"Doug Miller" wrote in message
...
In article .com,
RicodJour wrote:
On Jul 7, 7:24 pm, (Doug Miller) wrote:
RicodJour wrote:

I'll argue my point with a very simple test that you can do for
yourself. Drill a hole the exact size of a nail in a piece of wood,
drilling along the grain. Soak the wood overnight. You don't have to
boil it. Try to insert the nail the next morning. The wood will have
expanded, and the hole will have gotten smaller, not larger.

Nonsense.

Which part of my experience is nonsense?

First, in assuming that a sample size of 1 is sufficient for
generalization;
second, in failing to understand all the factors involved -- see below.

Like I said, try it for
yourself.

My experiment is already underway. I drilled a 5/8" hole in a small scrap
about two hours ago, and dunked it. I measured it with a dial caliper just
prior to immersion at 0.628" diameter.

I just fished it out -- the hole is visibly elliptical already, and
measures
0.661" along the long axis, parallel to the growth rings. Note that this
absolutely contradicts your claim that the hole will shrink.

So what's it on the short axis? That's really the more important of the
measurement no?


I'll check it again in the morning.

The hole
may not be perfectly round, but the net area of the hole will be
smaller. I've done this. Try it, you'll see.

Pardon me for being very skeptical of your claim to have actually done
that.
I'll perform my own test and report the results.

Please do. I wouldn't have it any other way.

BTW, the test was an accident. It was an offcut piece of red oak with
a drilled hole that I'd left outside - yes, I know I should clean up
more carefully. The piece was outside for about a week and there'd
been only a day and a night of rain I think. Out of curiosity I stuck
the same bit into the hole, or tried to, and it wouldn't fit. I could
spin the bit in a little, like I was drilling it, but from your
description it should have slid in easily as the hole could only get
bigger in all dimensions. It was only a partial test as I didn't try
the bit after the piece dried out - I just threw it away.

In other words -- no systematic testing conducted, just a conclusion
drawn
from examining a sample size of one piece.

Did it occur to you that small holes can easily be obstructed by only a
handful of wood fibers that swell into the hole? The only *valid* test is
by
measuring a hole that's considerably larger than the grain of the wood.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.