Some Physics

 Mike Gilmore, a former colleague has been kind enough to send me a few physics problems to work out. The harmonic motion problems helped me remind myself that in harmonic motion omega is everything, or nearly.  The orbital motion problems were a bit further removed from my usual thoughts but omega is nearly as important in them.  In circular motion the acceleration is equal to omega ( the angular velocity -radians per second) squared times the amplitude and the direction of the acceleration is opposite the displacement. Any other motion where the acceleration can be expressed as  some constant times the amplitude, i.e. a = const x Displacement and is in the direction opposite to the displacement yields an angular velocity, omega,  = square root of the constant . The frequency simply equals
omega /2pi and the period = 1/frequency = 2 pi/omega.

Orbital  motion introduces gravitational potential energy and conservation of angular momentum into the mix, but if the motion is circular omega is still a useful quantity, and omega Rsquared is conserved.

A visit from Daniel

Daniel, our younger son,  was in town working on a paper at Tufts. We visited with him at the Richters outside Boston, and Chris, our older son, and his wife, Tracy, brought our grandchildren. We all had a very good time. 

A Shapely Leg ( at least I think it is.)

Finally got to the point where I can start applying finish to a leg to see what it will finally look like. I had to chop mortises into the front and inside of the top of the leg and then bevel three sides before I could apply the first coat of shellac. This is the rear view of the worst of the 8 legs.

Black Mountain NC

Been away visiting family and friends in North Carolina. 

Black Mountain is a town full of shops selling local arts and crafts including some really fine work. It has some good restaurants and is surrounded by some impressive mountains. Well worth a visit on the way to Ashville, the Smokies, and Blue Ridge Parkway.

Some advice:

In repairing plumbing, cars, electronics, and carpentry, I have noticed that much of the equipment and tools that don't work any more have failed from lack of use rather than overuse. Don't let this happen to your body and even more important - don't let this happen to your head, your heart, or your smile.

New Year

Hope you had a pleasant start to the new year despite the weather. Ours was quiet and enjoyable, spent with good company: friends

and relations.

More on the Nightstand Project

Just finished putting the reeding on leg number 8 for two night stands I am making. I like to think they are some of the best looking legs this side of Radio Music Hall [ old time New Yorkers and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade watchers know what I mean], but I am prejudiced.

With 8 legs and sixteen reeds per leg, that's 128 reeding grooves. Glad I am done.