How to: CAD without a computer

[Franz©]

I’m out. OUT!

Driver says what's still left on the trailer when he gets there will be left in your driveway.

If nothing else it should provide some usable skin patching sheet.

[ryanjones2150]

I’m out. OUT!

[Franz©]

The CHUD don't know how to do anything and they don't have to because they ride in a social safety net. It ain't new. Been getting worse since the Carter years. Back then I fired a man for telling me he'd only read a magazine article I gave him that might have made him more valuable on company time. He sure didn't have any problem using company assets to do his personal jobs on his lunch time or breaks, and he didn't have any problem asking for my help moving his milling machine to his house. He was shocked I terminated him. He should have been shocked I kept him that long.

Now pick up the pace on the camper work, units are in line waiting for you.

[ryanjones2150]

I’m saying there are not enough people that take pride in their work and do an honest job for the money they get in exchange. I call them thieves. I get it that sometimes it’s very hard to get something finished, but it’s not supposed to be easy. If it was easy, anyone could do it. And for what some of these hacks charge? Holy smokes.

[Franz©]

So you're saying it looks good like you wearing turnouts and SCBA.

[ryanjones2150]

I’ve even seen caulk schmooed in and painted to look like a finished weld. To the experienced eye, it’s WAY too smooth to be a weld, especially when compared to the other boogers mashed in there.

How do they say....”looks good from afar but far from good looking.”

[Franz©]

Thing I've noticed for years in the automotive world "It looks sorta like how the real cage I saw at the track from 50 feet away" seems to be the standard of acceptability.

"Looks good from my house" is the standard of excellence.
"Ain't finished grinding yet" covers all crap piles

MIG is a wonderful process, but it never should have been sold to the public at large.

[Forced_Firebird]

Ah yes, I know one of those types. The landlord owns another building in town, he tells me about the guy. He is always paying his rent on the 90th day late, and actually lives in the shop. I don't know how he gets so many of the cage jobs, but like your local, he gets lazy. If one just thinks about the order of operation, it's quite easy to have 360° welds. Even if one was to be lazy, plinths are allowed, tack the cage, cut a few inches off the legs, weld the top, jack it up and weld the plinths in. Alternatively, hole-saw the floor and drop the cage legs through the floor, weld the top, jack it up and slide the base plates under. Even with my #9 flex head, lens and a stubby cap, welding .120" wall tubing .5" from the ceiling proves difficult.

I will admit there's been times where an odd joint caused me to encase the area with cardboard, blast some gas in the area before letting the MIG wire travel 2" and "chicken-poop" the last 1/4" of the 360°, but, have yet to fail scrutiny.

My thought is, if the welds break in an accident, the thing that's supposed to save the driver's life could be the very thing that impales him (her?). Don't even want to get started on chromoly. I have seen hardened welds snap off door bars, leaving a neat looking fish-mouth on the cross bar. Is it "really" that difficult to torch the welds after welding to anneal?

[ryanjones2150]

There is the option I took...zero chirrens.

But on the incomplete roll cages....there is a guy here, he’s pretty much the only full time cage and chassis builder in the area, and he does terrible work. His welds are like a pile of boogers. I will say, he has been improving in his skills, but I can’t count the repairs I’ve made to his work. When something comes in the shop, I know right away if it’s his work. I tell the customer we need to inspect the tops of all the joints and 9 of 10 aren’t complete. It’s like he just gives up...”meh, good enough...”. Sometimes it’s a massive pain in the fourth point of contact to get to, sometimes all it takes is a tiny bit more effort. His TIG welding is far worse than his MIG welding, which isn’t very good either. I tell people all the time that they need to go get their money back from him. Then maybe he’ll wake up and do some honest work.

[Forced_Firebird]

Noel, it's old money. The landlord is over 90, the wife is 60. They have properties all over the states, and reside in Hollywood. So, she likes to compare a working "condo" to the Hollywood storage facility they have locally. They store movie props (basically a storage), we work for a living. She is Keen on everything from stripped out race cars ready for roll cages, to "why is he sawing wood in the parking lot". Apparently, they pay big bucks on the west coast for bubbles and rainbows. She married up, and the building is the only thing she has in the will.

My biggest conundrum is it will take me five figures to move 15 cars, machinery, welders, floor lifts, etc, only to save $300/mo. At that rate it's a 5-6yr plan to recoup costs. Better to stay, suck it up buttercup, let the offspring finish school and "retire" by the time the AARP card come in.

Many of my friends settled first, then had babies. They started at 40 and will be 60 by the time they aren't battling teenagers. I followed my Grammy's model and started at 20. So, in less than a decade all four will be grown and gone, as they say "laugh now, cry later" while I am "crying now, laughing later".

[Franz©]

As I recall from things I've seen in the past your prison system up there is pretty palatial and easy going Noel. More like 3-4 guys sharing an apartment than cages and barred windows.

Of course that representation is at least o1 years old if not more. I'd encourage you looking into the accommodations before heading into a life of crime.

[Noel]

The rich play their games to make more money, the poor play their games to avoid working, the middle pushes the rock and pays for it all. Sounds fair doesn't it?

I'm going to say, Florida to Georgia, doesn't seems so bad. That's not like a move from Alberta to Manitoba?

I'm not sure if it's I don't know the game, rules of the game, or just how to play the game? But if I follow the governments lead, I need to borrow more and keep spending.

As it is I don't. But I'm pretty good at spending when I'm not being cheap and thrifty.
Lol...I haven't ruled out a life in white collar crime. Never to old to learn a new skill right? Credit fraud...how much time does a guy do for that?

[Forced_Firebird]

You're right about not reading that post. Makes sense to me now.

You mentioned $14 a sq.. I think the money is in owning the building? I'm sure that it balances out at tax time if you hold it together which you seem to have done, but it's almost criminal still the price they charge for shop space. I'm sure it's cheaper in China, Taiwan, India...on par however for my neck of the woods and why I still struggle in my garage for space to work.

It is highway robbery TBH. I moved in 9yr ago at less than $7. I now pay $11/yr (that's 12mos*rent/SF), so per month I pay almost a buck). The building is worth millions, there's 24 units in it. I had the choice of 3 or 4 bays, couple of them were smaller, but have central air. My unit is 83x30 with a single door on the end, no cross breeze - looking back I should have taken one under air. I have since bought a 3 ton package A/C, welded casters on it and roll the door down with panels to go on either side. Shop stays at 80°f, almost no humidity. Prior top that the laser thermometer showed 110° on the ceiling, and mid 90's pointing longitudinally through the shop, 80-90% humidity. In 2009, businesses were going belly up, now we are at 100% occupancy with a waiting list.

I only have a few more years, we are only staying here because of the schools, have 3 teenagers still at home, one graduates college in Dec. Between what we pay for a large house and the shop space, I can go to south Georgia and have several acres with a barn/hanger in the back yard for far less monthly output, and similar income.

My friend just bought a free standing building the same size, his mortgage is $500 less per month than my rent, but a business property loan was a jump-though-the-hoop, and he had to put 25% down in cash as well as carry a bond on the property.

There's something like 6.5m people in this tri-county area, can't wait to go back to country living.

[Noel]

You're right about not reading that post. Makes sense to me now.

You mentioned $14 a sq.. I think the money is in owning the building? I'm sure that it balances out at tax time if you hold it together which you seem to have done, but it's almost criminal still the price they charge for shop space. I'm sure it's cheaper in China, Taiwan, India...on par however for my neck of the woods and why I still struggle in my garage for space to work.

[Forced_Firebird]

If I showed you guys the stack of templates I'm hanging on to you'd think I invented the idea, had ideas to do it again, or was just plain hoarding paper. Just curious, what's it for or hiding? Extra points for the painting by the way.

See my previous post. It's a plinth block for a roll cage. It can be painted since it will be bolt-in. The top plate has stover captive nuts welded to the bottom. This way if the owner ever decides to go full wheel to wheel race car, it will be possible to unbolt it to be able to access the a-pillar bars for 360° welds. I have seen and failed far too many cars in tech due to incomplete welds, makes an ugly race car when they have to hole-saw the roof and patch it to get to those welds.