neighbor is engineer

[stevestuckey]

My neighbor, an electrical engineer, gave me some cherry if I would just 'get out of there'. I had to rip a couple chunks to lift and he observed that my saw must be sharp to make chips (noodles) like that. I explained about cutting with the grain caused that along with a sharp chain. He said that a sharp chain would do that even crosscutting--well ok--I better get better at filing. Then he said sharpening with a file is the only way to do it. I agreed. A Stihl man told him that. But as it turns out he can only file his chains 4 times and they are done. I think the Stihl man forgot to tell about the flat files. Filing rakers with a round file would be tough. So I told him I thought I could get 100 file strokes per cutter and then I changed it to 80. I hate not knowing the truth about such simple things so I got an extra cutter with my Carlton loops and filed with a reasonably new Save Edge approx 5" strokes. I filed to the line. It took 104 strokes. File that away in your bar talk file.

 

[ronT2]

My neighbor, an electrical engineer, gave me some cherry if I would just 'get out of there'. I had to rip a couple chunks to lift and he observed that my saw must be sharp to make chips (noodles) like that. I explained about cutting with the grain caused that along with a sharp chain. He said that a sharp chain would do that even crosscutting--well ok--I better get better at filing. Then he said sharpening with a file is the only way to do it. I agreed. A Stihl man told him that. But as it turns out he can only file his chains 4 times and they are done. I think the Stihl man forgot to tell about the flat files. Filing rakers with a round file would be tough. So I told him I thought I could get 100 file strokes per cutter and then I changed it to 80. I hate not knowing the truth about such simple things so I got an extra cutter with my Carlton loops and filed with a reasonably new Save Edge approx 5" strokes. I filed to the line. It took 104 strokes. File that away in your bar talk file.

That must mean 26 strokes each cutter every time. Right???

 

[ironman_gq]

sharp chain will not pull noodles crosscutting (not even a race chain can do it) and he is definately doing something very wrong if he only gets four sharpenings out of a chain before its done. Shouldnt take more than 5-6 strokes to get a chain back to sharp if you stop before it cant cut anymore. For me even a bad cutter only takes 5-10 strokes to bring back to useable.

 

[jerryw66]

I think the OP figured the neighbor wasn't filing the rakers at all. 4 sharpenings without doing the rakers, and the engineer thought the chain was done for? That's the way I took it.

 

[Chris J.]

I think the OP figured the neighbor wasn't filing the rakers at all. 4 sharpenings without doing the rakers, and the engineer thought the chain was done for? That's the way I took it.

If this is true, and the engineer didn't file away the teeth, I'd ask him if I could have his old chains .

 

[NeoTree]

Don't worry, just because Joe Blow has "engineer" tacked on to the end of his name doesn't mean he's that much smarter than you. That's why I don't like to tell people I am one, they treat you differently, and for every smart one, there is a dumb one. Besides most electrical engineers don't do strength testing, mechanical design..etc. so I think you probably one up him in the wood cutting world, hell most mechanical engineers probably don't know jack squat about wood cuttin, the one's I work with don't really.
Nice little factiod ya got there :jester:

 

[jeepyfz450]

Don't worry, just because Joe Blow has "engineer" tacked on to the end of his name doesn't mean he's that much smarter than you. That's why I don't like to tell people I am one, they treat you differently, and for every smart one, there is a dumb one. Besides most electrical engineers don't do strength testing, mechanical design..etc. so I think you probably one up him in the wood cutting world, hell most mechanical engineers probably don't know jack squat about wood cuttin, the one's I work with don't really.
Nice little factiod ya got there :jester:

I hear that neo.... I work with about a dozen engineers. A few of them are absolute morons. most are just clueless about anything other than thier trade. We have 2 mechancal engineers any they are very very knowledgable.

 

[ttyR2]

Natural insight is something lacking in a lot of engineers too. That old engineers axiom "If it looks right, it is right" holds a lot of water.

When cutting across the grain, the wood fibers have zero strength in that direction and will fracture. Seems obvious you couldn't get long chips that way. I'd be curious to know why he thinks you could.

 

[MS260 Fan]

I don't care how much education a person has or what their specialty is, they're still going to be surprised the first time they see noodles coming out of a saw. Not what the average person would think would happen.

It still makes me smile every time I do it.

 

[MS460WOODCHUCK]

My dads oldest brother is the head engineer at the tank plant 30 miles from here. I remember 20 years ago he was all proud because he bought himself a real chainsaw unlike my dad and grandpa's saw's. The dumb azz straight gassed his new PM610 right in front of us.

Took many years of college for him to figure out how to STRAIGHT GAS HIS BRAND NEW "REAL" SAW LOL!

 

[Coloradobum]

I work with a bunch of PhD scientists, including engineers. Some are truly brilliant. Others, well, you can't teach common sense. Evidently hands on skills are not necessary for grad school.

 

[MS260 Fan]

Problem with a donkey

Engineer buys a new property. 5 acre lot with house, small barn and a bit of a pasture. Included with the barn is a donkey. The donkey was grazing in the pasture during the summer when the engineer bought the property.

Getting into fall the engineer approaches his carpenter neighbor. Engineer says "I have a problem with my donkey. He won't go into the barn. His ears touch the top of the door frame of the only door. When his ears touch he backs out and refuses to go in. Winter's coming soon. If I can't get him in the barn he may not make it through a cold winter! His ears are too long for the low door so I'm going to have to do something." Carpenter says "OK, I'm free to have a look at your barn tomorrow. I'll be over after work. Maybe I can help."

Next day the carpenter goes next door and waits for the engineer at the barn. He looks around and sees the floor at the entrance is hard packed dirt and is crowned a bit at the entrance to the door. Shortly after the engineer comes out carrying a pile of papers. He proudly tells the carpenter that the night before he drew up plans to raise the door. Plans include a list of materials and rough sketches of how to support the structure when the work is being done. He asks is new friend the carpenter when he can start.

Carpenter says "Listen, I think if you dug a bit of dirt out at the door your problem would go away". Engineer looks at him and shakes his head "Listen he says...it's not the donkey's legs that are too long, its his ears".

I was told that one years ago on my first engineering job. I laughed and walked away to tell it to some other engineer. The guy who told me found me afterward and asked me if he had offended me...

 

[Zombiechopper]

I've met some pretty stupid engineers, doctors and lawyers. And I've known some pretty dang smart alcoholic hillbillys. I'd take the hillbilly any day

 

[dingeryote]

NASA spent close to a Million dollars in 1960's money,engineering an ink Pen that would work without gravity.

Guess they never heard of a pencil.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[spacemule]

NASA spent close to a Million dollars in 1960's money,engineering an ink Pen that would work without gravity.

Guess they never heard of a pencil.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

That is incorrect.

A private company is the one who spent the money.

And furthermore, pencils are not practical in zero gravity areas--any broken lead or debris of any kind is a hazard when electronic equipment is involved.

Please try to keep your facts straight.

 

[DSS]

That is incorrect.

A private company is the one who spent the money.

And furthermore, pencils are not practical in zero gravity areas--any broken lead or debris of any kind is a hazard when electronic equipment is involved.

Please try to keep your facts straight.

Of course you'd say it's incorrect...you didn't post it.

Anyway...

I work in road construction and deal with a lot of engineers of one type of another. Once they get that ring on their finger they are roughly comparable to god.

Most of them don't have the common sense of a smelt. Lot's of things can't be learned from a book.

 

[oneoldbanjo]

Well.....I am an engineer.....and I guess I better jump in here and defend myself. I do file my own chains!

Engineering - just like any other occupation has good and bad people. Yes there are a lot of engineers that are well educated and they don't have a lot of common sense - engineering involves a lot of math, science, physics, chemistry.....and years of studying and testing. For a lot of these people there has been very little opportunity to get involved in "hands on" work and they have spent a lot of time indoors with books and computers.

I grew up in a rural area on a farm, got a job as a small engine mechanic while in high school and learned about engines, I worked as a motorcycle mechanic, worked in a steel mill after high school making castings for railroad cars to get money for college - then went to college and got my engineering degree. I don't wear a pocket protector, I don't wear nerdy glasses or even suits, and I still cut my own wood and work on my own saws (thanks to my early training in small engines). I also built my own house and garage, and I am not afraid to get dirty or work outside in the heat/cold.

Yes....sometimes we are in positions of power and get to call the shots on construction projects. I am a Civil Engineer and I work on road, water and sewer projects. After I have designed them and put them out to bid - I get to inspect the work and determine if the contractors are building the project correctly. I have been the Engineer for some clients for more than 25 years and they trust me to get the project done right.....and if something fails they will want know why it failed and will look to me to get it resolved.....long after the contractor is paid and gone. I have been around long enough to see what happens if the contractor cuts corners or does shoddy work. I get along very well with the contractors in my area - I don't throw my authority around needlessly and I am not afraid to pick up a tool and help out if the need arises. The contractors know when they are bidding one of my projects that I am fair and reasonable and will not ask them to do something that is not necessary just to inflate my ego - if I ask them to fix something or do it differently they know it is important to the job. If they don't understand why I want it done differently I am happy to explain the issue to them. I get up at 5:00 and to work at 6:00 in the morning, and very often I don't get home until 10:00 as I have to attend Council Meetings or Planning and Zoning meetings at night.

So.....there are good and bad engineers.....good and bad doctors.....lawyers......accountants.......mechanics......farmers......truck drivers......etc. Engineers (sometimes even nerdy ones) do provide the general public with the things that get you through almost every aspect of your daily lives - almost every thing you touch, drive, sail, fly, live or work in has an engineer involved.

 

[slowp]

Hmmm, I worked a few years as a road engineer, and went to forest engineering school so I can tell this joke.

A lawyer, a priest, and an engineer were golfing on a bright and sunny day.
All was going well, until they caught up and had to wait for a party of blind golfers to move on.

The lawyer started talking about how the blind golfers had the right to golf because of the Americans With Disabilities Act and how it was great to see them. The priest rambled on about how inspirational it was to see blind golfers on the course and how much faith they must have.

The engineer said, "Why can't they golf at night?"

I learned to run profiles in the woods, enter the results in a computer program and that would tell at what height to hang skyline for maximum payload--say 30 feet. A good logger can go out, wander around in the uncut unit, and say, "Looks like I'll have to hang the lines up about 30 feet."

 

[brages]

what good would a chainsaw be without an engine?

 

[ROOTSXROCKS]

I have known a few Engineers in my time and without Hands on experience Experimenting with materials out of necessity they are frigging worthless for everyday Practical purposes or insight. Now when It comes to the numbers and picking materials from a catalog of specs, they can match up numbers pretty well. but you just can't give them unrefined working materials or conditions that are outside their scope of experience.