Mainely,Bob

In the end what really counts is that you`re happy.You ARE happy(for now) aren`t you,Larry? I`ve known and seen a lot of folks spend mountains of cash on trends or very destructive behavior and in the end have absolutely nothing to show for it. IME,tools are always a safe bet.They can be used to make money,sold for cash and/or profit,used as trading fodder to ease an upgrade,loaned to friends needing a leg up,given to needy people,written off your taxes,left in the will,and any number of other things. Far better to be a tool junkie than the other type ,anyday. When I was single I sometimes slept in my shop and cooked on a hotplate for a few months so I could spend the former house rent on tools.Seemed like good sense back then. Having a wife and kids changes everything.

LGs and their clones seem to be the favored hammers up here.That`s most of what was used by past industry(quarrys,shipyards,etc)and as a result that`s what most folks seem to look toward. Smith`s up here are just about like anyone else in New England,they keep to themselves unless you approach them and then,once accepted,they can`t do enough to help you.The folks I`ve met within driving distance I met only because I stumbled across their caves and they invited me in once they saw me poking around outside. Funny dynamic up here,almost like some kind of territorial dance.You recognize another metalworker,then circle each other waiting for the first word/move to be made.Once the opening move`s made then there`s a flurry or activity while you both take each other`s measure and decide how/if you want to proceed.Once you`ve puffed up and scratched the ground enough to impress each other then acceptance is either offered or denied. Once a bond is formed then a clan mentality seems to take over and new faces are usually discussed in depth and consensus reached before any messages or invitations are sent. I don`t really get it and it seems to have it`s origins in the "holding the cards close to the vest" approach to trade secrets that were common in the trades during the early 1900`s. I tend to be a rebel and favor the open book approach to everything I know so some up here consider me a loose cannon who will readily share all their secrets if they are crazy enough to spill them to me.They`re correct of course. Be forewarned ladies and gentlemen!If you share things with me I will do my best to pass it on to everyone I can(and some who could care less but pretend to listen anyway). Thus ends my rather wordy way of saying it`s tough to get in touch with other metal folk up here.The odd metalworker may show up among the WWing crowd and most belong to ABANA or a similar organization but no formal groups that I know of here is Maine. Maybe if I drove the 4 hours to Boston,but then I`d have to put up with all those "Main-ah" jokes.Like THEY talk normal. :rolleyes:

From a spiritual point of view there is little that rivals going through life with the hands of a craftsman,the eyes of an artist,and the soul of a dreamer. Survival in the mundane world unfortunately requires that we add the brain of a businessman and as we all know that unfortunately wants to overtake and control everything!

Anywhere near the water? Old bronze prop shafts are a favorite around here and when you find them they can be had for whatever scrap prices are at the time.

Thanks for the info YD.Actually it was your posts that got me thinking about an air hammer.I`ve got a lot of your info bookmarked.

When I worked for Ingersol Rand they did what they called time studies.They watched competent workers do jobs and charted how much time it took them to accomplish different tasks.After they had enough data they were able to project the time it should take to do a job safely and to spec.We used to make some pretty good money beating their projected times. Most mechanics working on both cars and motorcycles follow a flat rate manual(dealers especially do)and beating the flat rate is an excellent way to inflate your paycheck. Many different trades use some form of this system and it allows workers to control how much they earn which is ALWAYS a powerful motivator.

I`m looking at building a backyard power hammer and have pretty much narrowed it myself to either a tire hammer or a pneumatic.I was leaning toward a tire hammer because of the straight forward mechanical appeal and ease of fabrication,also so I wouldn`t have to move my compressor outside so I don`t have to hear it run constantly.Up till now the only power hammer I have experience with is a LG and that may have swayed my thinking toward the tire hammer. The more I look at air hammers the more adaptable they seem.I have some experience with pneumatics(air logic systems on draw benches and extrusion presses over 15 years ago)and after cruising thru posts here it appears things are becoming much less involved in the controls and hardware for these hammers. I`d like to hear opinions from long time owners as to pros and cons of both types and why you chose to go the route you did.Guidance from folks who have owned/run both types would be a BIG plus. Thanks.

The wife has Barred Rocks,Aracanas,Reds and another breed that escapes me now.Sells eggs thru the bank of all places.We about break even on feed during the summer but they slow down alot during the winter so we go in the hole to get the eggs and the customers keep calling to see if we have extra(same ones every year,go figure). We live off in the woods so predators range from raccoons,fishers and weasels on one end to owls and hawks on the airborne side.360 fencing is a MUST for us. I was able to score a tube frame like they use for a greenhouse or a tent type garage down at the dump so the framing was a snap for the coop and run.I screwed some 2X2 to the pipe and then wrap the run in clear plastic tarp for the winter,more light=more eggs. Ian`s idea of a concrete floor sounds like a winner,beats shoveling or forking litter.It`d keep the run drier during the winter too.Think I`ll put that on the LONG list.

John, A guy doing the work you do must have a decent compressor plumbed in.Can`t help but wonder why you`re not using more pneumatic tools.They are smaller,lighter,more power to weight,far more durable and last a lot longer as they don`t fry when you stall them.Cheaper to rebuild,harder to wear out,I could go on but... The only real drawback for some seems to be the price.When you factor in that you`ll go thru 6 or more electric grinders before you wear out your air grinder(as long as you keep it oiled) then in the long run they are still a BIG bargain.

Guess you had to latch the freezer door after you stuffed the sheep in there,otherwise he`d just kick(or bunt) his way out. Did freezing them for awhile make them any smarter? If it did then let me know as I have an empty freezer(that locks),a wool blanket and my son`s number on speed dial. :)

Would that be one of those metal bodied "Wildcat" grinders? Those things were some tough to kill,really made you work for it. B&D used to be a real contender in the industrial world now they`re pretty much a joke. I have one of their industrial drills that I must have put 10 sets of brushes in over the years as I wore them out.If they still made tools like that drill and those Wildcat grinders I`d still be gladly buying their products.

Larry,The one thing I think you`re missing is that if you run the business as efficently as possible then it would allow you to do things like get out from underneath some of that overhead. I know you`re probably looking forward to moving into a new shop that you OWN instead of rent.The only way to make that a reality is to get a handle on the business end of your life. I can understand your custom latch point of view.You want the latch to be every bit as innovative and have the same level of quality as the gate.SO PUT IT IN THE ESTIMATE!!! The reality is that if the customer doesn`t appreciate that part of the job enough to pay for it then why are you knocking yourself out to give it to him for free?He pays for the latch or he gets a store bought latch,maybe covered by a hammered plate. Most customers only care that it opens easily and closes securely.As long as it blends with the gate the rest is lost on them. If you were paying an employee by the hour and he took 2 days to design and make something that was not part of billable work would you stand for that?If you see your time as being different from that worker`s time then you are looking at things way wrong IMO. The two things I see that are holding you back are keeping your creativity/quality in check or billable(time/quality management) and your communication problems(both with help and with customers).

Maybe the reason she got so much work done was because she wasn`t exposed to the influence of the others,including you.As we all know,the times you LEAST want to be around the boss is when someone else has got under his skin in a big way. Depending on the job,I sometimes found it better to work at night.No waiting for machines or sharing tools,fewer distractions,no management stopping you to tell you what you already know. Things are cooler and calmer at nite. When getting paid by the piece or the job I found working at nite alone or with one good partner always paid better.You get to do things your way at your pace and if the two of you are in sync and have your eye on the brass ring you can FLY thru some work. Hey Jude and I used to tell the day boss to plan 4 days ahead and give us those jobs in advance.He still had trouble keeping up toward the end of a big job.We could do what he thought was 16 hours work in 7 hours usually.We`d talk it over,Collect and stage the tools,work together to get it started and then see how fast we could push each other(while keeping safety in mind).No breaks, you ate either B4 you started or after you finished.If you finished your step first you either helped your partner catch up or started his next step so he`d finish sooner next time and be helping you at the end.Nothin` he could help on?He started staging and prepping the next job without being told. After coming in early once and watching us work(we immediately warned him not to interrupt us)the foreman dubbed it "hive mind" as he thought we worked like bees,seemingly without communication.Totally focused and never stationary. The only problem with working like that is you can only sustain it for so long.4-5 days and you NEED a break or you burn out and things start going wrong.When things started going south we took a 3 day weekend if we could rather than press on. Hey Jude and I were both healthy,fit and neither of us drank or smoked. Apparently our primary vices were money and family. Now that I think about it thru these posts,it seems to me the more empowered we were as workers the higher our level of motivation. There has to be a correlation between feeling like you have the freedom of choice as to how and with whom you work,setting your own pace and deciding how much money you want to make in a week and your drive to see just how dang good you really are. Those times I worked jobs like that I went home on top of the world and was still buzzin` an hour later.Come payday I and my family were rewarded again for my efforts. I think maybe I felt so good because it was a challenge I CHOSE for myself rather than something that was dictated or expected by the boss.After negotiating the rate,the boss just stepped aside and let us run.The only contact we had was thru notes or a quick talk to the foreman telling him what materials and consumables we needed.

Throw a couple tattoos on them and you got "movin` pik-chas all yee-ah `round,chummy". :)

WOW!!! That`s an Alaskan WOMAN??!! And here I thought our BMWs(Big Maine Woman)were tough customers! They do have something in common with their Alaskan sisters though,their taste in clothes. Is she wearing a flannel shirt and Carhart jeans under that firesuit I wonder?I see she`s got Redwing boots on her feet :D

Looks like a previous post went into the great beyond instead of here so I have a reply and a question. My reply was to Danger`s point about visual references in another post but also hits on something Jnewman said about customer feedback and wants/needs. When dealing with things like boats,old farm houses and other non-normal things it`s important to make sure your work visually blends with the "big picture".If you build plumb,level and square and your work is the only thing within eye line that IS then it will stand out as something that does NOT belong.Something to keep in mind when pricing is "building to suit" meaning building something to fit in a non-level,plumb,etc setting should be priced higher as it`s more work. My old co-worker,Hey Jude,used to say"Build to suit or go another route".Sometimes it`s just faster and better to tear it all out and start from new rather than patch or repair.Likewise,if everything else is out of whack then a curving or freeform design may be easier and faster to build than trying to make everything lean in different directions to match surroundings. The question I have speaks to Jnewman`s post.How many charge for estimates? When I gave free estimates I was overrun by prospective customers.As soon as I started charging a fee,usually $100 per hour,payable upon arrival then knocked off the bill at the end of the project,my estimating took a nose dive but my work stayed level and profit increased. More time in the shop as the tire kickers no longer took it up.Productivity and profit went up as I spent far less time dragging info out of the folks I did estimates for and the estimates were for serious people who wanted real work in the near future and had done THEIR homework in order to cut back on my $100 per hour visits. Try making your shop rate your stated estimate fee and see if it makes a difference.You can always waive it if you feel a need to.

Now that you mention it,I completely forgot about the sight references! One thing I learned when working with boats,old buildings and other things not plumb,level or square is to be prepared to build to visually blend with the big picture. If nothing is plumb,level or square and you build your work to look that way then it can only stand out as something that does NOT belong. As my co-worker,Hey Jude,used to say"Build to suit or take another route".

In the wooden boat world those big chisels are called a "slick".They are used for paring. Think of it being used to cut wood like a wood plane only in a tight area where a plane will not fit. The reason they have that long handle is so you can grip it with both hands,tuck the handle under your arm and use your upper body and shoulder to power it. A traditional slick had the socket bent so the handle would clear the work when in use and they usually had a slight crown to the edge to make them easier to steer in the cut and also a bit of rocker(convex along the back)to the blade so pushing down on the handle caused the edge to climb out of the cut. A very useful tool and still in demand up here in Maine.

It`s real important for me to set reference points,usually at least 3 so I can triangulate each measurement. For the steps some key points are the start,stop,center point and distance between floors or decks. I make sure to check everything for square,plumb,level and note any variations from it.If anchoring to the tread then measure distance from center and amount of rotation from your known point to each anchor point and drop(or rise) from last known point.If anchoring to an apron(the vertical that runs perpendicular to the tread following the path of the handrail)then as long as the apron(what we called it,I`m not sure what the joiners called it)is a consistent radius(check it) then you have more wiggle room. As mentioned,do what you can on site and in order to maintain those parameters while adding "lettuce"(we called it fruit salad) and final welding be sure to get references for the assemblies too.We used thin ply and "joggle sticks" to chart this and transfer it to the jig.Once you`re used to them,joggle sticks and story sticks are more accurate than a tape is,especially if you "burn and inch" (or in my case ten,it`s easier to spot a potential mistake). The whole point to making all these measurements and reference points is to recreate the space in the shop.Do whatever you need to in order to achieve that.If you`re careful and accurate then as long as it doesn`t spring too badly when you release it from the jig then it will fit on site.If it does spring(don`t just cut it all loose,release in increments) then you still have the jig to anchor and bend from and the reference points to aim for. Correct welding sequence will minimize distortion as you know. That`s all I can remember right now.Hope it helps. Spiral stairs can be a real challenge.I like to come well armed. :)

Sounds like some are comparing apples and oranges here. Coming from an industry stand point there`s usually 2 accepted methods that I know of to price work and that`s the bid or estimate/contract approach where you look at a job and say "We can do it for this much" and are held to it.Usually you bid against competition for this type of work although I`ve seen people use a competitor`s estimate as a starting point for you to show him why he should pay more to have you do it. When doing or bidding this type of work it`s VERY important to record everything in detail so you can both know where you can improve productivity and how much money you "left on the table" to be factored into future bids or return work.State and federal contracts are usually handled this way.With alittle digging you can find out what the budget and other bids were after the fact. For those uncharted waters that the bid can`t or won`t cover there is always the "Time and material"(T&M) job.You have a shop rate(usually per man,per hour)plus other factors that result in you getting a solid return on your overhead plus profit.T&M jobs need to be tracked and recorded also so the techniques and approaches involved can be improved and applied to future jobs.Specialized skills/equipment=more money.Rented or hired specialized skills/equipment=WAY more money(because of extra time,trouble and responsibility). There are factors involved for both type of job that need to be addressed as they don`t fall in the "under the hammer" time slot.Admin costs,new tooling or machines,transportation and other off-site costs,subcontracting,skill levels and attrition in employees,The economy,etc are always variables that impact the cost at that particular time and place. IME,when talking about Art all that goes out the window.Art(and that includes creative ironwork) throws wide the door to the "perceived value" arena and anyone who doesn`t ask "what`s the budget?" is setting themselves up to leave a big chunk of change on the table. In the past I and others I know have lost jobs by bidding creative work too low,the prospective customer felt we bid it too cheap to take the time to do a proper job.We were looking at art work thru industrial lenses. I`ve also worked as a craftsman with "conceptual artists" who wanted the lowest bidder within spec so they can put more money in their pocket. That being said there are exceptions to every rule.We once had to manufacture bearing bosses for a Coast Gaurd cutter stabilizer system because the originals were cast units and made in England.There were none sitting on shelves anywhere in the world and the boat HAD to get done and off the rails.I mentioned in a meeting that we could produce welded steel assemblies that would meet or exceed the iron castings and we were given the thumbs up. Time and material job(to include making tooling and the learning curve)became the price for follow on units and we became the sole supplier of these highly inflated parts.When I left the yard they were being produced by semi-skilled workers and sold for approx. 10+ times what they cost to produce(I never was able to find out how much they actually sold them for). Likewise I`ve been on jobs where 2 workers(me being one)were paid the same as 6 because that`s what we had to beat.BTW-The job was bid for 6 guys,14 days.Jude and I did it in six 10 hour days.The reason we got the job and the rate was the other shop couldn`t start it for 3 weeks.We could start tomorrow.

There was a fairly stout vise made from channel in one of the posts here awhile back.Can`t say for sure but I think it may have been by Territorial Forge or someone close to that name.Maybe under the "Show Me Your Vise" thread. Hofi(least I think it was him) also posted pics of an industrial sized vise that is bigger than anything I`d seen to date and that includes things I`ve seen in shipyards,heavy manufacturing and oilfields.

What do I do for a living? Why,I`m the "metal guy"!! What else would you be if you weld,fab,fit,forge,machine,raise,chase,tinknock,pipefit,etc. Plus make and modify motorcycles,cars,tools,blades,machinery,jewelry,art,etc? Of course you need the tools to do all those things too. Hello,my name is Bob and I have a tool problem... Two of them actually, 1-I need more tools,always.(luckily I know how to make most of them) 2-I need a MUCH bigger shop to both use them in and store them while I`m waiting to use them.Make that 2 shops.No,a bigger shop and a warehouse... :D

If you absolutely have to TIG in a slight cross breeze then a gas lens can help too. Even higher flow thru a lens won`t help you if you got one of those big floor fans aimed at you.Heat must have really got to him to have forgotten about the shield gas.

One question Frosty,Does soapstone work on a blackboard?More importantly can you erase it? :o

Like the gate.Looking forward to seeing pics of it all tacked together with the cut out plate in place. What I really want to know about is that hardtail frame and wheel on the other work table.What kind project you got goin` there? Still also waiting for a pic of the right side of that pan too.From the pic of the primary side that`s one choice machine!