Today I Learned
- Thread starter Greg Bernhardt
- Start date
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
6,976 replies · 556K views
Physics news on Phys.org
zoobyshoe
- 6,514
- 1,255
It's a chop saw, not a radial arm saw. In a chop saw the blade/motor pivots up and down. In a radial arm saw the blade/motor runs forward and back in a trackBorg said:Nah. The teeth are spaced too far apart. That's a radial arm saw for cutting flooring or crown molding accurately.
The blades are interchangable. The blade shown would not be good for steel, but they make abrasive disks that work on steel. The blade shown actually looks very much like one I once used to cut aluminum tubing.
Science Advisor
Homework Helper
Dearly Missed
- 9,864
- 4,896
Yes it's a chop saw. Was sans blade but the residue on it was metal not wood. With a new abrasive cutoff blade for metal It throws a stream of sparks about 12 feet behind but the deflector directs them slightly downward. Looks like Buck Rogers' rocket engine.
It labors a bit on 1/4 inch steel plate but with the toothed blade shown in that picture (from their catalog) it would cut wood like a woodchuck.
I think it's part of my autism i can't stand to see good machinery wasted . A lot of aluminum boats go through the scrap yard, and I've rescued several antique outboards.
I'm learning how to wire washing machine motors for workshop applications, how else can you get a 1/2 hp electric motor for under 5 bucks ? Whirlpools are easy now.
Does PF need a "handyman's corner " ? I'm sensitive about PF's image, don't want to lower the academic standards with my play.
It labors a bit on 1/4 inch steel plate but with the toothed blade shown in that picture (from their catalog) it would cut wood like a woodchuck.
I think it's part of my autism i can't stand to see good machinery wasted . A lot of aluminum boats go through the scrap yard, and I've rescued several antique outboards.
I'm learning how to wire washing machine motors for workshop applications, how else can you get a 1/2 hp electric motor for under 5 bucks ? Whirlpools are easy now.
Does PF need a "handyman's corner " ? I'm sensitive about PF's image, don't want to lower the academic standards with my play.
Last edited:
Silicon Waffle
- 160
- 202
I find the rescue things are repeated quite a lot too, which makes me think like things being rescued are dumb or disrespectful or without any sincere gratitude.
What a practical "rescue" it does sound!
What a practical "rescue" it does sound!
OCR
- 996
- 936
That's probably true, however, a company named Scotchman Industries makes a http://www.scotchman.com/cold-saws/ that does have metal cutting teeth...zoobyshoe said:The blade shown would not be good for steel...
My wife is from Philip, South Dakota, so while there visiting in-laws ... I went through the plant.....

The company is primarily known for a product called the Scotchman Ironworker, which we used way back in welding school... that be, waaaay back.... lol
Here's the 350 cold saw in operation...
Their YouTube channel...
They very definitely make good products... although, a tad on the $$$ side.
zoobyshoe
- 6,514
- 1,255
If you notice that saw can cut steel because it can do very low RPMs. Any blade with carbide teeth can cut steel in principle, but the average chop saw is set at a fixed RPM that is just too high: the teeth would burn up very quickly.OCR said:That's probably true, however, a company named Scotchman Industries makes a http://www.scotchman.com/cold-saws/ that does have metal cutting teeth...
My wife is from Philip, South Dakota, so while there visiting in-laws ... I went through the plant.....
The company is primarily known for a product called the Scotchman Ironworker, which we used way back in welding school... that be, waaaay back.... lol
Here's the 350 cold saw in operation...
Their YouTube channel...
They very definitely make good products... although, a tad on the $$$ side.
Any material harder than steel can be fashioned into a blade that will cut soft(unhardened) steel. In fact, hardened steel will cut soft steel, which is the situation with your average hack saw. The other variable besides relative hardness is heat removal. When a blade heats up too much it loses its hardness and will become dull. You have to either saw slowly to let the heat dissipate, or use a coolant.
OCR
- 996
- 936
Well yes, I did notice, in fact I noticed when I went through the plant and saw one they used as a demo...zoobyshoe said:If you notice that saw can cut steel because it can do very low RPMs.
Also, I noticed...
http://www.scotchman.com/cold-saws/For ferrous material, this unique type of cutting turns the blade at a very low RPM, similar to a milling process, giving a FAST, precise, burr-free cut without heat or sparks.
I'm not quite following ... are you agreeing, or arguing ?
Anyway... carry on.
zoobyshoe
- 6,514
- 1,255
I'm explicating why the saw you linked to can cut steel with a toothed blade while a "normal" chop saw couldn't.OCR said:I'm not quite following ... are you agreeing, or arguing ?
Enigman
- 647
- 311
TIL: Japanese and Koreans are blood-typists.
OCR
- 996
- 936
I see, so... you saw a saw, saw, that could out saw any saw you ever saw, saw... so, if ever you see a saw outzoobyshoe said:I'm explicating why...
saw that saw you saw, saw... I'd like to see that saw, you saw, saw, saw too, see ?......

Last edited:
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
2025 Award
- 22,665
- 7,744
There were only 3 ZIP codes in America without any Ashley Madison accounts!
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/were-only-3-zip-codes-175956661.html
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/were-only-3-zip-codes-175956661.html
No WiFi or internet, perhaps?An employee at the county clerk’s office told Gawker that there probably was no one on Ashley Madison because you can't get reception in that area, which is about 4 square miles of rural peace.
William White
- 256
- 79
obviously using dark net proxies,
Science Advisor
Gold Member
- 2,480
- 2,230
Does that analysis include the 99.7% of female accounts that are suspected of being fictitious?Astronuc said:There were only 3 ZIP codes in America without any Ashley Madison accounts!
Summary: Wikipedia: Ashley Madison § Fake accounts
Detail: Gizmodo: Almost None of the Women in the Ashley Madison Database Ever Used the Site
BOAS
- 546
- 19
TIL: How to animate my stepwise (and incomplete) model of the solar system!
Science Advisor
- 1,564
- 5,195
DrGreg said:Does that analysis include the 99.7% of female accounts that are suspected of being fictitious?
Summary: Wikipedia: Ashley Madison § Fake accounts
Detail: Gizmodo: Almost None of the Women in the Ashley Madison Database Ever Used the Site
Now they have a perfect defense to say they were not cheating and it was just a role playing game.
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
2025 Award
- 22,665
- 7,744
http://news.yahoo.com/far-below-south-dakota-cave-holds-pure-promising-184902493.html
WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK, S.D. (AP) — Hundreds of feet beneath the Black Hills, a team of scientists and researchers snake through dark, narrow and silent corridors of ancient rock to reach their goal: what is thought to be some of the purest water on Earth.
Last edited by a moderator:
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
2025 Award
- 22,665
- 7,744
Voices of reason in Congress have a rough time -
Sen. Jeff Flake - the anti-Trump - and a voice of reason
https://www.yahoo.com/politics/the-anti-trump-128056697531.html
Sen. Jeff Flake - the anti-Trump - and a voice of reason
https://www.yahoo.com/politics/the-anti-trump-128056697531.html
OmCheeto
Gold Member
- 2,532
- 3,631
Today I learned that Wy'east is the native name of our local, tallest mountain, Mt. Hood.
I always thought it was just a clever name for a Western beer YEAST producer.
Coincidentally, Wy'east yeast labs overlooks Wy'east, the mountain, from the town of Hood River, which was named after the river, Hood River, which was named after Mt. Hood.
How Mt. Hood got its name according to wiki: "Lt. Broughton named the mountain after Lord (Samuel) Hood, a British Admiral at the Battle of the Chesapeake."
Ha! Hood Canal, in Washington state, was also named after the Admiral. I was housed at the submarine base in Bangor, on the Hood canal, for 3 years, while in the Navy.
Admiral Hood served in the Royal Navy for 53 years, and lived to be 91.
ps. I looked this all up today, when I heard that yesterday, the name of Mt. McKinley had been officially changed to Denali.
Looks like that took a while.
I always thought it was just a clever name for a Western beer YEAST producer.
Coincidentally, Wy'east yeast labs overlooks Wy'east, the mountain, from the town of Hood River, which was named after the river, Hood River, which was named after Mt. Hood.
How Mt. Hood got its name according to wiki: "Lt. Broughton named the mountain after Lord (Samuel) Hood, a British Admiral at the Battle of the Chesapeake."
Ha! Hood Canal, in Washington state, was also named after the Admiral. I was housed at the submarine base in Bangor, on the Hood canal, for 3 years, while in the Navy.
Admiral Hood served in the Royal Navy for 53 years, and lived to be 91.
ps. I looked this all up today, when I heard that yesterday, the name of Mt. McKinley had been officially changed to Denali.
Looks like that took a while.
wiki said:...
The Alaska Board of Geographic Names changed the name of the mountain to Denali in 1975 which is how it is called locally.
...
Congressman Bob Gibbs, who described Obama's action as "constitutional overreach" because he said an act of Congress is required to rename the mountain. The Alaska Dispatch News reported that the Secretary of the Interior has authority under federal law to change geographic names when the Board of Geographic Names does not act on a naming request within a "reasonable" period of time. Jewell told the ADN that "I think any of us would think that 40 years is an unreasonable amount of time."
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
2025 Award
- 22,665
- 7,744
TIL, "The DEET within insect repellant is an oily liquid known as diethyltoluamide that mosquitos and other inspects intensely dislike. DEET has been known to destroy the varnish on wooden tables, melt plastics, and even permanently mark TV screens."
https://www.yahoo.com/autos/how-something-you-spray-on-your-kids-can-melt-your-128334848277.html
Don't spray around furniture or cars, or probably anything else of value.
https://www.yahoo.com/autos/how-something-you-spray-on-your-kids-can-melt-your-128334848277.html
Don't spray around furniture or cars, or probably anything else of value.
Mentor
- 37,499
- 14,384
It is really effective against insects, however.Edit: Today I learned how automatic subtitles work. I saw this video and didn't understand the speaker. The video has subtitles, but apparently google didn't understand the speaker either because the subtitles do not make sense at all (some of them are funny).
Last edited:
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Homework Helper
- 9,253
- 1,080
I recall how a can of repellant with DEET as its active constituent carried a note to the user along the lines of, "Caution: this product may be harmful if used for prolonged periods". Yet it gave no indication of what length of exposure might fall into the category of "a prolonged period".Astronuc said:TIL, "The DEET within insect repellant is an oily liquid known as diethyltoluamide that mosquitos and other inspects intensely dislike. DEET has been known to destroy the varnish on wooden tables, melt plastics, and even permanently mark TV screens."
https://www.yahoo.com/autos/how-something-you-spray-on-your-kids-can-melt-your-128334848277.html
Don't spray around furniture or cars, or probably anything else of value.
Hours, days, weeks, or maybe months? Clearly, their legal department wasn't about to commit themselves on this score!
Mentor
- 37,499
- 14,384
Today I learned there are several parties and even persons named "None of the above" or similar.
Wikipedia has a list
Wikipedia has a list
zoobyshoe
- 6,514
- 1,255
Today I learned the sustain pedal on an electronic keyboard is just an on/off switch. You can hack one together pretty easily:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Redneck-MIDI-sustain-pedal/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Redneck-MIDI-sustain-pedal/
Similar threads
Will the Today I Learned Thread Be Reopened or Continued?
- Swamp Thing
- · Replies 1 ·
- Feedback and Announcements
- Replies
- 1
Chemical Forums down, or how I learned what slowloris is
- Borek
- · Replies 8 ·
- Computing and Technology
- Replies
- 8
High School An amazing fact which I learned today about pressure
- sahilmm15
- · Replies 4 ·
- Mechanics
- Replies
- 4
New realizations or "what I think I learned today"
- Planobilly
- · Replies 3 ·
- Electrical Engineering
- Replies
- 3
Other I learned that my degree won't arrive in the mail until July
- Eclair_de_XII
- · Replies 14 ·
- STEM Career Guidance
- Replies
- 14
I don't think I learned any mathematics as an undergrad
- TMO
- · Replies 25 ·
- STEM Academic Advising
- Replies
- 25
Confirming what I learned, a follow up differential equation
- stripedcat
- · Replies 2 ·
- Differential Equations
- Replies
- 2
I’ve made a huge mistake (or: how I learned I hate business and love physics)
- HugeMistake
- · Replies 1 ·
- STEM Academic Advising
- Replies
- 1
I learned calculus I and II using stewart's. I also taught myself
- physicsnoob93
- · Replies 3 ·
- Science and Math Textbooks
- Replies
- 3
Interesting Economics That I Learned-Big Government is Better
- gravenewworld
- · Replies 26 ·
- General Discussion
- Replies
- 26