Imperial vs metric measurements in the shop
What is important is that you know what you are doing...
5 out of 4 people don't understand fractions, so it is amazing how people using the imperial (fractional) system for length measurements have been able to succeed as well as they have.
But then again - the ancient Egyptians did know neither the imperial nor the metric system, and their culture flourished for a long time and their decline was not tied to which measurement system they used. Same with the ancient Incas. The point here is that it really does not matter which measurement system you use, as long as you are comfortable with it and know how to use it. If you are making furniture using a drawing in the metric system, you can always convert to inches - and vise versa.
Well, that is my honest opinion. I actually use both. But there are "purists" out there that says that you should only use one, and then convince you why the measurement system they have chosen is superior.
I grew up with using the metric system, so I had to learn the imperial system when I moved to the USA. At work, I can design parts using the metric system, but when I give it to the engineer at the machine shop, he converts everything to inches - because his machines are set up for that system, and that is what he is comfortable with. (I was curious about what he did when people gave him drawings in the metric system - if he switched over to "metric mode". So I asked him and found out. What he answered made sense to me). When I get the parts back, the dimensions are right on, just like they should, and with the specified tolerances. It is all just a matter of converting numbers, and of course - knowing how to do it.
But it is very important that when you communicate measurements with others that you both know which system you are referring to. Costly mistakes have been made because of miscommunication.
So which one should you choose? I would say to use the one you are comfortable with, and then go from there.