English versus metric

[sd204136@prodigy.net.mx]

Most of the requirements that I have are measured in metric system which would be no problem with the software. Unfortunately most of the tips, and cutters that I can get are in english system.
For all of you who have this machine abroad, how do you go about this. Conversions always create problems at the end

[gerald_d]

Discard the inches as soon as possible!!!!!

The autocratic government that we had here in South Africa made a wise decision when we converted to Metric/SI in the 60's - trade, and trading devices, had to be exclusively in metric from a certain date. We could not buy a tape measure that had inch markings on it! People drove across the border to smuggle them in!

Having said that, our popular router collets are 6.35 mm and 12.7 mm, obviously the old 1/4" and 1/2". In the router bit shop they talk of 6mm and 12mm when they are in fact a little bigger.

Generally, we have no problems with the conversions. I believe that it is a lot easier to think and program in mm rather than 1/8" or 1/16". Customers don't come back afterwards and say that the decorative fillet radius left in their piece of wood by the cutter is 12.7 mm instead of 12.0 mm. Actually we import our straight cutters from a company in France and have discovered that metric cutters are cheaper than inch cutters, and so we have inch and metric collets. The radiused tip cutters that are used less often, are from shops in South Africa and they are in inches.