Missin the great thinkers... You all

[JRouche]

Yeah, I have been away from here mostly, off in the car forums. Im finally finishing up my lil hot rod project so Ive been lingering around the various car forums.

What I miss about this forum is the open minds. Yup, you guys get things done with any means necessary. Thinking out of the box.

There are so many of you that show some great methods for accomplishing a project. As home shop machinists, professionals, technicians and troubleshooters you have the ability to to think out of the box.

I dont see that so much on these car forums. Alot of bench racing engineers that say it has to be done this way or its crap. What happened to our ability to think out of the box instead of saying this system works and it should be used. The end of mechanical design is NOT here. But many folks seem to believe so. What a shame.

So when I want an uplifting thought, I know just where to go. My favorite site for thinkers. Sure we stray abit here, only cause your minds are all working in warp speed.

Makes me feel comfortable knowing I can just take a strole down HSM lane here and be refreshed!!! Keep the thoughts alive guys, and gals Feels like home here... JR

[Mark Hockett]

Jr,
I was into Hot Rods for a while a long time ago and even worked at the local speed shop when I was in High School. What I saw was a guy goes to a catalog, orders some expensive part that he can bolt on and thinks he's designed a Hot Rod. I'm sure your car is a work of art, with many custom made parts that you designed.
As an auto technician for 28 years I saw the same problem. I was a Porsche tech for a while and would get customers in that were members of the Porsche Club of America. The members of the PCA would get together and talk about what modifications they could do to their cars to make them go faster. Most of these members had no real idea how to make a Porsche perform better. So Monday morning I show up for work and theres some guy wanting me to install an aftermarket exhaust system. air filter or other POS part because some guy told him it would make his car faster. The factory exhaust system is made from stainless steel and I'm sure Porsche spent a lot of money in R&D to make it perform at the highest level. Many times I would install the parts and the car would perform worse but would sound different so the customer thought it had more power. It always killed me to remove an $1800 factory SS muffler and bolt on some mild steel POS that never fit right.

[Norman Atkinson]

JR,
Just in case you dozed off, TWO THIRDS of a million workers in the US were chucked out of work in 28 days.

A few days ago, the Brits who saved were offered a Bank Rate of 0.5% pa and after tax of 40% that is the square root of bugger all.
This morning, as I was having my breakfast, the news came that yet another British Bank had gone 'arse over tit'

In my post bag last week, HSBC said 'Dear Normie, would you like to buy more shares as you holding is worth next to nothing, and we'd like to screw you up further' ( Maybe that is not what the actually said, but meant)

Last night, as I goggled the box: the Chinese were going home from the factories 700 miles away. There was 20 applicants to every job.

At the Chinese New Year, I was sitting with one of the ' Top Gurus of HongKong banking' and - oh, sh1t, why continue?

Frankly, I have really been too pre-occupied to think.

Regards

Another Moonbeam from this Lesser Lunacy

Norm

[Circlip]

Chill Norm me old mate, don't forget the innerglow you got from making the two cogs the other day and relish the thought that if you made a little frame to hold them in semi-close mesh you could show Darling Alister and Gorgeous George how to perform the Nutcracker. Someone else has tried to send Medlesome back to the prime evil slime he came from.

Regards Ian.

[Rustybolt]

Chill, Norm. If the old guys panic the young ones will go screaming in all directions.
We're all f*&ked. I've lost half my life savings ,not to mention the lousy value of my house, which is mostly paid for. I wpoldn't feel bad If I had drank it all away, but somebody stole in there and took it.

BTW. We really , really apologise for the recent behavior of our elected officials toward your PM and his family. It's just payback for sending Madona back,...................................and Amy Winehouse.

[Mcgyver]

dont see that so much on these car forums. Alot of bench racing engineers that say it has to be done this way or its crap. What happened to our ability to think out of the box instead of saying this system works and it should be used. The end of mechanical design is NOT here. But many folks seem to believe so. What a shame.

the difference between the car crowd and us is that they bolt things together they've bought, we design and make the things we bolt together . your post pumped me up though!

JR,
Last night, as I goggled the box: the Chinese were going home from the factories 700 miles away. There was 20 applicants to every job.

not sure how we got so political so fast, but this point is interesting. The people go back to where ever they come from for chineese new year; sort of like American thanksgiving....big travel time. This year, the government, during the holiday announces your country and government want you to stay home in your village and not return to your jobs......and tons and tons do! can you imagine going home to mom and dads for thanksgiving and staying, never showing up for work again and abandoning your new life on the other side of the county because the gov said to?

this is China. The Gov's biggest fear is social unrest so they need to open up jobs. Why offer subsidies when there is already 8% growth? 35m new university graduates this year! this is not going to end well.

[John Stevenson]

The reason is we have the tools and knowledge be it at beginners level or above, to look at something and even if you don't have the skill to change it you can always copy it.

The car crowd OTOH only have the skill of chequebook engineering, they can't make a new crankshaft, a brake caliper or similar, if they have the skill they probably lack machining or visa versa and they have liability to worry about.

We make a new toolholder and you don't need to insure it

The car guy asks a question and gets told buy product A, another one says buy product B and the third one says buy product C.

A HSM guys asks a question and is told look at A, another says look at B and a third one says look at C

Then someone says take the widget off A, used the chatsby off B and weld it to the base of C and it will be an all round improvement.
It's called development engineering.

In Autocar it tells you how to spend $xxx.xx to achieve an orgasm.
In HSM it tells you for 40 pence how to mill one........................

.

[Carld]

I agree with you JR.

[philbur]

So that's why I sometimes find myself happily working away in my workshop at 4:00 am - on a work day.

Phil

In Autocar it tells you how to spend $xxx.xx to achieve an orgasm.
In HSM it tells you for 40 pence how to mill one........................

.