<HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.3059" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY style="FONT-SIZE: x-small; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"> <DIV>Terry:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The conversion from the mils measurement (thousandths of an inch) to a tangent value is straightforward. If I recall correctly, 3 units to the positive bearing from both sides of the bridge (net) yields 6 x 0.003"=0.018 which is the tangent of 1 degree net bearing over the bridge. Hmmm, maybe I have to look up my tangent tables to be sure of this, but I think it's right. 0.026 is the tangent of 1 1/2 degrees, I think. Anyway, that's the conversion. And someone should make that clear with the instructions, you're right.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Paul</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <DIV><STRONG>"If you want to know the truth, stop having opinions" (Chinese fortune cookie)</STRONG></DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>In a message dated 05/03/07 17:00:47 Central Daylight Time, mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com writes:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"> <DIV> <STYLE type=text/css> .aolmailheader {font-size:8pt; color:black; font-family:Arial} a.aolmailheader:link {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; font-weight:normal} a.aolmailheader:visited {color:magenta; text-decoration:underline; font-weight:normal} a.aolmailheader:active {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; font-weight:normal} a.aolmailheader:hover {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; font-weight:normal} </STYLE> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.3059" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Breaking news item: Lowell Component Downbearing Gauges are now available from Pianotek.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have a question regarding the instructions for measuring downbearing: </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>"Multiply the number of divisions the bubble crossed by three and one has the front or rear bearing, in thousandths."</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>My high school chemistry teacher would string the author of this gibberish up by his/her thumbs. I can hear him now: "Where are your units? Without units this means nothing!"</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thousandths of what? Inches I suppose. But what does that mean? So I have a couple thousandths of an inch of downbearing - what does that tell me? I don't have a backscale length. The only thing that means anything is an angle. Angles are not measured in thousandths of an inch - it is not a linear measurement. Are they trying to suggest a slope maybe - as in so-many thousandths of an inch of vertical length per inch of horizontal length?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The author should get a job at NASA and send another rocket crashing into Mars.....  ;-)</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Terry Farrell<BR>Farrell Piano</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>PS: Units - a little pet peeve of mine!</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A title=http://www.farrellpiano.com/ href="http://www.farrellpiano.com" alt="http://www.farrellpiano.com/">www.farrellpiano.com</A><BR><A title=mailto:terry@farrellpiano.com href="mailto:terry@farrellpiano.com" alt="mailto:terry@farrellpiano.com">terry@farrellpiano.com</A></FONT></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>