In a message dated 12/15/1999 7:27:50 AM Eastern Standard Time, vw4x4@FYI.NET
writes:

<< Take a butch, a mechanic, or a carpender. Do you think
 for one minuite they would like to see there suppliers, all of a
 sudden, one day talk to them in meters. Just an't gona happen.
  >>
Hmm.
As the son of a late cabinetmaker, I have to respectfully disagree.  He used
metric measurements whenever possible, which was almost always.  Why, you may
ask?

Major suppliers of fine cabinet hardware use the metric system.  Initially
the "best" stuff (or at least the stuff the customers wanted) was European,
therefore metric.  North American suppliers began to make compatible (read
metric) stuff in relatively short order.  Not all of them, of course, but
I'll bet all who hoped to compete in a global econmomy did.  Dad had to
adapt, or be forever converting.  The European 32mm standard is nearly
universal in cabinetry made today.
Once he adapted, his work was made far simpler.  No more 1/2's plus 1/64's
minus 1/32's, etc.  Is it cm?  mm?  -- easy conversion either way -- just
move the decimal point.
It's not that hard if we just do it.  We all buy 2 liter bottles of soda,
don't we?  ..wasn't that hard to adjust.  Just couldn't buy 64oz anymore.

sorry for the semi-rant!
Doug Prescott
Downingtown, PA (about 50km west of Phila)