Gear Technology and its sister publication, Power Transmission Engineering, have FaceBook pages where members can view new content on a regular basis and post topics that interest them. We had hoped this blog could facilitate a conversation with readers, but the channel has been hopelessly clogged with spammers. Regular FaceBook users know that the platform is not without its own set of trolls and spammers, but monitoring the evildoers is much more convenient. Of particular interest are reader questions for our technical editors. The roster includes some of the most experienced gear and power transmission engineers in the world and they are ready to answer your questions in the pages of the magazines. As one of the more junior editors, 45+ years of gears trails the field by a bit, I really enjoy the Ask the Expert challenge. We “did it live” at the 2015 Gear Expo with several international panels and a great audience. We may not agree on every detail of every answer but it was interesting to learn why some experts hold strongly to some positions. So bring on your questions. We will handle the controversial topics (like whether the use of hunting tooth combinations is still important) or the routine (like where to find good gear engineering books). Please do not expect us to do your research for you though; as experts we have a vested interest in cultivating an insatiable interest in the history and lore of our trade. We like to send students back to the source material instead of short circuiting the learning process. My now grown children loved to tell me that the modern world does not require memorization, that instead it places a higher value on knowing where to find the information when you need it. Between our archived articles and expert editors we hope to build a cadre of informed readers and help them prosper in our venerable profession.Gear Technology and its sister publication, Power Transmission Engineering, have FaceBook pages where members can view new content on a regular basis and post topics that interest them. We had hoped this blog could facilitate a conversation with readers, but the channel has been hopelessly clogged with spammers. Regular FaceBook users know that the platform is not without its own set of trolls and spammers, but monitoring the evildoers is much more convenient. Of particular interest are reader questions for our technical editors. The roster includes some of the most experienced gear and power transmission engineers in the world and they are ready to answer your questions in the pages of the magazines. As one of the more junior editors, 45+ years of gears trails the field by a bit, I really enjoy the Ask the Expert challenge. We “did it live” at the 2015 Gear Expo with several international panels and a great audience. We may not agree on every detail of every answer but it was interesting to learn why some experts hold strongly to some positions. So bring on your questions. We will handle the controversial topics (like whether the use of hunting tooth combinations is still important) or the routine (like where to find good gear engineering books). Please do not expect us to do your research for you though; as experts we have a vested interest in cultivating an insatiable interest in the history and lore of our trade. We like to send students back to the source material instead of short circuiting the learning process. My now grown children loved to tell me that the modern world does not require memorization, that instead it places a higher value on knowing where to find the information when you need it. Between our archived articles and expert editors we hope to build a cadre of informed readers and help them prosper in our venerable profession.