Re: Reliable information - was Automatic boring head?

--- Well, I think I would rather get information a good engineering
book than on line. Most books are joint endevours and pass through
several pairs of hands befor printing. I am not talking about the
hobby magazine type of publications where all sorts of crazy things
are suggested to compensate for lack of proper equipment.
I would not want to serve an "online apprenticeship", just take a look
at one of the "stuck collet" replies just listed. I cannot see much
difference between that and under water glass cutting, except perhaps
that glass cutting is a less costly experiment if it fails!
Terry
In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@y..., "Ian Wright" <Ian@i...> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <hexagon@o...>
> > Sorry if I upset you but I have found most lists to be a very
> > unreliable source of information, it is quicker to search out and

read

> > a good manual written by an expert than to sort out the wheat from

the

> > chaff offered on line. I think if a person commits himself to

print

> > and charges for it, the chances of it being useful information is
> > petty good.
>
> Now, I too don't want to upset anyone but...... ;o)...
> you obviously don't read the same books as I do or are maybe not as

critical

> of their content. In my field of watchmaking and also amongst a good

number

> of engineering books I have read, there is very little 'original'

material.

> Rather, the works of earlier writers has been plagiarised with

obvious

> errors perpetuated and 'old wives tales' incorporated so that many

of the

> books are, at best, unreliable, and, at worst, downright dangerous.

The kind

> of thing I am talking about is the assertion which appears in

several

> supposedly respected texts, that you can cut glass with scissors

provided it

> is done under water! This is obviously an extreme example but many

of the

> well known texts contain errors which can be traced back to earlier

works,

> often originating in a mistranslation of a foreign text. Granted,

there are

> some useful modern books which are written by knowledgeable and

practical

> people but far too many are at best, theorists, and, at worst, just

want to

> make a living from writing. Sorting your way through this morass of

books

> can be far more time consuming than accessing this list - unless, of

course,

> you are prepared to take everything at face value.
> At least on the list you are fairly sure that the contributors are

practical

> people and, amongst them there are true 'experts' in a number of

fields.

> Within the space of a couple of days, any problem is likely to get

several

> different solutions offered and you can then sort these out

yourself. They

> will probably all work in certain circumstances although they may

not all

> fit your situation of cost frame but then the same would surely

apply to

> 'book learning'. Any offerings which are obviously unworkable will

almost

> certainly be condemned quite rapidly by those who have 'been there -

done

> that'.
> All lists have a broad mixture of talents and personalities with

less

> contributors than 'monitors' and this is unfortunate as those who

sit on the

> sidelines could often make very valuable contributions, even if

these are

> only in a very small, specailised area.
> All forms of learning have their place and I, for one, have gained a

lot of

> valuable information and assistance from this list. My interests are

perhaps

> more esoteric than most and I can only comment on subjects which

are,

> perhaps, peripheral to the core of the list, nevertheless, any

contribution

> I do make is carefully considered and given the same weight as I

would

> expect to place in a published book. You never know what use will be

made of

> the information you post to the internet and I was made aware a

little while

> ago of a substantial part of one of my postings to another list

appearing as

> an unattributed quote in an article in a well-known New York

newspaper!

>
> Ian
> --
> Ian W. Wright
> Sheffield UK
> www.iw63.freeserve.co.uk