[CAUT] killer shanks

[Ron Nossaman]

> Yes I taper/channel the whole set and sort by weight. I am told that the 
> stiffening is akin to I-beam construction but I am not an engineer so 
> consider that hearsay. 

Heresy, actually. There's no way you will stiffen a beam by 
removing material, unless you replace the removed material on 
a different part of the beam. It will always become more 
flexible. I beams are not as stiff, much less stiffer than 
solid beams of the same outside dimensions. I beams are a 
means of getting a high degree of stiffness with a minimum of 
material - a higher stiffness to weight ratio, sure, but not 
increased stiffness. It keeps the material cost and weight as 
low as is practical for tall building construction. Tubing is 
probably better, but tougher to assemble in building structure.

Ron N