My Tax Dollars at Work

For the longest time I have been wanting an ergonomic, adjustable chair for my workspace. I never was able to rationalize spending $100-$800 for a real office chair, especially as the lower priced ones are really cheap knockoffs made overseas. Today we stopped off at the OSU surplus sale that they hold every week on campus and I was able to purchase an Office Master BC44(possibly made in the US, or at least engineered here) chair for the princely sum of $5.00, which seemed to be in almost perfect condition (dust aside). When I got it home I realized why they had sold it as surplus, it wouldn't hold any adjustment to the seat and back tilt. A quick perusal of the mechanism showed why:

Lever B loosens the spring tension that clamps together the steel leaves at C. The steel leaves are slotted and are constrained by that rod, allowing the seat to adjust. In my case the seat adjustment was not locking. Tightening nut A by about a half turn completely fixed the problem, allowing the seat to be adjusted when the lever is depressed, and locking when released.
So the University, rather than having a maintenance man adjust the mechanism, sold me a $120.00+ chair for $5.00

The chair in all it's awesome and functional glory. I'm sitting in it now as I type this...

And now, some links I've been saving up for you to peruse:

How To Make a Ring in 19 Steps

Homebrew CNC surface mount PickNPlace machine using a Taig CNC mill

You Tube video of Taig CNC mill turning bushings like a lathe

Autodesk Inventor LT is free for a year

Plans de moteurs simples

Really Cool Mechanical Art

Sheldon Brown's Bicycle Technical Info

A brief discussion on sheetmetal cutting tools, methods and practices

Here's how to build The Illusionist Locket from common craft store items

Need rubber bands?

Potential Energy

Kwik Check Hole Gages. Yes, I have one...

Here's another take on html earrings.

The African Experience in India

Africans in India

Chess Fonts