Did anyone ever find the correct answer to this puzzle?

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=344364

We just came across this puzzle at work.

Thanks,

Peter

Did anyone ever find the correct answer to this puzzle?

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=344364

We just came across this puzzle at work.

Thanks,


Sorry, I wondered into this NG from rec.woodworking NG.

This is an old-tyme puzzle, that is normally phrased
How-did-the-nail-get-there-in-the-first-place.
Lots, and lots of posting on this puzzle, and the solution along with it's
companion, the wood pencil in the wood block on Wood Working forums, NGs and
so forth.

(the solution was on the Public TV show, The Woodwright's Shop with Roy
Underhill a few seasons ago.)

Soak the wood in boiling water for several minutes. (actually, a whole lot
longer than several minutes!)
Compress one end (section) of wood in a wood vice, and squeeze to compress.
(Takes a
lot of effort, vice must be bolted to workbench. A "put-your-back-into-it"
type of effort.)
Wood will remain compressed until re-immersed in boiling water.
Normally, will return to original size.

Some tips:
Type of wood does mater, softwood (Pine, Redwood, etc.) is better than
hardwoods (hickory, maple, white oak, etc.)
Can be done with Red Oak, but scrap 2x4 Pine is so much cheaper.
Wood with larger distance between growth rings is better than close dense
wood growth rings.
Wood should start off as kiln dried, less than 10% moisture. (Walls of the
cells
and all that...)
Wood grain direction makes a difference (flat straight grain, and NO KNOTS.)
Vice with hardwood jaws will leave fewer scars to give away the solution.
The end sections are normally twice the length of the middle sections. (I
don't know why; IMHO, for looks only.)

Phil

Sorry, I thought this was the rec.puzzles NG
I didn't notice this was the rec.woodworking NG.


Sorry, I wondered into this NG from rec.woodworking NG.

On Jul 6, 10:55 pm, "Phil-in-MI" NO Spam &
wrote:
Sorry, I thought this was the rec.puzzles NG
I didn't notice this was the rec.woodworking NG.





Sorry, I wondered into this NG from rec.woodworking NG.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks for your reply and sorry if I posted in the wrong newsgroup.
The puzzle was posed to us as "how do you get the nail out of the
block?" I wonder if boilng and a vise would work for that too?

Peter:

Yes, it will.

BTW, what I meant to say in my last post: I apologize for the tone of my
reply, which was aimed at non-woodworkers.
In this NG my reply to your original post should have been:
Boiling water -- squeeze in vice -- boiling water.

Everyone who follows this NG would have already known everything else I
wrote.
I suspect many who read this NG were insulted by the tone of my choice of
words.

Phil


Thanks for your reply and sorry if I posted in the wrong newsgroup.
The puzzle was posed to us as "how do you get the nail out of the
block?" I wonder if boilng and a vise would work for that too?

On Jul 6, 10:51 pm, "Phil-in-MI" NO Spam &
wrote:
Did anyone ever find the correct answer to this puzzle?

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=344364

We just came across this puzzle at work.

Thanks,

Sorry, I wondered into this NG from rec.woodworking NG.

This is an old-tyme puzzle, that is normally phrased
How-did-the-nail-get-there-in-the-first-place.
Lots, and lots of posting on this puzzle, and the solution along with it's
companion, the wood pencil in the wood block on Wood Working forums, NGs and
so forth.

(the solution was on the Public TV show, The Woodwright's Shop with Roy
Underhill a few seasons ago.)

Soak the wood in boiling water for several minutes. (actually, a whole lot
longer than several minutes!)
Compress one end (section) of wood in a wood vice, and squeeze to compress.
(Takes a
lot of effort, vice must be bolted to workbench. A "put-your-back-into-it"
type of effort.)
Wood will remain compressed until re-immersed in boiling water.
Normally, will return to original size.

Some tips:
Type of wood does mater, softwood (Pine, Redwood, etc.) is better than
hardwoods (hickory, maple, white oak, etc.)
Can be done with Red Oak, but scrap 2x4 Pine is so much cheaper.
Wood with larger distance between growth rings is better than close dense
wood growth rings.
Wood should start off as kiln dried, less than 10% moisture. (Walls of the
cells
and all that...)
Wood grain direction makes a difference (flat straight grain, and NO KNOTS.)
Vice with hardwood jaws will leave fewer scars to give away the solution.
The end sections are normally twice the length of the middle sections. (I
don't know why; IMHO, for looks only.)

Why wouldn't the nail rust and stain the wood? That would certainly
point towards water being involved in your...errr...solution. I
suppose the nail could be stainless steel, but I've never seen a 16d
common stainless nail.

R

"RicodJour" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Jul 6, 10:51 pm, "Phil-in-MI" NO Spam &
wrote:
Did anyone ever find the correct answer to this puzzle?

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=344364

We just came across this puzzle at work.

Thanks,

Sorry, I wondered into this NG from rec.woodworking NG.

This is an old-tyme puzzle, that is normally phrased
How-did-the-nail-get-there-in-the-first-place.
Lots, and lots of posting on this puzzle, and the solution along with
it's
companion, the wood pencil in the wood block on Wood Working forums, NGs
and
so forth.

(the solution was on the Public TV show, The Woodwright's Shop with Roy
Underhill a few seasons ago.)

Soak the wood in boiling water for several minutes. (actually, a whole
lot
longer than several minutes!)
Compress one end (section) of wood in a wood vice, and squeeze to
compress.
(Takes a
lot of effort, vice must be bolted to workbench. A
"put-your-back-into-it"
type of effort.)
Wood will remain compressed until re-immersed in boiling water.
Normally, will return to original size.

Some tips:
Type of wood does mater, softwood (Pine, Redwood, etc.) is better than
hardwoods (hickory, maple, white oak, etc.)
Can be done with Red Oak, but scrap 2x4 Pine is so much cheaper.
Wood with larger distance between growth rings is better than close dense
wood growth rings.
Wood should start off as kiln dried, less than 10% moisture. (Walls of
the
cells
and all that...)
Wood grain direction makes a difference (flat straight grain, and NO
KNOTS.)
Vice with hardwood jaws will leave fewer scars to give away the solution.
The end sections are normally twice the length of the middle sections. (I
don't know why; IMHO, for looks only.)

Why wouldn't the nail rust and stain the wood? That would certainly
point towards water being involved in your...errr...solution. I
suppose the nail could be stainless steel, but I've never seen a 16d
common stainless nail.

R

I was kind of wondering why the wood wouldn't swell around the nail, making
it all but impossible to extract.

In article , "Eigenvector" wrote:

I was kind of wondering why the wood wouldn't swell around the nail, making
it all but impossible to extract.

Because the wood swelling will make the holes *larger*, not smaller.

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

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

On Jul 7, 11:05 am, (Doug Miller) wrote:
In article , "Eigenvector" wrote:
I was kind of wondering why the wood wouldn't swell around the nail, making
it all but impossible to extract.

Because the wood swelling will make the holes *larger*, not smaller.

Why wouldn't the wood swell in all directions?

R

RicodJour writes:

Why wouldn't the nail rust and stain the wood?

Can't you just boil the one end? Perhaps wrap the nail with wax. And
you can polish the nail afterwards. It rotates and slides back and
forth. So most of the hidden surface is exposed.

Why wouldn't the nail rust and stain the wood?

Can't you just boil the one end? Perhaps wrap the nail with wax. And
you can polish the nail afterwards. It rotates and slides back and
forth. So most of the hidden surface is exposed.

Yes, that is what most would do. Just boil the one end.

Aside: the goal is to remove the nail. There is no part of the puzzle's
statement, or motivation for anyone to anticipate, that the nail is to be
re-inserting into puzzle for re-doing the puzzle. The puzzle's nail just
might be a one time use. The entire puzzle just could be a one time
puzzle, based on the puzzle's challenge statement.

The heated water is to soften the cell walls for being crushed.
Re-hydrating the wood cells is not the goal as water is just so difficult to
compress.

Also, the craftsman who made the specific puzzle is (should be?) honor bound
to make a puzzle which can be solved. The nail is in a pre-drilled hole,
which should have a large enough diameter to avoid any swelling problem.

This type of puzzle is very old. The solution is just as old;
tried-and-true as it were.

Phil

Phil-in-MI wrote:

This type of puzzle is very old. The solution is just as old;
tried-and-true as it were.

Phil

Phil, are you suggesting that we set fire to the wood? ;-)

Bill


--
I'm not not at the above address.
http://nmwoodworks.com


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