[SPENG]

[SPENG]

[Drifta-X]

Got any jobs going lol

[Braehill]

Don't just stand there posing for pictures, make something, you got a lot of equipment there to pay for! Just bustin your balls. Nice shop.

Len

[SPENG]

Thats it for tonight its 4am im going home! Ill post pictures of the welding project tomorrow. lots of 4x4x.375 angle iron being cut with some hole patterns and a tricky waterjet relief cut on the corners after its welded.

After that TONSSSSSSSS of push-pull aluminum plate welding on some fairly big assemblies...some cutting on 1.25 and 1.5" Aluminum plate with all the welding done on 1/2", 3/8" and 1/4" Aluminum plate.

And FYI, These machines are owned outright No lease/loans here....

[RichardH]

And FYI, These machines are owned outright No lease/loans here....

That's a tough business model to stick with (slower growth), but kudos - it makes for an amazing amount of flexibility when times are tough or the competition is stiff. Most companies leverage their financials heavily in the name of growth, but it creates a burden that has to be fed monthly for years.

It looks like you might be getting setup in a new facility? Where are you based? I'm thinking I may have seen your card on the wall locally...

I'm curious about the StrongHand-style table you made, as I'm interested in crafting one in a specific size (if it won't break the bank). What alloy did you use for the top plate, and what does a project like that bill out at? What's the largest dimension your mill can handle (e.g., for grinding the frame)?

Cheers,
Richard

[SPENG]

It's an EASY business model to start with and to even stick with. The problem is most if not all people dont have the funds available to pay for such high dollar equipment without using loans/leases. As a new company...if you arent aware, banks will not lend ANYTHING to you...and when the cheapest piece of equipment in the shop is a $70,000 lathe and they wouldnt even fiance that...what else is a business owner to do? Buy a used haas and hope to push along at a slow pace for 2 years and then HOPE the banks will lend after that 2 year mark? We decided to just buy the best within a budget and it will pay for itself...and so far it has, again and again and again!


That all being said, 8 months into the new business and after the first 6 months of being denied any and all loans...one bank has issued a large line of credit for us to use as we see fit, that will really help out in the months to come and we wont have to use hard cash for things.

We moved in Nov 1st 2013 so fairly new but landing massive contract after contract. The brand new and type of equipment really goes a long way when customers walk into our shop compared to others in the valley!! We are on Az ave and just north of Elliot. We have cards at the techshop facility and im sure cards all over the place.

Now the stronghand replica I just made, I used 2x3x3/16 wall tubing, that was about $360 with enough material to build that material rack.

used 5/8" coldrolled that was waterjet, drilled and tapped in the mill for the top plate mount blocks. Waterjet cut out some pads that have a 3/4 tapped hole for the leveling pads that are a press fit into the 2x3 tubing and welded up. The top plates I picked up some 3/4 6061-t6 plate for cheap, $200 from a guy here in town through business contacts, waterjet those for the perimeter and then drilled/counterbored all the holes.


The table isnt as "flat" overall as the stronghand claims to be and thats fine for what im doing...its most likely within .02" flat or better across the whole table. Built it for 1 very specific job that will start today. My table is WAY stronger than the stronghand could ever hope to be, I have to weld some assemblies that are in excess of 1800lbs total so this thing has to be strong.

If you wanted this style of table, I could machine the table top and mount blocks for you and make you a 1.75 spacer block to set the slat widths. We can do it out of steel or aluminum.

41.34x22.05x18.11 are my mill travel capacities

[RichardH]

Well, kudos then on having a good chunk of startup capital! Money goes so much further when you don't have the financing costs.

Yep, that's where I saw your card. I spend most of my free time in the metal shop or machine shop there. I'm the guy with the ridiculous bumper on his truck. Introduce yourself next time you're in; the DCs can point you to me.

Cheers,
Richard

[paul_s]

Very nice looking shop and some great equipment.

[SPENG]

Very nice looking shop and some great equipment.

Thank you!

[SPENG]

Well, kudos then on having a good chunk of startup capital! Money goes so much further when you don't have the financing costs.

Yep, that's where I saw your card. I spend most of my free time in the metal shop or machine shop there. I'm the guy with the ridiculous bumper on his truck. Introduce yourself next time you're in; the DCs can point you to me.

Cheers,
Richard

I am an instructor at Techshop. I teach the waterjet class just an fyi....

[SPENG]

[AnvilJack]

I thoroughly enjoyed the pictures. A good insight into another way of the welding life.

Now, I must be a pussy.

In the first picture, there is a man MIG welding, no gloves.

I melt the left hand glove every few months. It gets hot in there, and I spend big on a new one. Gauntlets.

Ah well.

Thanks for the "look around".

[SPENG]

You're welcome, Ill keep posting lots of pictures for you guys. We constantly update our facebook page also.

Eh gloves are optional Ask yourself this...Does Chuck Norris wear gloves when he welds? nuff said!

[nightscale]

I'll keep my gloves and you can have the skin cancer

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

[SPENG]

[RichardH]

I am an instructor at Techshop. I teach the waterjet class just an fyi....

Ah. That's a popular class; I'm taking it in a couple weeks.

That tool is the most expensive and least-utilized machine in the shop, and it's a real shame. I'm pretty sure it gets used by staff & instructors far more than members. Probably owing to the fact that the usage charge is higher than it'd cost to send the job to a shop.

I'll be curious to see what this job turns out to be. It's certainly making use of your press.

Cheers,
Richard

[SPENG]

The deal is they dont know things like that..and its my job as a waterjet OWNER and OPERATOR to inform them that $3 a min is just way too much. They can get far more $$ per month by charging less.

I charge $150 an hour in my shop and im the one doing all the work. They are charging $180 an hour plus the class, I personally feel it should be closer to $1.75 a min. Actual garnet cost is roughly $0.30 per minute plus water/electricity and a fund set aside for maintenance like I currently do for my own personal machine.

[SPENG]

I am an instructor at Techshop. I teach the waterjet class just an fyi....

I'll be curious to see what this job turns out to be. It's certainly making use of your press.

It's one of those jobs that I cant really explain what it is or how it works but I can post pictures of it. That last pic is the finished product and will go for installation tomorrow. It is made out of 304 stainless, .120" thick. poor pressbrake used all of its 80 tons to bend it with that sharp of a radius!

[RichardH]

The deal is they dont know things like that..and its my job as a waterjet OWNER and OPERATOR to inform them that $3 a min is just way too much. They can get far more $$ per month by charging less.

I charge $150 an hour in my shop and im the one doing all the work. They are charging $180 an hour plus the class, I personally feel it should be closer to $1.75 a min. Actual garnet cost is roughly $0.30 per minute plus water/electricity and a fund set aside for maintenance like I currently do for my own personal machine.

Exactly. For a tiny job, $3/min isn't so bad, but on any sizable project it becomes a deal breaker. Maybe a sliding scale so larger jobs become viable, approaching the cost of just power and consumables.

Ditto on the class. Making it such a premium deters people from even getting qualified to use it. Hopefully they will come around. Allegedly, it's within Jon's power to trial such ideas.

Cheers,
Richard

[SPENG]

Not sure who jon is but I will speak with shawna about it. I have already mentioned the price point. She is going to be taking a tour of my shop here within the next few weeks i believe.

[SPENG]

big 4x4x3/8 steel frame getting a bolthole pattern and another tricky cut ill post a picture of once its completed. Definitely putting this waterjet to work this week!

[weldin mike 27]

Hey,

More FYI, When Chuck Norris welds, the welder has to wear the gloves.

About that last pic, have you done much water jet on finished, closed assemblies? Is it a hassle drying out the parts, specifically the inside?

Mick

[SPENG]

I have cut some closed assemblied but not many. Things that get cut after the fabrication are welded up with thick plate steel inside that can be removed after holes are cut so that the jet stream doesnt go through the material. I also cut lots of square holes in steel and aluminum tubing 1/4" thick.

Im in arizona....things dry before the are even out of the waterjet!!

The next welding table I build in the shop will have something like this so that the tubing gets cut and the other tubed fit inside the holes on the side rails. Ive learned to get very creative with the waterjet and it is a tool I couldnt live without now.





all scrap material

[SPENG]