Comments on: Dry fire disaster http://www.ianinit.com/2008/09/06/dry-fire-disaster What are we talkin' about? Sun, 02 Jan 2011 15:18:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: ian http://www.ianinit.com/2008/09/06/dry-fire-disaster/comment-page-1#comment-56 ian Sun, 07 Sep 2008 19:33:41 +0000 http://www.notsopc.com/?p=63#comment-56 Yeah, our rails need to be longer so that the arm can't roll forward off the end. I think the 2x4 would have worked for the most part as it broke when it flipped forward and impacted with the concrete on the ground. I wasn't kidding about the bowling ball. We could fit one pretty easily between the cinder block base. We have much more testing to do before we try something with that kind of damage potential. We will also need to move to a safer test site as well. Yeah, our rails need to be longer so that the arm can’t roll forward off the end. I think the 2×4 would have worked for the most part as it broke when it flipped forward and impacted with the concrete on the ground.

I wasn’t kidding about the bowling ball. We could fit one pretty easily between the cinder block base. We have much more testing to do before we try something with that kind of damage potential. We will also need to move to a safer test site as well.

]]> By: hurlinthom http://www.ianinit.com/2008/09/06/dry-fire-disaster/comment-page-1#comment-55 hurlinthom Sun, 07 Sep 2008 16:34:06 +0000 http://www.notsopc.com/?p=63#comment-55 First, as you found out, dry fires are rough on the machine. Second, if the tracks are just long enough to support the wheels you should be OK; longer isn't necessary, shorter is asking for trouble. Third, you need reinforcement around the areas where the axles pass through the arm. Making the arm wider (2X6) won't help much. a square of 3/4" plywood on either side of the weight axle hole (with matching holes in the squares, of course) will help more. You were kidding about the bowling ball, right? Your frame looks narrow for that. First, as you found out, dry fires are rough on the machine. Second, if the tracks are just long enough to support the wheels you should be OK; longer isn’t necessary, shorter is asking for trouble. Third, you need reinforcement around the areas where the axles pass through the arm. Making the arm wider (2X6) won’t help much. a square of 3/4″ plywood on either side of the weight axle hole (with matching holes in the squares, of course) will help more.

You were kidding about the bowling ball, right? Your frame looks narrow for that.

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