Why do power drills have R and L?

[The Natural Philosopher]

I see you have never ridden a cycle

[FromTheRafters]

Jim Joyce presented the following explanation :

Indeed, replacing worn out tires with the original replacements makes the handling different. You don't notice it slowly changing as they wear down, but the new one's difference in un-worn shape suddenly make it noticeable.

[Colonel Edmund J. Burke]

Why not, you bucktoothed asswhole?

[Ed Pawlowski]

Since you brought it up. I was always taught IV but just looked this up:

Is 4 IIII or IV? Originally, it was common to use IIII to represent four, because IV represented the Roman god Jupiter, whose Latin name, IVPPITER, begins with IV. The subtractive notation (which uses IV instead of IIII) has become the standard notation only in modern times.

[Commander Kinsey]

What annoys me is some things are the opposite way round.

Volume control on your stereo - clockwise for more sound. The tap in your sink - anti-clockwise for more water.

There seems to be some weird custom to make electrical things go faster to the right and fluid or gas go faster to the left.

[Commander Kinsey]

As is usual for the thicko bisexual Canadian that refuses to post to the UK group, which I've re-added, you misunderstand. Those sort of dials are moving the needle to the right, not rotating.

This is a rotational dial:

This is a left to right dial: And just to confuse you, this is down to up:

[Jim Joyce]

Motorcyclist magazine did an excellent article in the early 1980's where they trashed the various steering myths. Keith Code did even better when he built his "No BS" demo bike. Youtube has videos showing it in action. Here's one example:

First the myths. These things don't work to quickly and accurately initiate a turn on a motorcycle:

- Putting all of your weight on one foot peg.

- Digging your knee into one side of the tank.

- Shifting your weight to one side.

None of those things will allow you to quickly and accurately steer a bike. What does work is countersteering, and the most efficient way to do it is to push on one handlebar - right to go right and left to go left. You can achieve mostly the same effect by pulling on the opposite bar, and indeed you'll have to do that if you're riding with one hand, but pushing is much more effective.

For more info, I recommend the book, "Proficient Motorcycling", by David L. Hough. He discusses cornering on pages 49-62.

[micky]

Interesting. I think my '50 Olds had left hand threads on the left side.

all the later cars, starting with a '65 pontiac, had right hand threads on both sides.

[T i m]

Agreed.

All to do with shifting the CoG.

Push on the left bar 'steers' the bike to the right, causing it to fall to the left. The bike then automatically steers to the left (due to the rake on the forks) and counters the fall. Do that big time and you get a 'high side. ;-(

Every motorcycle novice we have been out with and we have got to try the whole counter steering thing has quickly 'got it'.

Cheers, T i m

[rbowman]

IV. Only fitting in a doctor's office...

[The Natural Philosopher]

I see you have never ridden a BICYCLE

[T i m]

Bwhahahaha ... like the science is any different between a motorbike and a push bike.

They work identically re countersteering, because they are mechanically the same re countersteering.

When you force the handlebars one way the bike (both types) will fall towards the other, initiating the turn.

The only machine (I'm familiar with) that is less responsive to that is our tandem because of it's length (wheelbase, and why sports bikes are generally short wheelbase).

Oh, if you can't wait to learn how it also applies to cycles:

Cheers, T i m

[T i m]

<snip>

+1

Not towed a dinghy for a while till I delivered one to the local boat club for a mate. I backed it though the front gates, down past the end of the clubhouse and round onto the front. The biggest problem was because the Meriva has a fairly short overhang, getting enough steering on quick enough without the front of the car hitting one of the many obstacles that were either side on the way.

The Sierra Estate was much easier to reverse a trailer with (long rear overhang) as you could get correctional movements onto the trailer (as you suggest) before the car was far out of line itself.

We often get 40 foot articulated lorries stuck in front of ours when they realise they can't get where they are going because it's a dead end.

Some drivers seem able to turn round (safely) with the minimum of shunting whereas others can't seem to do it without damaging the street furniture / verges / tarmac / trees or writing off parked cars (3 so far, one of ours). ;-(

Cheers, T i m

[T i m]

<snip>

It's funny, being stuck in a boat from an early age and expected to 'get on with it' means I've always felt tiller / outboard steering a boat pretty intuitive?

But then I've also found similar steering an RC model (when it's coming towards you especially) and I think the trick to that was (as Mr Lamb says elsewhere), imagining you are doing it yourself (Or inside the model in the RC case).

So when reversing a trailer I just watch the trailer (directly or in the mirrors) and where I want to go and move the wheel in whatever direction is needed to make that happen (subliminally). You just have to make sure the front of the car doesn't hit anything as you do.

Because with boats you don't generally 'steer' but 'ease' the boat in your chosen direction (at speed especially), it's pretty easy to test the result of your action before you get far out of line. At slow speed and worse in reverse, all bets are off (well, again, till you have done it a few times). ;-)

When sailing you can get 'weather helm' where you have to pull harder on the tiller to keep the boat sailing in you chosen direction (often made worse as you heel more and the rudder is now also acting like a hydroplane). It's a bit like understeer in a car.

Like undesteer, weather helm can be better than the alternative as the boat is naturally trying to point into the wind and so take the power out of the sails.

Cheers, T i m

[Commander Kinsey]

I tend to think I remember it being set in one direction, then tighten something I'm trying to loosen, making it impossible to remove.

I've never found those to work, I just use a cobalt drill. I always use cobalt for metal and tungsten carbide for masonry. Anything else wears away.

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

Note that with the fluid, turning it clockwise is tightening it like with screws.

[Commander Kinsey]

Agreed - it does amuse me that people have to remember the points of the compass as "never eat shredded wheat". I just know where they are. As for left and right getting mixed up, for crying out loud. Even if they're that thick, how about you write with your right hand? I think the Merkins have infected us with gross stupidity.

[Commander Kinsey]

Ever moved it while it's running and made a worrying noise?

[Commander Kinsey]

I've seen something like that, I think it's a barometer calibration, or perhaps setting a cheap clock.

[Commander Kinsey]

Cessnas are for jumping out of.