Sockets and wrenches on the 1/32nd interval

[Jim C.]

I've never encountered that kind of thinking. A guy working in SAE is going to grab a metric? really? I have about 50 American made cars,newest 1966, 15 Cushman scooters, 4 real Indians from the 30s, 8 Harleys from the 40s and it would never occur to me to try a metric wrench on any of them.

Well, I actually did go through that process. A while back I came across a 25/32" nut on a 1951 Delta woodworking machine I was restoring. I tried a 3/4" wrench (there wasn't enough clearance for a socket) and it was too small, while a 13/16" wrench was loose. I finally came to the conclusion that nut was sized on a 32nd interval, 25/32" to be exact...... At the time I didn't have a 25/32" wrench. Consequently, I started trying metric wrenches and found that 20mm was almost perfect. I finished the job with the 20mm wrench and have since added a 25/32" wrench (as well as a few other 32nd sized wrenches) to my collection. So, it does happen.

Jim C.

 

[jeff64]

The 11/32 and smaller 32nd sizes are still fairly common in electrical stuff. Most of the larger sizes were phased out during WWII, but you can still buy the sockets for working on old stuff and "heavy hex bolts". Wrenches are harder to find. Any similarity to metric sizes is purely coincidental.

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

I've got a 3/8" drive shallow 6 pt Snap-On socket set that goes from 1" to 1/4" that was my Dad's. It drives me nuts because it includes an 11/32" and there's no spot for it on the Hansen tray. Also, the through hole on the 5/16" and 1/4" are too small for the Hansen tray posts.