As I have written, I am reading Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson. I have no idea whether or not the author understands the concepts he is writing about, but that doesn't matter - he is good at conveying concepts like the "Knapsack problem" and other math/algorithm problems. Reading these stories got me to thinking about simple problems I face, such as making non-round bowls on my CNC. I have been using a so-called bowl and tray bit that leaves a rounded fillet between the two planes of the sidewalls and the bottom of the vessel. The depth of these items has been limited by the length of the bit shank. A customer asked for a deep box for her wedding anniversary and I thought I might not be able to make the box as deep as she wanted. While I was selecting a bit in my tool path software I noticed that the diameter of the bowl and tray bit was 1-1/4". That struck me as an odd number. Why not an inch or a inch
and a half? Then the lightbulb went off - that is the smallest size bit that will allow the collet nut on the router to clear the sides of a cut out shape without interfering. I broke out my dial caliper and checked - sure enough the nut that holds the bit in the router is just under 1-1/4" when measured at its greatest width. Jackpot! So now I can mill right up to the point where the router body itself hits the work. Hurray for math!
That discovery led me to figure out a way to engrave an inscription in the bottom of the box - make the text small enough to fit in a rectangle that left clearance for the nose of the router and buda bing etc.
That was a test - I have not done any v-carving in years so I wanted to make sure I hadn't lost my mojo. That quote required 13,500 lines of code - glad there is an algorithm for that.
Speaking of "slice of life" I was looking for a chunk of wood in one of my many sheds and found a nondescript lump - it was covered with the dust of ages and as soon as I made the first cut on the bandsaw I realized it was black walnut. I sliced and diced and ran the pieces through the planer - ta da:
But as always, I am really here to talk about the weather. We haven't had rain for a while but there were some distant thunder storms tonight.
There was some cloud-to-cloud lightning off to the north and I managed to get a picture of it.
Which reminded me of my favorite classical themed cartoon, Fantasia, specifically the segment that features the forth movement of Beethoven's 6th symphony, the Pastoral.
7 comments:
Is that Socrates?
The carving is so cool. That should be very popular. You could make a ton of wall plaques. One popular saying these days is, 'I love you to the moon and back.' More suggestions upon request :)
Okay, one more: 'Whatever.'
Very, very nice work on the inscription.
Looks like Zapf Chancery.
Is that Socrates?
If it weren't for windbag I might have missed the collie. I was on a Where's Waldo hunt for it when his comment about the yawning dog showed up. But Socrates???
I'll tell you this. In my unsentimental sourness, I would have zero interest in checking out the work of someone who was intent on showcasing salad bowls and wall plaques inscribed with "I love you to the moon and back", though I might give "Woodever" a pause. I'd also enjoy finding an age-old quote inscribed in the bottom of a well crafted box.
Da Vinci was terrible at algebra math (he had no training as a child) but when it came to geometry and spacial issues, he was a self taught savant. He was especially fond of how shapes could change but keep the same volume. He was fascinated with hydraulics and especially how water can fill any volume.
When I was teaching I got to know a veteran math teacher. He was a CPA who burned out after 20 years in a big firm and went into teaching. A real teacher w/ real world experiences. I told him I was horrible w/ algebra but very good in geometry. He said that's quite common. People are hard wired differently and that is a common manifestation of that.
People are hard wired differently and that is a common manifestation of that.
Amen to that. Finding out I liked and understood it in addition to receiving straight A's in high school Geometry was a delightful surprise after floundering through eighth grade algebra.
Only in later years, while working through The Algebra Survival Guide with one of the SonsM did I find and understand the order in it!!! I needed the right tool for the job and the way it was taught in my junior high didn't work for me.
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQbINv1TWx99VjsqtDLRcxkmJnkS-m6ygTCpoRRFIx724AZgjkX
I may have found Socrates this morning, hidden in the wood I was approaching with a boob orientation.
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