The old timer's method sounds like a recipe for scrap to me. Real world tooling just wears down over time, and a quick offset tweak can save a whole batch from being junk. You're right that it only takes a minute to adjust a wear offset on a Haas, so why risk it? Maybe he's running really forgiving materials or roughing ops where a few thou doesn't matter. Do you bump your offsets mid-run based on a gage reading or just when you see issues?

That "called it innovation" part got me. Its like how every little hack we do feels like some major life breakthrough in the moment. I swear half the stuff i "invent" is just me being too lazy to get off the couch so i use a remote to grab something just out of reach. We all pretend our shortcuts are genius moves but really we're just making do with what we got.

Did you actually follow the prep instructions to the letter though? I tried those same resin casts on a nasty founder case last fall and they held up for a solid six weeks until her hooves grew out enough to pull them. I've had way more trouble with acrylic cracking in cold weather than I ever did with these things. The trick is you have to rough up the hoof wall way more than you think and make sure the cast material is fully warm before mixing. I also found that keeping the horse on stall rest for the first 24 hours makes a huge difference in how well they bond. Maybe give them another shot with a different prep routine before writing them off completely.

Don't you just hate it when companies shoot themselves in the foot like that? I've seen it happen a couple of times around here too, where a local firm spent thousands on legal fees to enforce a non-compete that was so over the top the judge basically laughed them out of court. The worst part is they end up with a reputation for being bullies (which scares off good talent) and still lose the client anyway. It's like they forget that restraint of trade laws exist for a reason, you know?