The Universe Has a Wry Sense of Humor

Rich was trying to find some new bolts for a floor lamp that we got at a garage sale. (The vertical pole was loose from both the flexible neck and the base). We also have one complete lamp, so he had a couple of sample bolts to measure.

His thread gauge said the bolts were a match for #8-36. But when he tried to find that size, everyone he called (including a specialty store for bolts) said they'd never heard of #8-36 bolts.

Hmmmm; could they be metric? He tried the metric gauge and they ALSO matched an M4 with a 0.7 pitch. Arrrgh. It seems they're metric.

But that was a very familiar-sounding specification...

In fact, it's the same size as the bolts that he bought a pack of last week for his motorcycle.

What are the odds that the bolts needed for a floor lamp are exactly the same as the bolts Rich bought for the motorcycle last week? (A motorcycle, I might add, that has been "out of service" and off the street for two years or more.)

The Universe Has a Wry Sense of Humor ( in category Odd Corners ) - posted at Fri, 28 Aug, 22:39 Pacific | «e»