Michael Ellis Nov 29, 2019:

two by four I would translate this as "two by four", which is the usual British carpenter's expression. An alternative is "two inch by four inch". I wouldn't try to translate into millimetres, particularly as it is reported speech from the middle ages.
Planks etc are still sold in Sweden as "två tums med fyra tums" or "2 x 4" cross section, but this seems to have died out in Norway.
I suspect that the redundant extra "fire" is because it is reported speech, as "2 x4 inches" could be translated as "to tom fire" *and* "to tum og fire", and the speaker is mixing them together informally.

jeffrey engberg Nov 29, 2019:

no thumbs... the thumb was once used as the measure, but we would not translate tomme as thumb. It simply means an inch.
Unless you are translating a story about the middle ages.
palme – Palm, for circumference, 8.86 cm
alen – Forearm, 2 fod
fod – Defined as a Rheinfuss 31.407 cm from 1683, before that 31.41 cm with variations.
kvarter – Quarter, 1 / 4 alen
tomme – Inch, 1 / 12 fod
linie – Line, 1 / 12 tomme
skrupel – Scruple, 1 / 12 linie

Tomasso Nov 28, 2019:

two inch and, 4 inch planks, 2 by 4,6,8 assortment of 2 thumb, and 4 thumb assorted planks and beam....Og, och, und, and?