The gate

[_RaT_]

Uh Hurv, uh, is your picture a little crooked on the left side? It makes your work look a little out of plumb and I'm sure thats not the case. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

How do you notch your pipe on the fencing?

 

[MossRoad]

<font color="blue">The wind causes it to move in and out. </font>

That statement begs for details of the hinges. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

A gate that large must have some very good hinges. What do you use?

 

[txdon]

Harv:<font color="red"> "It was three eighths of an inch off width wise and we had to do some tuggin' and pushin' " </font>

Good eye RaT, do you think Harv will start over? LOL /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

(You know Harv is going to spend some time in front of the gate tomorrow, staring at it, thinking about your post.)

 

[_RaT_]

I can't help it. When I go in folks homes I'm always silently picking them apart. One eye squinting at door openings to walls etc. Heck when we play Bocce, I'm the one who has to rake the court, no one else seems to have the eye or least is dumb enough to want to admit it.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Hmmmmmm, I checked the puter, scanner, etc. They're all right on. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

The posts are plumb. The ground isn't. In fact there's five and a half inches difference in grade between the posts.

RaT might want to check his puter screen, might be a tad off. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

The hinges are sealed roller bearing and from King Architectual Metals.

So far the biggest problem I've had with this job has been with Norton Metals out of Ft Worth. If I had done my part like they've done theirs we'd have, well, they'll never get any business from me again. Professionalism, it's a hard bird to catch for some, impossible to even define for others.

One of the things I've learned over the last half century is when folks accuse one of being a perfectionist and impossible to please they've ran out of excuses for their own incompetence. As far as they're concerned I'm the customer from hell.

They're right of course.

Yesterday I picked up the rocks. Today I'll start carving. What's going to be fun is the star rock is granite, harder'n a bad girl's heart. But the color's right, the shape's what I want, and hard for me, well, that's just a little character for the project, right?

We are getting a third survey or a statement of responsiblity from the latest one. I strongly suspect the last survey was done in the office to get the job closed. They had about a four foot discrepancy so adjustments were made. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif Professionalism comes in all shapes and sizes. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[_RaT_]

RaT might want to check his puter screen, might be a tad off.

Oh yeah Harv, our old 15" IBM screen is all over the place. It has neither pin cushion or trapezoid, I think it now has rhombus /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I'll try to take a picture that will accomodate your challenged puter screen, just for you. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[wroughtn_harv]

This is rock number three. One was the three quarter scale to see if the concept was plausible. Two was the one that broke, darn it's hide.

This is number three. btw it and the star stone that goes in the overhead weighed out at seventeen sixty, one thousand, seven hundred, sixty pounds for the number crunchers.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Son in law came by and took some pictures of yours truly at work.

Some of those who are considering such a project might find the following interesting. Wanting to see a finished project will mean skipping them.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

At this point in time I've already taken off most of the non state stuff with the Stihl 510.

I'm using a Bosch small angle grinder with a cut off blade.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

still

 

[wroughtn_harv]

What I'm doing is cutting into my guide line with the angle grinder. Then I use the mason's hammer to break off the small pieces.

It's tedious.

It's hard on the back.

There's a lot of dust.

Here's what's sick. The doing it is more important right now than what it will be like in the end. I'll enjoy it when it's done. But each cut has it's own personality. Each stroke with the hammer causes a different affect. There are hard and soft spots in the stone. That makes it even more interesting.

Yes. I'm having fun.

No. I don't want to trade places with you.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

A bud came by and asked when I was going to get a water jet for cutting the rocks. Son in law thought that was a great idea.

I'm not at the point in my life where I want to share the experience of doing with a computer. And I think it would be so hard to make it imperfect like I will unintentionally, intentionally. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Besides making the rock state it would be nice if others saw how really easy it actually is to do something with stone because of this series of posts.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

lots and lots of dust /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[wroughtn_harv]

A long day.

I also made the turning table to make it easier today.

Tomorrow we'll have the state of Texas in stone and maybe a "D" in the middle.

 

[GerardC]

Real nice work. Like all of the photos. Thanks and keep'em comin'. G

 

[ns_in_tex]

Harv, my back is hurting. Is'nt there some way to get that rock up to table height?

Sure looks like a good job though. I'm looking forward to those final pictures.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Good morning Neal.

Actually some thought went into the table height. My big concern involved the Stihl chop saw. It isn't light. It does grab. And it doesn't cut all the way through with one pass, even with a fourteen inch blade.

This height allows me to use the Stihl comfortably. I get to use my hips, legs, and my back.

And even though it isn't visible it's good for the angle grinder. Cutting the rock isn't like grinding a weld. The blade wants to grab. One has to put pressure against the grinder as it cuts stone. This height again allows me to get stronger parts of the body involved.

 

[_RaT_]

Think about how much quicker it would be to do this for a customer from one of those squarish states like Colorado, New Mexico. Now if you were doing Rhode Island you could just use a Dremel on a skipping stone.