# Converting thousanths



## BassBlaster (Nov 21, 2010)

Does anyone know of a conversion chart or a math formula to convert inches to thousanths or should it be thousands? I need to know how many thousands are equal to 31/32". I did a quick Google search but didnt come up with much.


----------



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Harbor Freight*

I would look into getting one of these which can measure and convert with a push of the button. I got some on sale, all plastic, for about $10.00 each. I use them on the thickness planer to measure the exact thickness of the finished piece.
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-digital-caliper-with-metric-and-sae-fractional-readings-68304.html


----------



## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

I know I have seen the chart. I have to try and find the link.

In the meantime use a calculator to do the arithmetic.

31/32 = 0.96875 which is 968.75 "thou". Just move the decimal three points to the right.

Added link. This is one chart. Just print this off.

http://www.seoconsultants.com/charts/inches-decimal/


----------



## rcp612 (Mar 25, 2008)

Just divide top number by the bottom number.


----------



## RusDemka (Jun 9, 2012)

I have the caliper that with a push of a button tells me reading in mm inches and fractions.


----------



## BassBlaster (Nov 21, 2010)

Thanks for the quick help guys and thanks for the link.:thumbsup:


----------



## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

rcp612 said:


> Just divide top number by the bottom number.


Yes, that is all there is to it. Really!!

You do not need any charts or any thing else. Just a pencil and paper.

George


----------



## BassBlaster (Nov 21, 2010)

woodnthings said:


> I would look into getting one of these which can measure and convert with a push of the button. I got some on sale, all plastic, for about $10.00 each. I use them on the thickness planer to measure the exact thickness of the finished piece.
> http://www.harborfreight.com/6-digital-caliper-with-metric-and-sae-fractional-readings-68304.html





RusDemka said:


> I have the caliper that with a push of a button tells me reading in mm inches and fractions.


 Only problem with a caliper is I dont have anything to measure yet. I need to cut a tube to 1 31/32". The plan is to set my dial caliper which only reads thousands to the proper length. Cut the tubes at 2" and then use my barrel trimmer to sneak up on that 31/32". I see you guys point though, if I had a digital caliper, I could just set it there with the fractional reading. I'm using an old school RCBS reloading dial caliper.


----------



## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Dave Paine said:


> I know I have seen the chart. I have to try and find the link.
> 
> In the meantime use a calculator to do the arithmetic.
> 
> ...


It would take longer to use the chart then it would to do the calculation manually.

George


----------



## RusDemka (Jun 9, 2012)

GeorgeC said:


> It would take longer to use the chart then it would to do the calculation manually.
> 
> George


George, who does calculations manually anymore :laughing: just kidding,


----------



## BassBlaster (Nov 21, 2010)

GeorgeC said:


> It would take longer to use the chart then it would to do the calculation manually.
> 
> George


 Not all of us are math whizzes. Besides, I havnt done long division on a piece of paper since middle school. Even still I dunno how glancing at a chart would be slower.


----------



## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

rcp612 said:


> Just divide top number by the bottom number.


 That's too quick and easy. Need something more complex than that.


----------



## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Steve Neul said:


> That's too quick and easy. Need something more complex than that.


It's a bit more complex if done blindfolded.:yes:








 







.


----------



## TomC (Oct 27, 2008)

Steve Neul said:


> That's too quick and easy. Need something more complex than that.


OK, then multiply it by3.147 and then divide it by 3.147 and that will make it a little more complex if that's what you need,
Tom


----------



## SeniorSitizen (May 2, 2012)

Dave Paine said:


> I know I have seen the chart. I have to try and find the link.
> 
> In the meantime use a calculator to do the arithmetic.
> 
> ...


You wood workers get all mixed up in machine shop talk.:laughing: Leave the decimal where it was and the reading .96875 is nine hundred sixty eight and three quarters thousandths. Or as a mathematician might say ninety six thousand eight hundred seventy five one hundred thousandths. Sure glad I'm not a mathimetshun .


----------



## duncsuss (Aug 21, 2009)

BassBlaster said:


> Only problem with a caliper is I dont have anything to measure yet.


You could do like me, just measure air ... slide the jaws open till it reads 31/32 and click the button to read in other units.

I believe Rockler has a mm/fractions/thousandths caliper on sale right now.

(Yes, it's "thousandths" ... similar to "hundredths" and "tenths" but smaller :laughing


----------



## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

BassBlaster said:


> Not all of us are math whizzes. Besides, I havnt done long division on a piece of paper since middle school. Even still I dunno how glancing at a chart would be slower.


First you have to remember where you stored the chart. Then you have to go get it. And then you have to read it.

I could have done the calculation quicker than I typed these words.

Once you have done long division you know it. It is not something that you have to practice.

George


----------



## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

cabinetman said:


> It's a bit more complex if done blindfolded.:yes:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Close your eyes and just do the calculation in your head. This would make it a little more challenging.

George


----------



## BassBlaster (Nov 21, 2010)

GeorgeC said:


> First you have to remember where you stored the chart. Then you have to go get it. And then you have to read it.
> 
> I could have done the calculation quicker than I typed these words.
> 
> ...


 Im going to pin it to the board in my shop next to my lathe. Now 90+% of the work you list is gone. Can you still do it faster!?!


----------



## RusDemka (Jun 9, 2012)

BassBlaster said:


> Im going to pin it to the board in my shop next to my lathe. Now 90+% of the work you list is gone. Can you still do it faster!?!


The only thing I'm pinning to my board is the swimsuit model calendar... Haha


----------



## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

BassBlaster said:


> Im going to pin it to the board in my shop next to my lathe. Now 90+% of the work you list is gone. Can you still do it faster!?!


Probably.

George


----------



## ChiknNutz (Apr 22, 2011)

If'n ya really gots to have a chart, here's one that should do ya. Just looked up a drill bit conversion chart is all.

http://www.arizonasilhouette.com/images/Decimal_Conversion_Chart_web.jpg


----------



## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

TomC said:


> OK, then multiply it by3.147 and then divide it by 3.147 and that will make it a little more complex if that's what you need,
> Tom


If you mean 3.147 as pi, that would be 3.1416. Then if you needed the circumference of a 31/32" dowel you would convert the fraction to decimal equivalency which would be .96875 and multiply it times pi 3.1416 which the sum would be 3.043425 which is a little short of 3 3/64"


----------



## TomC (Oct 27, 2008)

Steve Neul said:


> If you mean 3.147 as pi, that would be 3.1416. Then if you needed the circumference of a 31/32" dowel you would convert the fraction to decimal equivalency which would be .96875 and multiply it times pi 3.1416 which the sum would be 3.043425 which is a little short of 3 3/64"


No I'm just saying if you want to make it more complicated just multiply it by any number, but make sure you divide by the same. Multiply by the square root of 25 and then divide by 5 or however you want to complicate it.
Tom


----------



## oldmacnut (Dec 27, 2010)

I have several links on the shop computer, when I can get back in there ill look for them and post them.

Now this is one good reason I think computers are a just as important tool for us as any other tool in our shops.

Sent from my Note using Woodworking Talk


----------



## JCR (Nov 2, 2012)

BassBlaster said:


> Does anyone know of a conversion chart or a math formula to convert inches to thousanths or should it be thousands? I need to know how many thousands are equal to 31/32". I did a quick Google search but didnt come up with much.


The answer will display in the first three digits after the decimal point on your calculator when you enter the first number (31) divided by the second number (32). In your example the display (0.96875) results in 989 thousandTHs.


----------



## TomC (Oct 27, 2008)

RetiredinPHX said:


> The answer will display in the first three digits after the decimal point on your calculator when you enter the first number (31) divided by the second number (32). In your example the display (0.96875) results in 989 thousandTHs.


I believe you got a typo!
Tom


----------



## rcp612 (Mar 25, 2008)

Steve Neul said:


> That's too quick and easy. Need something more complex than that.


O K Don't use any fingers. :smartass::tt2:


----------



## LatheManDave (Dec 9, 2012)

thats a lot of talk for one simple math problem!! lol


----------



## Leo G (Oct 16, 2006)

I believe putting .969 on the caliper and locking it would be close enough.


----------



## RusDemka (Jun 9, 2012)

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=20372&utm_source=NL&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=RTEMA


Super deal at rockler if your still looking for one..:yes:


----------



## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

RusDemka said:


> http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=20372&utm_source=NL&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=RTEMA
> 
> 
> Super deal at rockler if your still looking for one..:yes:


Perhaps the best part about this one is the back side showing fraction to decimal equivalents. Handy for when the batteries die. :laughing:

I have bad luck with such devices. The batteries die too fast. For some reason the batteries drain during storage even though the item is supposedly turned off.


----------



## Handplane (Nov 28, 2012)

If you work in mm, that is 24.6mm, just eyeball halfway + a dog hair past the 24mm mark, no calculators, no thinking, no math.


----------



## NCPaladin (Aug 7, 2010)

LatheManDave said:


> thats a lot of talk for one simple math problem!! lol


Heck this is easy. Wait until you read the post about calculating the change in diameter of a 37.4 mm spigot based upon average wood equilibrium for a specific city (as given here http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplrn/fplrn268.pdf ) coupled with the specific gravity, radial shrinkage, and tangential shrinkage as given here… 
http://www.woodworkerssource.com/online_show_wood.php?wood=Quercus alba


----------



## ctwiggs1 (Mar 30, 2011)

no calculator on your phone?


----------



## ctwiggs1 (Mar 30, 2011)

Dave Paine said:


> Perhaps the best part about this one is the back side showing fraction to decimal equivalents. Handy for when the batteries die. :laughing:
> 
> I have bad luck with such devices. The batteries die too fast. For some reason the batteries drain during storage even though the item is supposedly turned off.


Because they are cheaply made. I bought the rockler one but when the battery dies I won't be replacing the battery, I'll be replacing the caliper.

They're plastic and flimsy. Hold out for something better.


----------

