workin man

[D-FENZ]

View attachment 191554

Sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do. As rickety as it looks at first glance, it appears to be stable.

And there's probably a smoke detector up there too- at the high point where code requires them to be. And those batteries are supposed to be changed every year. Homeowners can get really janky when they're trying to get to them.

 

[newmisty]

Sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do. As rickety as it looks at first glance, it appears to be stable.

And there's probably a smoke detector up there too- at the high point where code requires them to be. And those batteries are supposed to be changed every year. Homeowners can get really janky when they're trying to get to them.

This is the part that sketches me out...

 

[hammerhead]

This is the part that sketches me out...
View attachment 191604

Point loads and sway bracing are the most important things in construction. Back in the day, a person could stand on a soda can and it wouldn't collapse until the weight shifted. I can't do that with today's cans and I weigh less than I did 10 years ago.

 

[newmisty]

Point loads and sway bracing are the most important things in construction. Back in the day, a person could stand on a soda can and it wouldn't collapse until the weight shifted. I can't do that with today's cans and I weigh less than I did 10 years ago.

Im still amazed at the strength of an eggshell when squeezed equally in the hand.

 

[D-FENZ]

Lots of moving parts here... And a whole lot of crazy.

 

[newmisty]

Sometimes you just gotta do what ya gotta do.

 

[hammerhead]

Lots of moving parts here... And a whole lot of crazy.

View attachment 191635

Are they bringing them up or taking them down?

 

[D-FENZ]

Are they bringing them up or taking them down?

Looks to me like they're goin' down.

 

[hammerhead]

Looks to me like they're goin' down.

I would think that would be more difficult. Gravity could help though.

 

[Silver]

Sometimes you just gotta do what ya gotta do.

One time building an iron structure there was no highlift available for rent anywhere in the area. I had a real clever Mexican welder working with me and he had an idea - weld a gin pole to the bucket of a backhoe, I was up for anything under the circumstances. We had some 12" I beams 40' long that needed to go on columns 20 feet high - it was hairy, but he got it done. The bucket maxed out a little short at the highest point on the taller columns - he again rigged up a com-along and inched it up on top of the columns. I really thought something bad was going to happen with the gin pole up so high with 500lb beams. Sweating bullets.

 

[newmisty]

One time building an iron structure there was no highlift available for rent anywhere in the area. I had a real clever Mexican welder working with me and he had an idea - weld a gin pole to the bucket of a backhoe, I was up for anything under the circumstances. We had some 12" I beams 40' long that needed to go on columns 20 feet high - it was hairy, but he got it done. The bucket maxed out a little short at the highest point on the taller columns - he again rigged up a com-along and inched it up on top of the columns. I really thought something bad was going to happen with the gin pole up so high with 500lb beams. Sweating bullets.

Messing with steel aint no joke. There was a little learning curve for me when i worked for a meal fabrication outfit. It demands respect! But when you respect it, its at ypur beck and call and wonders can happen.

 

[newmisty]

While we're on the topic of Steel I've been wanting to start welding on my own and I'm always asking different people for advice because it seems everybody has a different answer or recommendation for how to get started.
Any thoughts are appreciated. Thinking about getting a decent stick welder to start and play with that.

 

[ttazzman]

While we're on the topic of Steel I've been wanting to start welding on my own and I'm always asking different people for advice because it seems everybody has a different answer or recommendation for how to get started.
Any thoughts are appreciated. Thinking about getting a decent stick welder to start and play with that.

Steel fabrication was my first trade and was also a certified welder at that time in my life so its been years but you never forget the trade just get motor skill rusty ....

as far as welding ....a stick welder is a good teacher as it makes you learn to see the puddle and learn stick movements etc.....but a wire welder if set up correctly will make even the rawest rookie a acceptable welder and is very forgiving...

no matter the welding type rookies typically have two major mistakes....

#1 they dont see the weld puddle ....for many reasons...some wont use adequate protective gear and weld at arms length yeah they see a arc but not the puddle...they tend to use too dark a hood....dont use glasses if they need them...dont position themselves to see the details of the puddle....they fear the arc spatter ...etc ....envision the puddle as molten metal with molten flux on top a good welder will see the molten puddle and make it to the shape he wants

#2 the second mistake rookies make is they weld with the welder set way to low on amperage and they do that because they are blowing holes...etc...i allways told my welders they can grind off messy weld tops but they can never go back and get good penetration into the two parts they are welding together.....a good looking weld can be weak and under penetrated vs a ugly weld thats stout as hell.....make welds and then break them and see how your doing as you go

as far as wire welders i recommend starting with a fluxcore wire as it is one less issue (no gas) to learn to deal with

as far as stick welders go a person needs a welder that has both ac and dc and the ability to reverse polarity as far as rod type i would start a person either on 6011 (farmer rods ...welds ugly but penetrates crap on metal well) or 7018 which is a universal structureal all postion rod (the go to rod for building steel welding)

with both stick or wire...its good to start with a book on your welder that recommends settings for materials and rod sizes

thats would be what i would tell anyone starting out in welding .....im sure others can add to this

metal is a wonderful medium to work with

 

[Uncle]

Uncle's first rule of welding.

Don't weld wearing flip-flops or open shoes as it almost guarantees a broken puddle.

Uncle's second rule of welding.

Never, ever touch earth and the rod at the same time, however brief, as it results in a long stream of major profanities, at the very least, and a burn that really stings.

Golden Regards
Uncle

 

[davycoppitt]

While we're on the topic of Steel I've been wanting to start welding on my own and I'm always asking different people for advice because it seems everybody has a different answer or recommendation for how to get started.
Any thoughts are appreciated. Thinking about getting a decent stick welder to start and play with that.

My advice would be what I did. I was in your same boat. Signed up for a summer night class at the local technical college. Whole class was kids going for there certificate for welding. Told the instructor Im just here for one class. He didn't make me follow that specific class guidelines. Taught me how to use every kind of welder in the shop. It was a blast and I learned more than I could anyplace else.

 

[Silver]

Steel fabrication was my first trade and was also a certified welder at that time in my life so its been years but you never forget the trade just get motor skill rusty ....

as far as welding ....a stick welder is a good teacher as it makes you learn to see the puddle and learn stick movements etc.....but a wire welder if set up correctly will make even the rawest rookie a acceptable welder and is very forgiving...

no matter the welding type rookies typically have two major mistakes....

#1 they dont see the weld puddle ....for many reasons...some wont use adequate protective gear and weld at arms length yeah they see a arc but not the puddle...they tend to use too dark a hood....dont use glasses if they need them...dont position themselves to see the details of the puddle....they fear the arc spatter ...etc ....envision the puddle as molten metal with molten flux on top a good welder will see the molten puddle and make it to the shape he wants

#2 the second mistake rookies make is they weld with the welder set way to low on amperage and they do that because they are blowing holes...etc...i allways told my welders they can grind off messy weld tops but they can never go back and get good penetration into the two parts they are welding together.....a good looking weld can be weak and under penetrated vs a ugly weld thats stout as hell.....make welds and then break them and see how your doing as you go

as far as wire welders i recommend starting with a fluxcore wire as it is one less issue (no gas) to learn to deal with

as far as stick welders go a person needs a welder that has both ac and dc and the ability to reverse polarity as far as rod type i would start a person either on 6011 (farmer rods ...welds ugly but penetrates crap on metal well) or 7018 which is a universal structureal all postion rod (the go to rod for building steel welding)

with both stick or wire...its good to start with a book on your welder that recommends settings for materials and rod sizes

thats would be what i would tell anyone starting out in welding .....im sure others can add to this

metal is a wonderful medium to work with

I'm a self taught welder (taught by a fool) and only for my own projects, not professionally, and one thing that really helped me was the auto darkening welding helmet. I could stay focused on getting the arc started where I wanted it and concentrating on the puddle. Welding is mesmerizing and amazing.

One of my early jobs as a teenager was working in a factory re-manufacturing aircraft cylinder heads that were cracked. My job was to place the cracked cylinders heads on bank of gas burners and bring them to 800 degrees, then lift them off by hand (40lbs) and place them at the welders tables to be welded (I think it was mig) while hot. These re-manufactured cylinders were as good as new and they all went into military aircraft.

 

[hoarder]

I was working at a truck shop in 1980 and the boss wanted me to learn how to weld. He gave me 10 minutes of instruction and 20 minutes of ridicule and I've been welding ever since. Still worthy of ridicule.
Stick welding is easy to learn and simple. If you have to weld thin steel under 14 gauge you will have to get into wire welding. I have had 3 (flux core) wire welders and spend more time repairing them than welding with them. If you want one that actually works you might have to spend some serious coin.
Stick welders are dirt cheap and no maintenance so that's the best place for a newbie to start.
I've never used a self darkening helmet, too rich for my blood. I bought my first stick welder brand new including hood for less than what one of those fancy helmets cost.
The biggest problem I have is vision. Reading glasses are only effective out to about 16" and a lot of welding positions require more like 20 to 30", so I can't see the puddle unless I can get my head up close.

 

[arminius]

I spent a few years in the steel mills on the south side of chitcago. I worked in the 53-54 inch structural mill where we rolled Ibeams for large buildings. When I was there we rolled out the beams for the sears tower. My first job there was as an oiler. Picture a building 80 yards wide and 300 yards long with a conveyer belt ran down the center. The steel rollers in this conveyer were 9 feet long and at least 3 feet in diameter. My job was to keep the oil vats for each mill and set of rollers full. The steel would come in at the hot end in large red hot bricks 6 by 6 by 9 foot. The first mill the ingot would go thru was called the rougher, and it began the process of converting the ingot into an Ibeam. There were always lips on the top edges of the ingot which when it went thru the rougher would shoot out bits of red hot steel. Always had to watch when it got to that process and be behind something. The steel went thru the mills became an Ibeam, and were cut at the cold end by a huge circular saw into what they needed. I had a few pet cats there in that mill that I would toss a bite to occasionally. They were all steel grey in color, all of em.

 

[Silver]

I've never used a self darkening helmet, too rich for my blood. I bought my first stick welder brand new including hood for less than what one of those fancy helmets cost.

You can probably afford the auto darkening welding helmet I have ...

https://www.harborfreight.com/blue-design-auto-darkening-welding-helmet-61610.html

 

[ttazzman]

I was working at a truck shop in 1980 and the boss wanted me to learn how to weld. He gave me 10 minutes of instruction and 20 minutes of ridicule and I've been welding ever since. Still worthy of ridicule.
Stick welding is easy to learn and simple. If you have to weld thin steel under 14 gauge you will have to get into wire welding. I have had 3 (flux core) wire welders and spend more time repairing them than welding with them. If you want one that actually works you might have to spend some serious coin.
Stick welders are dirt cheap and no maintenance so that's the best place for a newbie to start.
I've never used a self darkening helmet, too rich for my blood. I bought my first stick welder brand new including hood for less than what one of those fancy helmets cost.
The biggest problem I have is vision. Reading glasses are only effective out to about 16" and a lot of welding positions require more like 20 to 30", so I can't see the puddle unless I can get my head up close.

my experience with wire welders has been the opposite (unless the rollers were wore out)

but my biggest problem is exactly yours.......the glasses issue and distance .....have the same issue with mechanic work also cant get the right distance for eyes or glasses...as im sure you know its extremely frustrating sometimes

 

[hammerhead]

 

[Goldhedge]

Well, that's what the drawing indicates does it not?

 

[hoarder]

Well, that's what the drawing indicates does it not?

Thats why drawings come with "East elevation" and "North elevation" and "West elevation" and South elevation".

 

[Studiopaul]

lol barely catching up to ibc 2018

 

[hammerhead]

 

[Brio]

Isn't much craftmanship in this project but I did have a lot of fun! I hate shopping so every year I try hard to get out of it. Last year I had a huge pile of birch firewood so I pealed some of the prettier bark off and wrapped it around led candles.

 

[Brio]

This year I had a friend weld up the grandfather's cattle brand in small size. I work at the plywood plant now and we brought home 14 pickup loads of cores, that's what's left over after the veneer has been peeled off, makes great (free) firewood. Used a chop saw and cut a hundred or so 1/4" cookies. Got the fire pit roaring hot, branded them all. Not many even knew our grandfather had a brand so everyone gets coasters branded with the family brand. And I never did go shopping YAY ME!

 

[hammerhead]

 

[Bottom Feeder]

why?
he's standin more than two rungs from the top.

BF

 

[hammerhead]

why?
he's standin more than two rungs from the top.

BF

The light fixture hanging from the ceiling looked good on paper.

 

[Uglytruth]

Putting a whole lot of faith in the carpenters that installed that railing................

 

[D-FENZ]

View attachment 191804

The old adage that 'form follows function' holds true even in this cluster'.

Looks like a typical third-world jobsite without the usual, harum-scarum scaffolding. But those stairs... Ain't no way I would get near them, let alone on them. The upper flight doesn't look strong enough to hold itself up. I would much rather be the electrician on the ladder, hanging the fan in Hammer's other post. At least the guy would have the possibility of a relatively soft landing.

 

[Bottom Feeder]

possibility of a relatively soft landing.

... and without the inclusion of a bunch concrete chuncks.

 

[spinalcracker]

18 80 pound sacks of quickcrete and 1 90pound sack of Portland cement later and maybe I’ll finish up this flowerbed next spring

 

[engineear]

18 80 pound sacks of quickcrete and 1 90pound sack of Portland cement later and maybe I’ll finish up this flowerbed next spring




View attachment 194314

And when it's all done she says..." I thought it was gonna be taller...can you make it taller?"...in a thick Brooklyn accent whine.

 

[Brio]

And when it's all done she says..." I thought it was gonna be taller...can you make it taller?"...in a thick Brooklyn accent whine.

I think it's a little too high, can you shave it down a bit?

 

[glockngold]

18 80 pound sacks of quickcrete and 1 90pound sack of Portland cement later and maybe I’ll finish up this flowerbed next spring
Gotta ask,
Why the portland?
To add strength throughout each bag of quickrete, or as a topping slurry?

 

[spinalcracker]

to add strength to the quickcrete...if that bagged stuff tested out at 2000 psi I would be shocked

i usually add a couple shovels of Portland per bag of quickcrete

 

[Silver]

18 80 pound sacks of quickcrete and 1 90pound sack of Portland cement later and maybe I’ll finish up this flowerbed next spring




View attachment 194314

Did you make those radius's with thinner wood?

I also add portland to sacrette.

 

[hammerhead]

18 80 pound sacks of quickcrete and 1 90pound sack of Portland cement later and maybe I’ll finish up this flowerbed next spring




View attachment 194314

Spinal, were you done pouring by lunch? I mean was it all poured at one time?