fishdump

A little backstory - lost a lathe in a fire last year, and our insurance is paying to replace it up to $10,000. I've used old American iron in the past, but IME most have needed significant elbow grease to get into 'operational' condition and few if any have 'like new' tolerances. I've also heard none of the new machines are any good, cheaper materials etc, however I had always assumed that was on a per dollar trade aka a new $1000 machine isn't as good as a $1000 craigslist buy from the 40s but might not apply to a $10k new vs $2k used. If I bought used it would probably be a midcentury southbend 10in heavy, but I've used or owned a logan and atlas in the same size.

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My spouse is at risk of complications if she gets sick with Covid, and has a 'meeting' with the admin and superintendent on Monday. We presume that they are are trying to force everyone back into the building since we've had to resubmit doctor's paperwork 3 times this year despite community spread skyrocketing. We would rather lose the income than risk getting sick, but we're not sure the exact ramifications.

1. What is the chance of being banned from teaching for a year from 'breaking contract' if fired? (This would be an even easier choice if teaching at an online school shortly after is an option.)
2. How is the deferred pay handled? Presumably 2/3 of the year has passed,

Like the title said, do you have any suppliers that have mixed boxes of tool steel drops? Discount steel used to have an aluminum mic6 mixed box that was nice, and I'd like to get something similar for tool steel so I can screw up while learning without wasting a bunch of expensive material.

Not sure if there are any, but I don't want to accidentally get in trouble for bringing a padauk wine bottle stopper Christmas present to Germany in a week or so. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't matter and no one would know but I don't like skirting the law internationally. Sidenote, this is my last project using any exotics. I just can't justify it to myself anymore even though it's been under 10 boardfeet in my life. I'm happy with domestics and plan to stick to those from now on.

Is anyone familiar with the seals on the hydraulic cylinders and any heating needed to maintain flexibility? I've been looking into dynamic seals in cryogenic conditions and haven't seen anything that works yet. Indium is the usual seal for these conditions but only for static seals. I'm assuming they heat the seals, but I'm not sure how much energy that takes or what seal they're using.

Is anyone familiar with the force exerted by one of the hydraulic cylinders on the excavator arm? Specifically the linear extension force of the (let us say detached) hydraulic cylinder and not the force the bucket/arm/boom can exert when in use. I'm looking for force ratings from a model about the size of the CX30C from Case. Any of the three cylinders (bucket, arm, boom) or all three will work, and I just need a decent ballpark. I'm not very familiar with the equipment and they could be 5 tons or 50 tons of force for all I know.

I have a little experience with engraving wood, and I've been looking at coin die engraving, but I haven't seen enough to feel comfortable with my current assessment. So in your experience/opinion, can a 40W laser engrave tool steel over the span of 20-30 passes or is a higher powered machine needed? A lot of passes will be required for a 3D design so pass depth isn't so much an issue, but I want to make sure that steel won't reflect like brass does.

Our beardie is nearly a year old and 16" long, and he loves to roam around our living room. We have cats but they're scared of him and we keep a close eye on them. We do have a cat door though, and I'm wondering if anyone has had a beardie climb through one before. Roaming inside we can handle, but we don't want him going outside without closer supervision so if he can climb out we want to keep the door closed and locked while he roams.

I've had a couple of these printers since they came out but like everyone else after a couple kg of material the quality dips substantially. While redoing the bed wiring I noticed the bearings were basically siezed on the bed and slowly cutting into the linear rods, but I haven't found a place that sells bearings like that or rods threaded like the originals. I don't want direct replacements since the quality wasn't there to begin with, but I do want to spend some money improving what is already a pretty solid little machine. I'm currently running them with igus bearings inside printed housings but the prints just aren't as sturdy as the aluminum. Any ideas for solid replacements?

As the title says, can I request immunity from all testimony or should I get a lawyer?

Couple of details:
I'm not a party to either side of the case, just had some communication with the defendant quoting service prices.
It is a phone interview, not sworn testimony.
In the USA. (I'd add the state(s) in question if it wasn't too identifying)
I'd like to help with the case, and I/the small company I work for have no criminal past nor any criminal activities, but I am well aware of the recommendation to never talk to police or prosecutors in case they decide interpret something the wrong way. We'd prefer to not pay for a lawyer just to help with