[AT] Farmer's sig line

Larry D Goss rlgoss at evansville.net
Mon Jan 29 11:02:22 PST 2007


This has been an interesting thread, but precision measurement with wood is 
a bit like the old poem about the five blind men and the elephant -- it all 
depends on your point of view.  I do use a micrometer with some wooden 
assemblies, Rick.  But that's when I'm working on pianos and organs.  Some 
of the pieces and parts have to be held to tolerances in the neighborhood of 
+/- .0005" if you want the action to work properly.  To help in the 
"regulation" of a piano action, I stock replacement parts in a couple dozen 
different thicknesses.  You haven't "lived" until you try to measure the 
thickness of a piece of felt to within .005".  But most of the time when I'm 
dealing with wood, the length of the chainsaw bar is close enough for 
measurement.

BTW, one of the most critical measurement locations on a piano is in the 
area of the balance rail of the keyboard to make sure every key is exactly 
the same height when it is at rest.  For that particular measurement, even a 
micrometer is not accurate enough.  The final adjustment has to be made by 
touch in much the same way auto manufacturers check the final finish on cars 
when they're leaving the assembly line.

Farmer, if you want the URL for Rockler, let me know.  They'll be featured 
at the big annual wood working show next month in Indy.

Larry

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rick Weaver" <Rick_Weaver at hilton.com>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Monday, January 29, 2007 12:07 PM
Subject: RE: [AT] Farmer's sig line


> Grimace...
>
> Yes I've used it when I had to.  Blechh, though.
>
> I've never used a micrometer...  There's a limit...
>
> Rick Weaver
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
> [mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of Mike
> Sent: Monday, January 29, 2007 11:28 AM
> To: at at lists.antique-tractor.com
> Subject: RE: [AT] Farmer's sig line
>
> Caulk and putty the wood butcher's buddy...
>
>
> -- "Rick Weaver" <Rick_Weaver at hilton.com> wrote:
> I'd agree on not measuring wood to less than 1/16 if you're doing
> house
> framing.  I just don't want to see any furniture that's made with that
> gross of a measurement.  It may fit together but if it does you're
> just
> lucky.
>
> Those 1/16 errors will add up in certain situations to where you'll be
> sorry, and even if not, the 1/16 gap you'll have in places will be
> noticeable.
>
> Rick Weaver
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
> [mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of Henry
> Miller
> Sent: Friday, January 26, 2007 8:19 PM
> To: at at lists.antique-tractor.com
> Subject: Re: [AT] Farmer's sig line
>
> On Friday 26 January 2007 17:19, Francis Robinson wrote:
>> That sig line was generated as part of my ongoing drive to
> annoy
> the
>> various woodworkers on several woodworking lists that think that
> they
> must
>> spend an hour on each little setup lining everything up with a
>> micrometer... I speak often of how I consider a hatchet to be a
> precision
>> woodworking tool.   ;-)    ;-)    I have no problem with them
> working
> that
>> way but several feel the need to tell all of the new guys that they
> are
>> stupid if they don't do the same things and some even like to make
>> statements that imply that guys who don't shouldn't be allowed to do
>> woodworking. The thing is I know the truth..
>
> You missed one great truth: wood is suitable for precise work.    In
> normal
> room environments wood will expand and contract greatly.
>
> I too know people who carefully measure wood with a micrometer.
> Someday I'm
> going to go back to one of their projects with a micrometer and show
> them
> just how much it moved, without any noticeable change.
>
> Wood should never be measured to less than 1/16th inch.   Iron is
> measured to
> 1/1000th of an inch.    If you go for more than this you need to
> account
> for
> how your part will change as conditions change.
>
> Even then you need to be careful.  There is a measureable different in
> the
> length of a 747 between hot an cold days. (in the millimeter range)
> Something Boeing takes into consideration.   (mostly by making things
> fit
> loose enough that they can move)
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