Revisiting Hexagons
A hexagon, as mentioned in a previous post , is often used in nature due to its amazing strength. One of the earliest hexagonal written thoughts dates back to 36 BC when Roman polymath, Marcus Terentius Varro, reported that the hexagonal shape makes the most efficient use of space and building material. (Source: Wikipedia ) From that point, builders and manufacturers have been busy as bees using the hexagon to build their man made creations. Image courtesy of Meggyn Pomerleau With that being said, a machinist often uses two of history's genius hexagon inventions - hex nuts and bolts with hex heads. These handy fasteners allow for an excellent grip without slippage when tightening. As machinists, we also make plenty of hexagons in our career. That's why I decided to revisit my hexagon tips and GrafNCalc83 programs I created to calculate a hex angle , hex point 1 , hex point 2 , and diameter calculation for hex and square. My coworkers and I use these programs on a near-d