Gravity Curve?

[Reed Gray]

I know there is a special name for a curve that you can use for designing bowl and hollow form shapes that comes from hanging a string between 2 or more points, and the sag caused from Gravity gives it a curve. Begins with a C I think. Any one know what the word is that I am looking for???

Have a bowl turning demo for our club next month.

robo hippy

[alex carey]

Catenary...

[Joe Aliperti]

Catenary

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catenary


EDIT: Alex beat me to it.

[bob svoboda]

I think Catenary is the term you are looking for.

[Reed Gray]

thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

robo hippy

[Wally Dickerman]

I know there is a special name for a curve that you can use for designing bowl and hollow form shapes that comes from hanging a string between 2 or more points, and the sag caused from Gravity gives it a curve. Begins with a C I think. Any one know what the word is that I am looking for???

Have a bowl turning demo for our club next month.

robo hippy

Reed, using big words like that ought to impress your audience:)

Wally

[Allen Neighbors]

I'm sure you all know this already, but for the few who don't, I'll expound a little on word origins.
The word comes from an old African term (many years ago) that was used to describe the appearance of a feline with a heavy belly, confusing it's true meaning - a nursing mother cat, with the erroneous meaning - a female cat that had just gorged herself on a meal. After years of mis-use, it finally evolved into the present word, following almost the same thought that the cat has indeed, eaten the canary... "cat-en-ary".
Now you know, and can amaze your friends... :D

[Matt Hutchinson]

Evidently no one found that funny, but I did. So I will do it.....



LLLLLOL!!! :D

[alex carey]

just logged on Matt, i definitely found it funny.

[Harlan Coverdale]

I'm sure you all know this already, but for the few who don't, I'll expound a little on word origins.
The word comes from an old African term (many years ago) that was used to describe the appearance of a feline with a heavy belly, confusing it's true meaning - a nursing mother cat, with the erroneous meaning - a female cat that had just gorged herself on a meal. After years of mis-use, it finally evolved into the present word, following almost the same thought that the cat has indeed, eaten the canary... "cat-en-ary".
Now you know, and can amaze your friends... :D

Your lesson reminds me of another interesting 'word origin' tale. Apparently a couple of early Australian Aborigines were sitting around the campfire one night finishing dinner when their campsite was overrun with stirds, a now-extinct small rodent common in the Australian bush at the time. One of the men grabbed a partially burned bone from the campfire and threw it at the swarm of critters, promptly killing two of them with a single throw. Hence the term 'killing two stirds with one bone'.

True story. :D

[Paul Douglass]

Roll up the pant legs, getting deep in here.

[Ray Bell]

It's just amazing what you learn on this forum. I can't wait to dazzle my family and friends with these new learned facts:D

[Reed Gray]

Cat ate the canary!!!!!!!!!!! Now, I will never forget the term. That is great.

More than one way to skin a cat. Supposed to be cat fish, not kitty cat.

Wally, ever read the Mark Twain story about the guy who tried to impress his friends with big words and would get them mixed up like 'splendiferous'. I actually love that word, and do use it from time to time.

robo hippy

[Dave Ogren]

Reed,

I have not seen it done with a string, but a lot of times with a beaded chain.

Dave

[David Epperson]

LOL. Catenary - Haven't done it with string...welding cable, but not string. I used to work in a plant that made cable and had to install a steam curing tube that would match the curve of the cable on the inside - so the freshly applied insulation would not drag the sides until it had cured. That took a couple hundred feet, so the curve started on an elevated mezzanine and "drooped" to first floor level.

[Ed Thomas]

One of my favorite words is "pestiferous", especially as applied to cats. :)

[John Beaver]

I'm reminded of the old Steve Martin routine about the cat taking the catamaran to Catalina, it was a catastrophe....