Grandpa Fenn's Workshop
The Wedge and the Screw
Grandpa has a log that needs splitting and a heavy beam that needs lifting. He says both jobs use the same secret. A ramp that has been bent around.
Grandpa Fenn's Workshop
Grandpa has a log that needs splitting and a heavy beam that needs lifting. He says both jobs use the same secret. A ramp that has been bent around.
Pick a tool. Drive the wedge into the log or turn the screw. Compare what each one asks of you.
Grandpa taps the split log and the lifted beam. One idea, two jobs, and a ramp hiding in both.
A wedge is a ramp that moves. You push it into the log. The sloped sides push the wood apart, sideways, with more force than you used pushing down.
A thin wedge makes a small push do the job. But it has to travel a long way before the log opens.
A screw is a ramp wrapped around a post. Every turn climbs one step up the ramp. Threads close together make an easy turn and a long climb. Threads far apart make a hard turn and a quick climb.
Toby swings the malletA wedge is a moving ramp.
A thin wedge needs less push and a longer drive.
A screw is a ramp wrapped around a post.
Big word for the day. Trade-off. Less push, more distance.
More machines are waiting on the bench.
Back to the Chain Reaction Bench