Diamond Matches makes some of those long ones that are for lighting fireplaces, grills, etc. The ones I have are a little more expensive than $1 per box, but they are nice, straight & pretty uniform. Use a pair of rail nips & cut off the "business end," and dispose of them carefully. I burned mine once in an aluminum pie pan outside... I'm glad I did. They flared up rather quickly! BE CAREFUL!
I built a bridge out of some of them a while ago... you can see some pictures & instructions at: http://thecourier.typepad.com/alongtherightofway/2008/03/bridges.html
Enjoy!
dlm
tatans wrote: I can blame it all on the English system of measurement, I never did quite understood the English system (17/32'' doesn't really make much sense) then I had to adapt to the metric system and can't quite comprehend the decimal point, so now I use an HO scale, saves a lot of calculation. Here I sit with no visible means of measurement.--- thanks--- by the way: shouldn't the English system now be called the "American" system of measurement??
I can blame it all on the English system of measurement, I never did quite understood the English system (17/32'' doesn't really make much sense) then I had to adapt to the metric system and can't quite comprehend the decimal point, so now I use an HO scale, saves a lot of calculation. Here I sit with no visible means of measurement.--- thanks--- by the way: shouldn't the English system now be called the "American" system of measurement??
We Americans want to keep the blame on the Brits. We're good enough friends, and have a similar sense of humor, to tease each other. I suppose it goes back to the song "Yankee Doodle went to town ....." the English troops used to deride our Minutemen. We now sing it with pride.
Mark Pierce (possible descendant of one of Percy's boys)
You mean the system that thinks that a gallon is the equivalent of 3.8 litres?
Do you mean an American gallon or Canadian(imperial) gallon, let's really complicate things eh?
Wayne
tatans wrote:11 inches is close enough, at this scale I would need an electron microscope to see the difference. I can blame it all on the English system of measurement, I never did quite understood the English system (17/32'' doesn't really make much sense) then I had to adapt to the metric system and can't quite comprehend the decimal point, so now I use an HO scale, saves a lot of calculation. Here I sit with no visible means of measurement.--- thanks--- by the way: shouldn't the English system now be called the "American" system of measurement??
11 inches is close enough, at this scale I would need an electron microscope to see the difference. I can blame it all on the English system of measurement, I never did quite understood the English system (17/32'' doesn't really make much sense) then I had to adapt to the metric system and can't quite comprehend the decimal point, so now I use an HO scale, saves a lot of calculation. Here I sit with no visible means of measurement.--- thanks--- by the way: shouldn't the English system now be called the "American" system of measurement??
The brand of long wood matches I have measure very close to 9 scale inches square (7/64"), come 60 to a box, and cost either $1 per box, or are 2 boxes for a dollar (my wife can't remember) at the local dollar store.
EDIT: the matches are about a foot long, and don't light worth a ***, but they do make decent scale lumber, after a light defuzzing with fine sandpaper.
tatans wrote:You're right, I was using 1/8'' thinking it was 1/4'' ----- so a 1/8'' x 5'' stick in HO scale is 21.7 inches x 37 feet. thanks.
Hold on, I did the calculations for .25" (quarter inch) in my post above - now .125" (1/8") is about 10.88...call it 11inches.
Doesn't really look like there's 11x11 available for sale in the real world, even with "nominal sizing" (i.e. the real dimension of the lumber is smaller than the listed dimension due to shrinkage, trimming, etc.).Not sure how important that is to you...
.25" x 87.1/in = 21.78inches5" x 87.1/in = 435.5inches = 36ft 3.5in