Hey @Fireball_Jason, I just had a question about the toothed washer system. Is there a reason you had to have two washers for getting 1/16 increments when a single asymmetric washer system could have done that? It’d have kept parts bin count down to just one washer.
Single asymmetric washer does Red+0 and Green+1/16 increments:
With a two asymmetric washer system you could go down to 1/32nd increments:
Main washer would contain Red+0 and Yellow +3/32nd with a supplemental washer having Green+1/16th and Blue+1/32nd
I too thought thats how the block worked when first getting them, one way would give you the even 1/8s, and flip it over for a 1/16 offset. Wondering the same thing, curuious as to why not as well.
Jason,
Do you make the 1/16 washers in a bright red to avoid the confusion? Something to really make it stand out, otherwise I just have a drawer of mixed up washers that look the same.
I really do like that you engage on the forums. It is impressive you find the time to do that with everything else you are overseeing to make this business grow.
The washers are all labeled on the side to avoid confusion. You can read the markings when the washer is in use. I agree that a different color would help, but steel is hard to change color without paint. Unfortunately paint doesn’t last forever and adds thickness to the parts. Your more then welcome to modify the washers.
Have you looked into PVD coatings? Gold (TiN), rose gold (ZrN), bronze (TiAlN), blue (TiAlN), black (TiAlCN), as well as a dark red (ZrN). I can’t remember what colour Chromium Nitride comes out but they are used on endmills and doesn’t wear away much at all. Cheap enough to apply to fake jewelry too.
And the simplicity does make sense as even though I’ve read micrometres for all my career I have been off by a whole thimble rotation before. Honesty best to sanity check with a digital caliper for verification.
Also @Fireball_Jason an easy way to differentiate the washers is to mill away a couple teeth on the 1/16 washer (I’m assuming less people buy this one) so you’d visually see it is different from the normal washer and it’d feel tactilely distinct for when your fabricating in the dark under enemy fire so can’t have a light. I’d recommend ^^-^^-^^ as the pattern for its symmetry and it’d only be one tooth down from the normal washer so should still be sturdy enough.
Actually, perhaps ^^^–^^^ might be better as you’d only need one slot cut with a bigger endmill to accomplish it. Food for thought.
Avoiding confusion is a simple answer but confusion is the baseline in fabricating. if someone can’t figure out which way the washer is then they’re in the wrong game!
Truth of the matter is, if you offset it you’d have to offset the blocks to get them back to zero. easy enough but anyone with the old blocks will have to keep them separate.
That’s where this one comes in. One way is standard and the other way is offset down to 1/64th if wanted. Teeth can be doubled for 1/32" increments. Etching the increments in each corner should help avoid confusion.
I know you already have explored the double teeth for your washers but have yet to go anywhere with it. Is it a matter of durability?
