Pension enhancement

[metalbender]

A little gig I have going with a local glass company. Welding deck posts for vinyl deck rails. Drill four holes in 1/4 thick plates and weld to galvanized pipe. Lots of ventilation required. Did 28 today. Finish with a shot of cold galvanize coating. Drilling jig and home built rotary table makes things easier. Have done hundreds.

 

[Redlands Okie]

Hear i was expecting bank stuff. This is much better

 

[metalbender]

Getting older and slowing down. Five or six years ago I could do eighty in a long day. Weld time is about a minute on the table. A jig on the table clamps the pipe in the correct position. Three spots, loosen clamps and turn on the table.

 

[Gary Fowler]

That is a pretty neat gig. The fit up and welding is easy (need good ventilation) but the drilling would be time consuming. How much do you get per piece? Do they furnish all the material cut to size or do you have to do that also?

 

[flyerdan]

At the fence company I worked at we'd get 6x6 and 8x8 plates already punched and dipped, 10 to a box. Grinding off the galv to weld was always time consuming and ate a bunch of discs, so I bought a rotary table and built a fixture so I could cut circles out with a half inch mill. I'd set up and do a couple boxes for 1.625" posts, some 1.875" and 2.375"

Here they are on page CL-122 of the Master Halco catalog.

 

[tookielee]

This would cut into immediate profit, but if this is a long term thing,
this would make things easier
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_476_476

 

[metalbender]

The plates seem to be laser cut, pipes are cut to length. The drilling jig works without clamping, drill reposition and repeat. I use my Grizzly G0720 bench mill. Drill 7/16 hole without pilot, one shot. Just over a minute per plate. Table does one rpm, welding time. Using flux core, buff with a knot type brush, another minute. Lay them on a rack, roll the pipes while giving a shot of Rustoleum cold galvanize coating spray. Five minutes to spray 20. The hard part is moving the darn pipes five times. Turned 69 this year, slowing down. Doing it for $ 8.00 per pipe, roughly $ 50 or so an hr. depends how energetic I am that particular day.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Seems like a whole lot of work. Can't you just loot the local TARGET when the opportunity presents itself?

I kid of course. I salute you and your industriousness.

 

[metalbender]

Yup, an ironworker would make the holes quicker. This is just a part of the metal hobby that actually pays. BIL, has been with the glass shop thirty plus years, asked years ago if I could "weld a couple of plates onto pipes" So it began, told him if it becomes a job, not going to happen very long. Have done hundreds over the years. Lots of work? Yup, not continuous though and on my schedule.

 

[Industrial Toys]

It's always interesting to me, that a guy like you can make a busniness, often on the side, and create demand. Someone else spends a fortune opening a business, they are "SURE" will prosper, only to loose their shirt.