thinking of hiring a weldor

[Sodo]

All experienced fabricators must have been burned at least once for failing to build to the drawing, or following standards. Its a common clash between engineering an the shop, that's why standards such as MIL-TD-4111 were developed.

 

[Cat_Driver]

There is a huge difference between a welder and a fabricator! I can't tell you how many welders who worked for me over the years I had to take their tape measure away from them. Couldn't do the simplest of layout. But if their pay check was short .30-cents on Friday, all of a sudden they were mathematicians!!

FUNNIEST true line I ever heard. My guys can't count, listen add, subtract, UNTIL it comes to pay day, then they all become accountants and lawyers.

 

[muddstopper]

Well, I heard back from the guy. Asking $20hr. For a good welder, I think thats pretty fair. Since I am not 100% ready for his services, and he knows that, I am going to round up the steel I need and give him a shot. He understands this is not a full time position and actual work times might be weeks apart, but he is the one that is looking for part time work. To me now the hard part begins, gosh I hate trying to draw up plans, Went on line and looked at some of the free drafting software. Played with it some, I just dont get it. I have some drafting paper somewhere I am going to dig out and see if i can draw this thing to scale. I took blue print reading in school back about 40 years ago, but I suffer greatly from CRS.

 

[CNC Dan]

I have some drafting paper somewhere I am going to dig out and see if i can draw this thing to scale.

Two things that might help.
Graph paper. You can get it at most bigger office supply stores. Look for the kind that has 1" squares that are divided into 0.1" squares.

A scale ruler. It has six different scales on it. Pick one and it will help you measure and draw your lines to scale.

 

[muddstopper]

I had a drafting kit for years. Had all the little compass's, protractors, scale sticks, etc. My Grand daughter borrowed it for a school project and it never made it back home. I went this wk to Staples, Walmart, and a couple of other places and nobody had a kit. Not the right time of year for selling school supplies they said. I did manage to buy a small protractor at the grocery store for 50 cents. I need one to try and figure the angles and lengths of my knuckle boom mounts. I have a 2ftx 4ft adjustable tee square with some angles on it, I plan on using it to just draw out the boom on the shop floor. I took the hub to the machine shop this wkend to have the sprocket mounted and a heavy base made to weld to and should have it back next wk sometime. My first part of the project will be to build the base mounts and booms and then jump on beefing up the Hbeam for the splitter. Enough welding there to keep the guy busy for a day and i have the metal for that part of the project on hand. I have been cutting out the cyl mounts and fabricating the pusher plate and their ready to weld to the beam. Going to be hard to draw to scale as i still dont know all the measurements. I usually just measure/cut/weld as I go, and for me thats works pretty well. Not going to work near as well with someone on the clock.

 

[square1]

Asking $20hr. For a good welder

I'll do it for $9

 

[muddstopper]

I guess you want travel expenses too. LOL

 

[Big Barn]

You know, Bill, it's too bad you aren't anywhere near me. I would love to help you build your loader. I've never had a project where I didn't have to do ALL the head scratching myself (and wasn't in a hurry). Wouldn't want any money either.

Only speaking for myself, but I'd guess there may be a couple others here that would do the same.

 

[Sodo]

I would too, but only if you had 480volts :laughing: Watch it, any flak and it goes to 575 !

 

[Arc weld]

I'll do it for $9

That must mean you're not a good welder. :laughing: