tales from the shelf : High-Torque Crush Test

That coffee can target took its beating, but the massive cast-iron bench vise bolted to the corner of the wood was begging for an uncalibrated pressure trial! Wedged in the sawdust beneath the threaded drive screw lay an empty brass casing and a chipped steel ball bearing. Maximum load experiment primed! I jammed the bearing straight into the hollow mouth of the brass cylinder, then slotted the entire payload dead center between the vise's serrated iron teeth. Hooking my claw over the long steel sliding T-bar handle, I threw my full chassis weight downward—CREEEAK-BANG! The screw bit deep, pancake-crushing the brass sleeve while the bearing punched clean through with an ear-splitting metallic pop! Jaw compression verified at maximum destructive tolerance!