If you’ve never seen Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction the next few lines are:

Brett: No.
Jules: Tell ‘em, Vincent.
Vincent: A Royale with cheese.
Jules: A Royale with cheese! You know why they call it that?
Brett: Because of the metric system?
Jules: Check out the big brain on Brett!

Oh it’s classic.  One of my favorite movie exchanges of all time.  But what does this have to do with woodworking?  Well, if you can’t guess it, I’ll tell ya.  The Metric System.

When I first joined the Marines I thought the idea of using the metric system for measuring distance was dumb, that is until I learned to use it and saw how superior it is to measuring in miles and yards.  Lately I’ve had a lot more time in the shop than I normally get and this got me thinking about the metric system again.  I’ve used inches and feet for the last 32 years of my life but I’m thinking it’s time to admit the superiority of metric measurement and make the switch.  If you question why I would want to try and retrain my eyes to measure in millimeters instead of inches try to do divide 27 7/32″ in half real fast without a pencil and paper or a calculator.

Not so easy is it.

Here is where metric measurement really shines in my mind.  Half of 126mm is 63mm.  Is it always this easy?  Of course not.  But the metric system lends itself to smaller measurements and decimal usage alot easier with the measurement and payout tools we have available.

I was in one of the local woodworking supply stores the other day and noticed that Fastcap makes a 16′ tape measure that has both a metric and a standard scale.  They also have one that is pure metric.  This first one, with both measurement scales is going to be my Nicorette patch.  I’ll be using it to finish the two projects I have in the shop right now.  I’ll still be measuring using standard measurement but I’ll get to see the metric equivalent of that measurement.  After that I think I’m going to take the plunge and go pure metric.  Will it be easy?  No way.  Will it be worth it?  I think so.  Sure there will be some long term issues.  If I walk into a lumber supply house and ask for a sheet of 1219.2mm x 2438.4mm x 19.05mm thick plywood they probably won’t realize I’m asking for a 4′x8′ sheet of 3/4″ ply.  But when I get that sheet home and have to rip it down for some type of casework it’ll be nice to not need to reach for a calculator or scratch paper.

I’ll keep you updated with how this experiment progresses.