A couple of weeks ago whilist on a re-enactment I had a conversation with an engineer. It started with him heaping critisim on a reproduction wheel barrow I had made. It was a copy of a medieavel wheelbarrow found in manuscripts and if you are interested there is a picture on the tools forum under "which builders wheelbarrow" or something like that. He started saying it was badly designed because all the weight of the load is behind the wheel rather than over it and despite several people telling him he was wrong because the design keeps the center of gravity low, the height makes it easy to load and having long handles gives extra leverage he was adamant that he was right.
He then started on what I was doing at the time. I was dressing a small tree trunk into a square post with an axe, well two axes. "When I was an apprentice " he said "we were given a piece of round bar about six inches long and had to turn it into square stock with only chisels and files"
"We had to get it accurate to within two thousandths of an inch too" he added "you don't get that with timber do you?"
This is when I had my moment to get back and I said "Nah two thou's no good to us at all we have to get it spot on"
I really couldn't believe he hadn't heard that one before but he hadn't and then seemed to remember some pressing engagement and walked off
He then started on what I was doing at the time. I was dressing a small tree trunk into a square post with an axe, well two axes. "When I was an apprentice " he said "we were given a piece of round bar about six inches long and had to turn it into square stock with only chisels and files"
"We had to get it accurate to within two thousandths of an inch too" he added "you don't get that with timber do you?"
This is when I had my moment to get back and I said "Nah two thou's no good to us at all we have to get it spot on"
I really couldn't believe he hadn't heard that one before but he hadn't and then seemed to remember some pressing engagement and walked off