Buster 2. When we finally found him he was in about 30 pieces. Totally destroyed. Even so, we had him ready for another test in 55 minutes. Hyneman: I want to weigh in on the concept of tolerance in design.
There are times when precision is needed, like in a highly tuned racing engine. But there are also cases where the best engineering is loose. The world is sloppy, and if you need something to interact closely in a variety of situations, precision can be your enemy. A rig that's subjected to corrosion, dirt, fire and impact needs built-in slop so it won't seize up at the first dose of whup-ass.
The pipe wrench that still works after rusting in your basement for 20 years is a testament to loose tolerances. Hyneman: Work on the show or special effects is never leisurely. One of my speed tricks is cutting aluminum, brass or bronze with woodworking tools.
I regularly cut aluminum tubing, plates or extruded shapes on a table saw with a carbide blade. I spray on WD so the metal doesn't stick to the blade. Of course, cutting metal with woodworking tools is against every manufacturer's recommendations and pretty dangerous: Don't try it! It's my gear so I can use it incorrectly at my own risk; I wouldn't even think of letting one of my employees use these techniques.
I brace the workpiece securely because the blade can throw it. As usual, eye protection is a must, but I also use gloves and a full-face shield. Sharp bits of aluminum are going everywhere and I usually end up with a lot of nicks.
The most extreme thing I ever cut was a pair of 4-ft. They were used in a 3DO video game commercial, so they did not have to hold an edge. The blades were about 6 in. I finished in an hour or so; it would easily have taken a sane person a couple of days to do it on a milling machine.
The trick was to clamp a 6 x 60 x 4-in. The fact that the stock and the blank were longer than the sword allowed me to cut the bevels while leaving the blank thoroughly clamped. The extruded tube gave me something solid and large to hold onto as I moved the whole affair along the fence.
Like I said, we're crazy. But I still have all my fingers--knock on aluminum. Hyneman: The purposefully inexact Mars rover replica for a Diet Pepsi commercial is another lesson in loose engineering.
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