...

 

Metric is far better, but our country has a surplus of thickheaded righteous indignation and pride. "American values". (Present company excluded, of course.) We'd still light with Edison filament bulbs if we could.

 

We'd still light with Edison filament bulbs if we could.

I mentioned in another thread, there are things you can do with incandescent that led won't do.

 

It’s a conspiracy by the tool and fastener industry to force everyone to buy both metric and standard tools. It probably adds like 100 trillion dollars a year to the us economy.

I worked aerospace for over ten years and EVERYTHING is standard. We were a global supplier, shipped parts all over the world for big and small aircraft manufacturers, obviously Boeing and AB but also smaller Swedish, Israeli, Brazilian, etc. manufacturers. Automotive is moving more and more metric. One would think the exact opposite would be true being air travel is global and cars are local.

Pretty sure it’s still international rule that to be a pilot you need to be proficient in English too.


MAGA!

 

It’s a conspiracy by the tool and fastener industry to force everyone to buy both metric and standard tools. It probably adds like 100 trillion dollars a year to the us economy.

Yup. I enjoy carrying and trying both sets of hex wrenches for towel rods and crap like that...and losing the one I need.

 

What I really dislike is when you work on a car for example and half is metric and the other is SAE

 

Oil plug on my gmc is 14mm

Whenever I work on an auto I always grab 2or3 wrenches for a fastener, unless I already know what it is. If it looks like a half inch I’ll grab a1/2”, 12mm and 13mm wrenches. That’s the worst part, More wrenches to haulout, clean and put away.

 

Man did this thread go off course...

 

Yes. Its wonderful!

 

The oil drain plug on my 7.3 PSD is 3/4 or 19 mm which ever I grab first.

Tom

 

what's the 3' 4' 5' conversion using the metric system?

 

It only works in standard so you have to convert. .9144m 1.1292m 1.524m

 

semi back on track...

 

...

 

Alka Seltzer

 

I always use 3" 4" 5" and all my work is very close to perfectly square everytime...

 

On a deck 6,8,10 is better.

 

you meant 6" 8" 10"

 

There are two kinds of countries..... those who use the metric system, and those who have landed on the moon.

 

My speed square tucked in the corner of the ledger and first joist usually does the trick out to about 20 plus feet, anything longer and I switch to the framing square:laughing:

 

Just trying to get on track here for the OP

 

Why?

Tom

 

Anyone use one of those giant folding triangles?:whistling

 

I made a giant folding triangle out of an aluminum extension ladder one time. It was not funny, nor useful.

 

Hahahaha. The guy came to figure out how to square his deck. And so far he has learned how to teach his unruly teenager what wrench to change his oil with and now lives in Europe so he can buy petrol by the litre.

 

..... And whatever you do, don't mention the Mars Orbiter..
https://edition.cnn.com/TECH/space/9909/30/mars.metric.02/

It must have had a Metric oil plug?

When we changed over, some of the older tradesmen used to mix the 2. They'd read up the feet and inch side of the tape to near the metric number, then go across to the metric side to finish off, and come up with measurements like '12 feet 3 and 17 mill' (A bit like NASA)

 

Could have had the same thing if one used cgs and the other used MKS.