Introducing the Crownulator

[Ron Nossaman]

> In the meantime, I 
> imagine there will be some learning curve as to the best way to use the 
> crownulator, to avoid the pitfalls or at least get an improved 
> look at what's going on under there; but I'm sure it beats my ratty 
> piece of twine that the cat keeps dragging out of my tool bag.

Ah, there's your problem. You need to try a length of genuine 
braided #1 black silk suture, otherwise known as the Kansas 
Straightedge. Cats ignore this stuff, and go straight for the 
temperament strips.


> *Also Dale brings up the fact that crown on a loaded board is often 
> imperceptible when there may actually be .010" over 12", for 
> example. I've tried loading punchings and holding a ruler under my twine 
> to get a better measurement, but I keep getting a cramp in sixth arm. 
> BAAAAH! Problem solved.*

Well, yea, but either crown or bearing by itself isn't of much 
use. You need the combination of the two to tell you what the 
board is actually supporting. Also, a piece of masking tape to 
hold one end of the KSE at the rim, with one hand holding the 
other end at the opposite rim still leaves a hand free to 
slide a calibrated wedge in to measure crown, in as many 
positions along the KSE as you like, to get a crown profile. 
Light, you say? LED headlamp, sir.


> *I would also like to humbly suggest that we upgrade the way we describe 
> crown. I've heard too many descriptions of crown as an arc deflection 
> without any relation to a span, specifically as it concerns setting 
> static downbearing, which just seems incomplete.  *

Then we also need definitions, and understanding, of the 
differences in methods of setting bearing on old CC boards, 
old RC boards, new CC boards, new RC boards, and new RC&S 
boards, all of which are somewhat different, with the RC&S 
boards being considerably different. We also need to connect 
crown with bearing, which is seldom done in discussion.


>  > But who checks crown anyway, eh? <G>
>  
> *Why the crown elves, of course, that come into the shop in the wee 
> hours. Don't you have them in Kansas?
> *>
>  > Ron N

Not in my shop. The dust got 'em all, so all that's left is my 
own elf serving, crown and bearing checking self.
Ron N