On Sun, 13 Nov 2011 05:34:57 -0600, "Snag"
wrote:

pyotr filipivich wrote:
"Snag" on Sat, 12 Nov 2011 05:50:41 -0600 typed
in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:
Tom Gardner wrote:
Well, after 20 years or so my 60 ton press kinda' walked sideways a
couple of feet. I took an 8-ton come-along with a snatch block and
attached it to a chain around the base of a post and attached the
snatch block to a front leg of the press. It was the perfect angle
to straighten out the press. The press is bolted to two massive 6
x 10 timbers but was never attached to the floor. Well, I tried to
ratchet that thing and got about 4 clicks before I gave up and got
one of the young bucks. That 21yo kid could practically ratchet
that thing with one hand. Two minutes later the press was straight
and happily in it's permanent home. I was still sweating my ass
off from the four clicks I did. Then I drilled holes through the
timbers and into the floor a few inches and pined the press in
place with lengths of 3/4" rebar. Swinging that sledge knocked the
rest of the **** out of me.

I paid $19 for a 20' length of 3/4" rebar...I thought that was
outrageously high, no?

I spent yesterday digging up my front yard . Got about 14 feet of
old terra cotta drain pipe exposed for replacement later today .
It's about 3 feet down , and the ground is hard . My back hurts .
Diggin' wasn't anywhere near this hard when I was young ...
I haven't bought the new pipe yet , but I'm ready for the sticker
shock .

You just think you are ... B-)

tschus
pyotr

Actually I was surprised at how inexpensive it turned out to be . Total
for materials was under a hundred bucks , the guy that helped me [works for
my BIL the plumber] is gonna be another c-note . Had I contracted with a
plumber to do this it would have ran at least 2500 bucks ... and that's for
the cheap plumber !

$2,500 would have been about right with them supplying all the labor
to dig the hole and expose the line, fix the pipe, and then fill the
hole back in when they were done.

You supplied the grunt labor and shagged down the repair parts for
them, so that makes their job quick and easy, and then you fill the
hole back in. That makes the bill a lot nicer, because they only have
to come do the actual skilled labor part.

We offer that all the time to our customers, especially ones that
already have a full-time grounds crew on regular payroll that is used
to fixing the sprinklers and planting trees - and one Summer Camp
where the older campers volunteer to make the place better for the
next generation, rather than just make macrame keychains...

We'll mark the path, let them dig the trench, then we'll come drop in
the electrical conduits and run the wire, they back-fill.

All of a sudden the bill drops like a rock, because they aren't paying
me (or my Assistant who isn't a Spring Chicken anymore either) to dig
a trench. And frankly, that's not on the top of either of our Fun
Things To Do lists - we like finding and fixing.

-- Bruce --