Units, fractions and typed math
Mortise works in inches or millimetres, reads fractions down to 1/64 inch, and lets you type arithmetic with mixed units into any field. A value you type is kept exactly as you typed it.
Updated
Inches or millimetres
Switch with in · mm in the bottom right corner. The choice is remembered in this browser. It changes every reading and field, the measuring grid, and the yard: a metric project offers European planed timber and metric sheets.
What you can type
Every length field reads a little sum. A bare number is in the project’s units.
Units can be written in, inch, inches, ″ or ", ft, foot, feet, ′ or ', mm, cm or m. Mind the spaces round a hyphen: 24-1/2 is a mixed number, 24 - 1/2 is a subtraction.
Angles
Angles are degrees, with or without °. A slope can be typed as rise : run, such as 1:8 or 3/4 in : 12 in, and used in a sum: 90 - 1:8 is the complement of a 1 in 8 slope.
The calculator
Every number in a panel has a calculator glyph. It opens a card beside the field with the sum, the result as you type, and a keypad: digits and the four operations, brackets, and ft, in and mm for lengths, or °, : and 90 − for angles. Enter, Apply or a click outside sets the value; esc puts the old one back. Keypad hides the keys if you would rather type.
Questions
- Can I type fractions in Mortise?
- Yes: 24 1/2, 24-1/2 or 24½ all mean 24½ inches. Readings are shown as fractions down to 1/64 inch.
- Can I mix inches and millimetres?
- Yes. Type 610mm + 1″ in any length field and it adds them up in the project’s units.
- How precise is Mortise?
- Typed values are kept exactly. Drags and nudges land on 1/64 inch or 1 mm, which is as close as wood is cut.