Talk:Joseph Whitworth

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03.26.06 - Added the fact that the Whitworth building on the University of Manchester campus is named in his honor.

[edit] British Standard Whitworth

As an old machinist I can appreciate that BSW was the first standard for machine screws, but, even so, it is the wierdest "standard" from a modern standpoint. For example, it decrees that the hex head of a cap screw of nominal size 1/2" be a certain size; it then labels the 'spanner' that fits it as a 1/2" spanner, though its opening is nearly 1". WOW! Too Old (talk) 05:26, 18 January 2008 (UTC)

So true. Some of those 19th-century standards—jeez. And we are still dealing with some of them today (BSW included), even if in the form of their descendants. I wonder if I'll ever understand the "logic" of pipe sizes and pipe threads (iron pipe size, Nominal Pipe Size, National pipe thread, et al) in my lifetime! :-) — ¾-10 22:37, 18 January 2008 (UTC)