Post by CampKohler (Sacramento CA) on Apr 19, 2018 10:54:29 GMT -5
I visit an elderly Russian friend from time to time. On the last visit, she was concerned about a buzzing, whirring sort of noise that was emimating from the house's adjacent garage, The landlord's husband has a workshop set up in a separately-locked-up space and the noise had been driving her nuts since they left for the weekend.
After a half an hour of the noise, I tried the deadbolted side door, and it opened! There was an 8" HFT bench grinder running, and it was mounted on a big flat surface covered with hardware bits that had been dumped out in an obvious hurried search for some screw or another. The grinder's vibration was such that all the loose hardware was dancing around and amplifying the racket. I switched off the grinder and notified the landlord (also a friend) by text.
I wondered how a thinking fixit type could just walk off and not notice the racket. It took me a couple of days, but I finally hit upon it. When you switch off the grinder, there is so much kinetic energy stored in the two 8" wheels that it takes several minutes for a noticeable slowing to occur. The normal routine is to switch off the grinder and depart with its sound still almost at full speed. Thus if one departs after forgetting to turn it off, the sound is exactly the same; there is no audible clue that you had failed to turn it off. And off on vacation they went. The tenant was relieved to have peace and quiet restored.
After a half an hour of the noise, I tried the deadbolted side door, and it opened! There was an 8" HFT bench grinder running, and it was mounted on a big flat surface covered with hardware bits that had been dumped out in an obvious hurried search for some screw or another. The grinder's vibration was such that all the loose hardware was dancing around and amplifying the racket. I switched off the grinder and notified the landlord (also a friend) by text.
I wondered how a thinking fixit type could just walk off and not notice the racket. It took me a couple of days, but I finally hit upon it. When you switch off the grinder, there is so much kinetic energy stored in the two 8" wheels that it takes several minutes for a noticeable slowing to occur. The normal routine is to switch off the grinder and depart with its sound still almost at full speed. Thus if one departs after forgetting to turn it off, the sound is exactly the same; there is no audible clue that you had failed to turn it off. And off on vacation they went. The tenant was relieved to have peace and quiet restored.
