What Did You Do Today (2017)

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 23/05/2017 23:00:35:

• Make the devices out of hex socket screws, or put hexagons on the end; and then you can tighten with an Allen key, or a socket wrench, as appropriate.

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Noting Jason's perfectly reasonable observation … I should perhaps have mentioned that the small "ball style" ratchet handles are very useful.

MichaelG.

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ferinstane: http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/ball-grip-ratchet-screwdriver-a30uq

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 24/05/2017 08:08:43

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

Not convinced the guy has listed correctly otherwise I'd be tempted at the price. "£0.99 buy it now"!!

Murray

[Jon GibbsParticipant @jongibbs59756]

Posted by JasonB on 24/05/2017 07:40:36:

Regarding the pair of stubby chuck keys, I can't find the picture at the moment but I saw a pair on MEM forum that had the shank (your knurled part) long enough to clear the jaw when it was fully would out and then a plastic handle/knob about 2" dia. This gives you enough to grip and you can apply a good amount of pressure when the other two jaws ate getting tight on teh work to move it against them.

Once you start having to juggle extra tommy bars or allen keys it all starts to get a bit of a fiddle. Though I would suggest the twin keys are used to get things close and then the normal key used to finally tighten and fine tune.

If it helps, my keys are hex anyway and so my solution is a section of old allen key forced into mock-hogany handles. No fancy ratchets though but 2" diameter gives enough leverage to snug things up before finally going round with the key to finish off.

HTH

Jon

Edited By Jon Gibbs on 24/05/2017 11:30:19

[richardandtracyParticipant @richardandtracy]

Posted by Muzzer on 24/05/2017 11:05:25:

Not convinced the guy has listed correctly otherwise I'd be tempted at the price. "£0.99 buy it now"!!

Murray

Bit heavy to move, else I'd have been tempted too.

Regards,

Richard

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

As you know, skips are measured in "yards". But that's cubic yards, not length. Don't think I've ever seen one in cubic meters (or litres?).

Merry

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

Thats probably because skips are used for taking away old stuff which would have been measured in imperial so if the skips were metric stuff would not fit.

:0)

Stands to reason dunnit.

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Fire wood here used to be measured in cords, but is now measured in meters(cubic), the wood is trown in the container, not stacked

Ian S C

[richardandtracyParticipant @richardandtracy]

Posted by Muzzer on 24/05/2017 11:40:11:

As you know, skips are measured in "yards". But that's cubic yards, not length. Don't think I've ever seen one in cubic meters (or litres?).

Merry

That's because there are more cubic yards in a volume than cubic metres, so the skip sounds bigger. It's like how hot weather is always in Fahrenheit and cold is always in Celsius. It makes hot weather seem hotter because the numbers are bigger & cold weather seems colder because the numbers are smaller ( this is in the UK when it never gets below -40C/F).

Regards,

Richard

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

"Deal" which these days refers to the wood of various conifers, was originally a unit of measure for trading timber.

MichaelG.

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

I thought as much. That means you could get a great deal on a deal.

Murray

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

I have spent the day sheeting a shed wall – planning permission in metres but has to be 16ft wide to use the 4ft wide sheets efficiently. Height is governed by the 8ft sheet allowing for overlapping the joists leaving 7ft 2in inside.. The metric bit is just ridiculous complications.

[Frances IoMParticipant @francesiom58905]

“Deal” which these days refers to the wood of various conifers, was originally a unit of measure for trading timber.

MichaelG.”
do you have a reference for this – my OED doesn’t have this meaning but does has the one I know well from my studies on 18th C Manx wills + deeds etc – a deal (or dale as per German in Manx docs) was a sawn plank – size un specified – wch also matches another very early use of deal as a part of a whole

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Frances,

My recent discovery of this came from an old book [whose title escapes me at present ]

As an aside … I am interested in Carpenter's 'Disc of Deal' test specimen for achromatism of microscope objectives, and happened across it somewhere on my 'travels'.

It is, however, mentioned on Wikipedia: **LINK**

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deal_(unit)

MichaelG.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

I think 'deal' was mentioned in ME in the sixties in the writings of Tubal Cain or similar person as relating to the width of the deck of the north Atlantic trading barges bringing it in from Norway. Further I recall it being 16ft hence giving us the 8ft subdivision that used before metric influence to be the governing size of everything in building.

[Sam Longley 1Participant @samlongley1]

Posted by Bazyle on 24/05/2017 18:30:26:

I have spent the day sheeting a shed wall – planning permission in metres but has to be 16ft wide to use the 4ft wide sheets efficiently. Height is governed by the 8ft sheet allowing for overlapping the joists leaving 7ft 2in inside.. The metric bit is just ridiculous complications.

And can you tell us how thick these sheets were?

[Sam Longley 1Participant @samlongley1]

I used to order timber by the "standard" & used that measurement until I sold up in 1999. It was about 164 cubic ft

I seem to recall my father buying log sawn timber using a " Hopus" measurement but it was so long ago I cannot recall if it was tons or Ft 3

Edited By Sam Longley 1 on 24/05/2017 21:52:01

[Frances IoMParticipant @francesiom58905]

one Manx ref is in a will of 1799;dales + timber around house to be used to finish house except his coffin (by wch I assume the widow could use it for that) – usually the term occurs in connection with lofting of rooms (ie putting in a 2nd floor structure) – the IoM had very few trees post 1300 until plantations done post WW1 so timber was expensive and used sparingly

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

I used to work in an engineering lab where an occasional teabreak topic was funny units.

Hogsheads per acre per nano-fortnight anyone?

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Posted by Sam Longley 1 on 24/05/2017 21:42:25:

And can you tell us how thick these sheets were?

3/8in give or take a mm

[charadamParticipant @charadam]

About deal, that I first became interested in about 60 years back when I read "Bevis: the story of a boy" by Richard Jeffries.

My search came up with this:

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=HmfNgIEdC1QC&pg=PA974&lpg=PA974&dq=deal+plank+george+iv+dictionary&source=bl&ots=bINGx2YOJC&sig=cgT2pXllFhtX11cZHxAnYm5g8xQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwie5NqvxInUAhVqAcAKHblqA4EQ6AEIIjAA#v=onepage&q=deal%20plank%20george%20iv%20dictionary&f=false

It is still my favourite book.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Thanks, charadam

Para. 2 on page 974

MichaelG.

[nigel jones 5Participant @nigeljones5]

making boilers on hot days isnt good!

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

3D printing is pretty warm too. I think I'll insulate under the heated bed.

[john carruthersParticipant @johncarruthers46255]

Today I made a start refurbishing an old Fullerscope telescope, a 12" Cass/Newt.
The rear Cassegrain focusser has lost its rack, and the pinion is stripped.
I have some rack stock in my brass box and I'll cut a pinion to suit.
The main job will be making some tube rings to mount it.

[David Standing 1Participant @davidstanding1]

Posted by charadam on 24/05/2017 23:09:02:

About deal, that I first became interested in about 60 years back when I read "Bevis: the story of a boy" by Richard Jeffries.

My search came up with this:

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=HmfNgIEdC1QC&pg=PA974&lpg=PA974&dq=deal+plank+george+iv+dictionary&source=bl&ots=bINGx2YOJC&sig=cgT2pXllFhtX11cZHxAnYm5g8xQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwie5NqvxInUAhVqAcAKHblqA4EQ6AEIIjAA#v=onepage&q=deal%20plank%20george%20iv%20dictionary&f=false

It is still my favourite book.

Now there's a strange coincidence – only an hour ago I was reading Shooting Times along with my breakfast porridge, and there was an article about a chap's boyhood books he read that had an influence on his life, and one of them was Bevis!

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