I have a small (=light) car that will need a lot of work done. It would be
easier if it was off the ground by more than the height those car stands you
get at the auto stores can do.

So I'm thinking of making some stands from wood, and jacking it up in stages
onto them. Has anyone done this, and are there any pitfalls (a particularly
appropriate term) of which I should be aware?

jtaylor wrote:

So I'm thinking of making some stands from wood, and jacking it up in stages

Hello'o!
Here is the rivet and weld section of the usenet, not the dowel and clue
part of it (that I would locate far bejond some dark corner).
So we would all suggest to make your stand out of steel and save your
live.
Even a smal car on your chest is no fun. I know someone who has broken
_all_ ribs except 3 or 4 when a car fell on his chest (during an race
accident).


Nick
--
Motormodelle / Engine Models:
http://www.motor-manufaktur.de
Ellwe 2FB * VTM 87 * DLM-S3a * cubic
more to come ...

On Sat, 9 Jul 2005 10:14:31 -0300, "jtaylor"
wrote:

I have a small (=light) car that will need a lot of work done. It would be
easier if it was off the ground by more than the height those car stands you
get at the auto stores can do.

So I'm thinking of making some stands from wood, and jacking it up in stages
onto them. Has anyone done this, and are there any pitfalls (a particularly
appropriate term) of which I should be aware?


I heard from a friend who rebuilt wrecked cars as a hobby that wood is
OK but not concrete blocks. Blocks can crush suddenly and drop the
car. Wood, however, will only compress a little bit.
Randy

Talking about wrecking yards.......... Some of them weld a couple of
wheel rims together to make stands for cars. One horizontal and one
vertical. Eight rims and a few minutes of welding would do it. Maybe
you can find someone that would weld them for you locally. Your local
auto wrecking yard might have some already made they would sell you.


Dan

I just cut a couple of stands to fit the tractor, car or whatever I'm
working on with the chainsaw while I'm cutting firewood. Use a solid enough
piece of timber to make a good stand, and they roll when they are tipped
over on their side so you can put them back in the shed.

The tractor is 3 ton, the dozer shovel is 4 ton, so I choose good thick logs
to cut them from. You could probably find something good to work with and
get it cut to size at your local sawmill, or get some old recycled house
stumps or bridge timbers. Make sure they are wide enough to support the car
with the sideways forces that you will apply with a spanner on tight bolts.

As another poster said, don't use bricks, concrete blocks or similar as they
can crumble and collapse. You do not want to be underneath something heavy
trying to hold it up with the side of your head......

Hope this helps,
Peter

"Ignoramus3635" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 9 Jul 2005 10:14:31 -0300, jtaylor
wrote:
I have a small (=light) car that will need a lot of work done. It would
be
easier if it was off the ground by more than the height those car stands
you
get at the auto stores can do.

So I'm thinking of making some stands from wood, and jacking it up in
stages
onto them. Has anyone done this, and are there any pitfalls (a
particularly
appropriate term) of which I should be aware?

I would make them from solid wood (say, pieces of 10" boards screwed
together).

i

jtaylor wrote:

I have a small (=light) car that will need a lot of work done. It would be
easier if it was off the ground by more than the height those car stands you
get at the auto stores can do.

So I'm thinking of making some stands from wood, and jacking it up in stages
onto them. Has anyone done this, and are there any pitfalls (a particularly
appropriate term) of which I should be aware?

Can you rent a bay that has a hoist? That would be the best solution by
a long shot. Know anyone that has a pit in their garage that has not
been filled in?

Wood to get higher than a normal jackstand? Two options. Build a very
solid ramp or cribbing.

We had a ramp on the farm when I was a kid. The posts that it sat on
were telephone poles sunk into the ground by a couple or five feet. The
ramps themselves were 2 x 12 and 2 x 18 rough cut lumber. It was removed
after many years use as an oil change and work platform after the posts
began to show signs of rot. Big wood is expensive, and the time and work
needed to build one are prohibitive.

Cribbing is used almost universally to lift and hold up large and heavy
things, like houses. Got a source for short ends of boards? Cross
stacked wood holds up well and is relatively stable, and a patient
person with a pile of wood blocks can accomplish a lot, but you will
have to work out how you will rest the car upon the cribbing so that it
is secure and balanced, so that it will not fall if you bump into the
car in the shop.

Myself, I have always used jackstands, with a couple large blocks of
firewood as a backup when I had to spend time beneath one of my cars. A
smooth concrete floor and a good creeper are a help.

Cheers
Trevor Jones

Nick Müller wrote:

jtaylor wrote:

So I'm thinking of making some stands from wood, and jacking it up in stages

Hello'o!
Here is the rivet and weld section of the usenet, not the dowel and clue
part of it (that I would locate far bejond some dark corner).
So we would all suggest to make your stand out of steel and save your
live.
Even a smal car on your chest is no fun. I know someone who has broken
_all_ ribs except 3 or 4 when a car fell on his chest (during an race
accident).

Considering that it is standard practice to support cranes weighing 90+
tons on stacks of 6x6 wood cribbing, I hardly think that there is any
risk in doing the same with a ton or two of car.

As long as there are no holes, there is no chance of something snapping.
You have to use solid wood and cross stack over a large enough area to
give stability.

Pete C.

jtaylor wrote:
I have a small (=light) car that will need a lot of work done. It would be
easier if it was off the ground by more than the height those car stands you
get at the auto stores can do.

So I'm thinking of making some stands from wood, and jacking it up in stages
onto them. Has anyone done this, and are there any pitfalls (a particularly
appropriate term) of which I should be aware?

I think this looks interesting...

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=46604

The problem with using wood cribbing to hold up something like a car is
when you make the crib wide enough to provide good stability you wind
up with very little room to work. A better idea might be to lay down a
very short, perhaps 4" to 12", platform of very stable wide material
(say 2x12 s) and use your steel stands on top of this. For the width
of it's base, steel stands provide more side-to-side stability than
loose wood, that's what they're designed for.

Dennis in nca

Pete C. wrote:

Considering that it is standard practice to support cranes weighing 90+
tons on stacks of 6x6 wood cribbing,

.... and also making it hard to access the car from the underside.


Nick
--
Motormodelle / Engine Models:
http://www.motor-manufaktur.de
Ellwe 2FB * VTM 87 * DLM-S3a * cubic
more to come ...

Dave wrote:

jtaylor wrote:
I have a small (=light) car that will need a lot of work done. It would be
easier if it was off the ground by more than the height those car stands you
get at the auto stores can do.

So I'm thinking of making some stands from wood, and jacking it up in stages
onto them. Has anyone done this, and are there any pitfalls (a particularly
appropriate term) of which I should be aware?

I think this looks interesting...

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=46604

Interesting is a good word for that..... Intersting to trust ones life
to chinese hydraulics... Interesting to trust ones life to chinese
welding... Yup. Interesting. :-) As long as one ned not go under it.

Cheers
Trevor Jones

I have some wood car ramps that have a 7" rise. I had a red pine tree
that had to go, cut two 4' long sections out of the trunk, and used the
chain saw to carve away anything that didn't look like a ram. Pretty
solid buggers!

You didn't say how high you wanted to go but I have found that the 6 ton
jack stands go to 24", much higher than the usual car style.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=38847
Sale price tends to be a bit under $20 a pair, available at auto stores,
home stores, etc. You don't need the weight capacity but the height and
stability can't be beat.

If you wanted some additional height, some 12" 2x4's laid flat with a
plywood top would add a few extra inches. Remember that the base has to
get bigger as the height increases.

Don't do what a kid down the street did for his car: He had 2 stacks of
short 2x4's laid flat and almost 3' high stuck under the front bumper. I
almost (insert whatever you want here!) when I saw it. Laying a hand on
it would move the front fender over several inches. I loaned him some
good jack stands. His father came by later and THANKED me.

jtaylor wrote:
I have a small (=light) car that will need a lot of work done. It would be
easier if it was off the ground by more than the height those car stands you
get at the auto stores can do.

So I'm thinking of making some stands from wood, and jacking it up in stages
onto them. Has anyone done this, and are there any pitfalls (a particularly
appropriate term) of which I should be aware?

"jtaylor" wrote in message
t.ca...
I have a small (=light) car that will need a lot of work done. It would be
easier if it was off the ground by more than the height those car stands
you
get at the auto stores can do.

So I'm thinking of making some stands from wood, and jacking it up in
stages
onto them. Has anyone done this, and are there any pitfalls (a
particularly
appropriate term) of which I should be aware?



I would not hesitate to use wood to support a car. I would use 4x4s, and
put them in alternating directions, and use 2xs to make up the difference.

But, hey, I'm a metal guy, so I prefer metal. And rather than mess around
building them, I go buy them. I have four, and they are not the cheapo
variety. I got them at a yard sale. They are about 20 years old, and I
don't know what a comparable set of four would cost today. You can't beat a
good set of jackstands. They are cheap, Cheap, CHEAP! And they are a
breeze to build. ;-) Pep Boys, Checker, wherever.

It's yer life, man. Don't dick around with wood stands when you can have
good steel jack stands. Steel jack stands can be placed and removed in
seconds versus heavy wood planking, or a heavy wood monstrosity imitation of
a real steel jack stand. They can be placed exactly under a support point
where wanted, and not interfere with access.

Do wood if you want, but make sure your insurance is in order.

Steve

On Sat, 09 Jul 2005 10:35:22 -0600, the opaque Trevor Jones
clearly wrote:

Dave wrote:
I think this looks interesting...

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=46604

Interesting is a good word for that..... Intersting to trust ones life
to chinese hydraulics... Interesting to trust ones life to chinese
welding... Yup. Interesting. :-) As long as one ned not go under it.

http://www.harborfreight.com/manuals...6999/46604.pdf
Read safety tip #7 where it says "Never work underneath a vehicle
without using additional safety support devices (i.e. jack stands) to
support the vehicle." Good mechanics ALL know never to trust a single
hoist or jack. That's common sense.


-
Press HERE to arm. (Release to detonate.)
-----------
http://diversify.com Website Application Programming

I would use 4 x 4 material placed cross to each other per layer, bolt them
together with ready rod or carriage bolts. cut them 8-12 inches long.
what part of the car are you working on? what kind of car is it?
you might be able to place a large bolt thru the stack so that it aligns
with a hole in the frame.

"jtaylor" wrote in message
t.ca...
I have a small (=light) car that will need a lot of work done. It would be
easier if it was off the ground by more than the height those car stands
you
get at the auto stores can do.

So I'm thinking of making some stands from wood, and jacking it up in
stages
onto them. Has anyone done this, and are there any pitfalls (a
particularly
appropriate term) of which I should be aware?

jtaylor wrote:
I have a small (=light) car that will need a lot of work done. It would be
easier if it was off the ground by more than the height those car stands you
get at the auto stores can do.

So I'm thinking of making some stands from wood, and jacking it up in stages
onto them. Has anyone done this, and are there any pitfalls (a particularly
appropriate term) of which I should be aware?

Here you go...

http://home.att.net/~galt_57/men_die.jpg

On 9 Jul 2005 09:08:20 -0700, "Dave" wrote:
jtaylor wrote:

I have a small (=light) car that will need a lot of work done. It would be
easier if it was off the ground by more than the height those car stands you
get at the auto stores can do.

So I'm thinking of making some stands from wood, and jacking it up in stages
onto them. Has anyone done this, and are there any pitfalls (a particularly
appropriate term) of which I should be aware?

I think this looks interesting...

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=46604

I think this looks more interesting - not to mention more practical:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=46299

Only problem being, they do not give you any dimensions in the ad
copy or the instructions as to how tall the stupid thing is...

I can tuck the top cross-beam in between the ceiling joists since
they run in the right direction (and adding more joists and drywalling
the garage ceiling is way down on my list), but if the lowest point on
the cross-beam (where the limit switch is) is lower than 100" (8'4")
the car will hit the ceiling.

That, or I have to slice the garage roof off where it attaches to
the rest of the house, raise it up a foot or two, and put in some
cripple walls to support it. That'll be fun...

They say in the instructions not to leave a car up on the lift,
lower it as soon as you are done working for the day - but I know
someone who uses three of these two-post lifts as "garage expanders"
so they can park another car underneath in their industrial unit.
Another /restored/ 98-point /show/ car. Of course, after the next big
earthquake I'll be able hear Paul's anguished screams from my house 30
miles away...

-- Bruce --

--
Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop
Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700
5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545
Spamtrapped address: Remove the python and the invalid, and use a net.

On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 01:21:40 +1000, "Bushy Pete"
wrote:

I just cut a couple of stands to fit the tractor, car or whatever I'm
working on with the chainsaw while I'm cutting firewood. Use a solid enough
piece of timber to make a good stand, and they roll when they are tipped
over on their side so you can put them back in the shed.

The tractor is 3 ton, the dozer shovel is 4 ton, so I choose good thick logs
to cut them from. You could probably find something good to work with and
get it cut to size at your local sawmill, or get some old recycled house
stumps or bridge timbers. Make sure they are wide enough to support the car
with the sideways forces that you will apply with a spanner on tight bolts.

As another poster said, don't use bricks, concrete blocks or similar as they
can crumble and collapse. You do not want to be underneath something heavy
trying to hold it up with the side of your head......

Hope this helps,
Peter

Not a good idea to use wood blocking with the grain vertical unless
you are trying to stop horizontal movement.
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada

On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 01:21:40 +1000, "Bushy Pete"
wrote:

I just cut a couple of stands to fit the tractor, car or whatever I'm
working on with the chainsaw while I'm cutting firewood. Use a solid enough
piece of timber to make a good stand, and they roll when they are tipped
over on their side so you can put them back in the shed.

The tractor is 3 ton, the dozer shovel is 4 ton, so I choose good thick logs
to cut them from. You could probably find something good to work with and
get it cut to size at your local sawmill, or get some old recycled house
stumps or bridge timbers. Make sure they are wide enough to support the car
with the sideways forces that you will apply with a spanner on tight bolts.

As another poster said, don't use bricks, concrete blocks or similar as they
can crumble and collapse. You do not want to be underneath something heavy
trying to hold it up with the side of your head......

Hope this helps,
Peter


And NEVER EVER use the end grain to support ANYTHING. If you use a
log, put a plank across the end the car/truck/tractor or whatever sits
on. If (when) the log splits, it WILL ruin your day.

ramps made from dimensional lumber, "nail laminated" together, make
very safe vehicle supports. Use combinations of 2X4, 2X6 and 2X8,
staggered layer to layer, with alternate layers having a peice or two
running crosswise to keep the stack from splitting, and nothing made
from steel will be safer.
"Ignoramus3635" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 9 Jul 2005 10:14:31 -0300, jtaylor
wrote:
I have a small (=light) car that will need a lot of work done. It would
be
easier if it was off the ground by more than the height those car stands
you
get at the auto stores can do.

So I'm thinking of making some stands from wood, and jacking it up in
stages
onto them. Has anyone done this, and are there any pitfalls (a
particularly
appropriate term) of which I should be aware?

I would make them from solid wood (say, pieces of 10" boards screwed
together).

i

In article ,
"jtaylor" wrote:

I have a small (=light) car that will need a lot of work done. It would be
easier if it was off the ground by more than the height those car stands you
get at the auto stores can do.

So I'm thinking of making some stands from wood, and jacking it up in stages
onto them. Has anyone done this, and are there any pitfalls (a particularly
appropriate term) of which I should be aware?

I also have a set of 6 ton HF stands...

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=38847

Big and beefy, go nice and high, yet don't take up too much room under
the car. They'll last forever, just keep them dry when not in use.

The below link to a shot I stuck in the dropbox shows a way most of us
probably wouldn't want to support a vehicle with wood. Not for the faint
of heart...

http://www.metalworking.com/DropBox/standsbad.jpg

Erik

On 9 Jul 2005 14:12:07 -0700, "Dave" wrote:

jtaylor wrote:
I have a small (=light) car that will need a lot of work done. It would be
easier if it was off the ground by more than the height those car stands you
get at the auto stores can do.

So I'm thinking of making some stands from wood, and jacking it up in stages
onto them. Has anyone done this, and are there any pitfalls (a particularly
appropriate term) of which I should be aware?

Here you go...

http://home.att.net/~galt_57/men_die.jpg


Hey Dave,

I wouldn't worry about that thing falling on him. When that gas tank
he is welding blows, the truck should head away in an nicely
controlled arc, not straight up, so it won't fall back down right on
top of him.

On the other hand, I do think he just has it aimed the wrong way. I
think that concrete block wall may cause it to bounce back and land
right on the buzz-box. Be a shame to damage that!

Take care.

Brian Lawson,
Bothwell, Ontario.

I've done this, before, using 2x12 lumber from the home center. I cut the
lumber in descending lengths, and made ramps by stacking, screwing and
gluing the lumber together at the height I wanted it. I chamfered the ends
as they went up the ramp side, and I cut out rectangles in the inside pieces
to reduce weight and warping. I had about 16 inches total height, and never
had a problem with several cars that weighed more than most modern cars,
including a '74 Ford station wagon.

--
Kevin
-=#=-
"jtaylor" wrote in message
t.ca...
I have a small (=light) car that will need a lot of work done. It would be
easier if it was off the ground by more than the height those car stands
you
get at the auto stores can do.

So I'm thinking of making some stands from wood, and jacking it up in
stages
onto them. Has anyone done this, and are there any pitfalls (a
particularly
appropriate term) of which I should be aware?

Larry Jaques wrote:

On Sat, 09 Jul 2005 10:35:22 -0600, the opaque Trevor Jones
clearly wrote:

Dave wrote:
I think this looks interesting...

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=46604

Interesting is a good word for that..... Intersting to trust ones life
to chinese hydraulics... Interesting to trust ones life to chinese
welding... Yup. Interesting. :-) As long as one ned not go under it.

http://www.harborfreight.com/manuals...6999/46604.pdf
Read safety tip #7 where it says "Never work underneath a vehicle
without using additional safety support devices (i.e. jack stands) to
support the vehicle." Good mechanics ALL know never to trust a single
hoist or jack. That's common sense.

-
Press HERE to arm. (Release to detonate.)
-----------
http://diversify.com Website Application Programming

Yeah, Larry, a good mechanic would have a pretty good grasp of this. In
a world where there are still a few retrograde idiots that will pick up
a running lawm mower to trim a hedge (as an example of extremes), that
particular hoist strikes be as a Darwin Award precursor.

Do they actually sell jackstands tall enough to use with this hoist?
That would be a decent solution for the OP, if the welds were to be
trusted.

I will confess to not having downloaded the manual when I looked at the
item page on the HF site, as my fencewire connection told me it would
take about 10 minutes to download, and frankly, I was not that
interested in waiting for it, since I am not buying one.

Cheers
Trevor Jones

On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 09:07:39 -0600, the opaque Trevor Jones
clearly wrote:

Yeah, Larry, a good mechanic would have a pretty good grasp of this. In
a world where there are still a few retrograde idiots that will pick up
a running lawm mower to trim a hedge (as an example of extremes), that
particular hoist strikes be as a Darwin Award precursor.

If you realized how many items (and tools) in your life are
manufactured by the Chinese, Indian, Taiwanese, Japanese, Canuck or
American worker and minimum-wage/3rd-grade-dropout, you might be even
more afraid than you are now.

BUT, Darwin must be served, right? (Shhhh!) g


Do they actually sell jackstands tall enough to use with this hoist?
That would be a decent solution for the OP, if the welds were to be
trusted.

Almost any jack stand could be used as a safety device. Heck, a chunk
of log thicker than your body would work in many cases, too.


I will confess to not having downloaded the manual when I looked at the
item page on the HF site, as my fencewire connection told me it would
take about 10 minutes to download, and frankly, I was not that
interested in waiting for it, since I am not buying one.

One way around that is to open another browser windoew and download it
there while you browse elsewhere or peruse Usenet.


--
- Tom Mix Died For Your Sins -
--------------------------
http://diversify.com Comprehensive, Sin-free Website Development

"Trevor Jones" wrote in message
...
Larry Jaques wrote:

On Sat, 09 Jul 2005 10:35:22 -0600, the opaque Trevor Jones
clearly wrote:

Dave wrote:
I think this looks interesting...


http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=46604

Interesting is a good word for that..... Intersting to trust
ones life
to chinese hydraulics... Interesting to trust ones life to
chinese
welding... Yup. Interesting. :-) As long as one ned not go under
it.

http://www.harborfreight.com/manuals...6999/46604.pdf
Read safety tip #7 where it says "Never work underneath a vehicle
without using additional safety support devices (i.e. jack stands)
to
support the vehicle." Good mechanics ALL know never to trust a
single
hoist or jack. That's common sense.

-
Press HERE to arm. (Release to detonate.)
-----------
http://diversify.com Website Application Programming

Yeah, Larry, a good mechanic would have a pretty good grasp of
this. In
a world where there are still a few retrograde idiots that will pick
up
a running lawm mower to trim a hedge (as an example of extremes),
that
particular hoist strikes be as a Darwin Award precursor.

Do they actually sell jackstands tall enough to use with this
hoist?
That would be a decent solution for the OP, if the welds were to be
trusted.


Yes, I have used some six footers while under a 2 post hoist...

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 09:07:39 -0600, the opaque Trevor Jones
clearly wrote:

Yeah, Larry, a good mechanic would have a pretty good grasp of this. In
a world where there are still a few retrograde idiots that will pick up
a running lawm mower to trim a hedge (as an example of extremes), that
particular hoist strikes be as a Darwin Award precursor.

If you realized how many items (and tools) in your life are
manufactured by the Chinese, Indian, Taiwanese, Japanese, Canuck or
American worker and minimum-wage/3rd-grade-dropout, you might be even
more afraid than you are now.

That statement reminds me of something a fellow once told me. "I can't wead
or wight but I can weld" And weld he could he was an excellent welder and
repairman.
Steve
Steve

On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 09:04:18 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 09:07:39 -0600, the opaque Trevor Jones
clearly wrote:

Yeah, Larry, a good mechanic would have a pretty good grasp of this. In
a world where there are still a few retrograde idiots that will pick up
a running lawm mower to trim a hedge (as an example of extremes), that
particular hoist strikes be as a Darwin Award precursor.

If you realized how many items (and tools) in your life are
manufactured by the Chinese, Indian, Taiwanese, Japanese, Canuck or
American worker and minimum-wage/3rd-grade-dropout, you might be even
more afraid than you are now.

BUT, Darwin must be served, right? (Shhhh!) g


Do they actually sell jackstands tall enough to use with this hoist?
That would be a decent solution for the OP, if the welds were to be
trusted.


Back when we used single-post inground hydraulic hoists, we had high
stands that would hold the car at full height(aprox 5'6" - 6'). We
also had a chunk of 2" Sched 80 pipe that fit between the hoist head
and the floor (actually the hoist seal ring) that held the vehicle if
it needed to stay up for an extended period of time. There were times
when it was used EVERY time a car was on the hoist - to prevent an
oily floor and a slowly descending vehicle.
Almost any jack stand could be used as a safety device. Heck, a chunk
of log thicker than your body would work in many cases, too.


I will confess to not having downloaded the manual when I looked at the
item page on the HF site, as my fencewire connection told me it would
take about 10 minutes to download, and frankly, I was not that
interested in waiting for it, since I am not buying one.

One way around that is to open another browser windoew and download it
there while you browse elsewhere or peruse Usenet.

"Sven" wrote

That statement reminds me of something a fellow once told me. "I can't
wead or wight but I can weld" And weld he could he was an excellent welder
and repairman.
Steve
Steve

I was a welder's helper while working in the Gulf of Mexico during the
seventies. He could not read or write, but he could make two big pieces of
pipe come together at an angle and hit it to a very close degree. He could
cut out anything, and was a tremendous fitter/welder. He used sheets of
paper, a pencil and small pieces of soapstone.

He could have a piece of 12 inch pipe on deck that was going to tie into a
piece 50 feet up in the air. He could cut the 12 inch pipe so that when it
was hoisted into position, it only needed a little dressing up.

Byoootiful 7018 welds.

Steve

I worked with a guy who could barely do the math to add plan dimensions
together. But he could put a piece of 3/8" plate 8' wide and 26'long
into the rolls and have it come out ROUND. Us fabricators appreciated that.

Sven wrote:

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...

On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 09:07:39 -0600, the opaque Trevor Jones
clearly wrote:


Yeah, Larry, a good mechanic would have a pretty good grasp of this. In
a world where there are still a few retrograde idiots that will pick up
a running lawm mower to trim a hedge (as an example of extremes), that
particular hoist strikes be as a Darwin Award precursor.

If you realized how many items (and tools) in your life are
manufactured by the Chinese, Indian, Taiwanese, Japanese, Canuck or
American worker and minimum-wage/3rd-grade-dropout, you might be even
more afraid than you are now.


That statement reminds me of something a fellow once told me. "I can't wead
or wight but I can weld" And weld he could he was an excellent welder and
repairman.
Steve
Steve

In article ,
"Bushy Pete" wrote:

As another poster said, don't use bricks, concrete blocks or similar as they
can crumble and collapse. You do not want to be underneath something heavy
trying to hold it up with the side of your head......

Actually concrete blocks are pretty strong, IF you put the holes
vertical and put a 2x on the top (and bottom unless dirt). Concrete is
very strong but will crumble if stress is allowed to accumulate at one
spot.

--
Free men own guns, slaves don't
www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/

Problem with concrete blocks is that they crumble at unexpected times
and do it in a total failure mode.

Nick Hull wrote:
In article ,
"Bushy Pete" wrote:


As another poster said, don't use bricks, concrete blocks or similar as they
can crumble and collapse. You do not want to be underneath something heavy
trying to hold it up with the side of your head......


Actually concrete blocks are pretty strong, IF you put the holes
vertical and put a 2x on the top (and bottom unless dirt). Concrete is
very strong but will crumble if stress is allowed to accumulate at one
spot.

In article ,
RoyJ wrote:

Problem with concrete blocks is that they crumble at unexpected times
and do it in a total failure mode.

If that were really true no one would use them for the foundation of
their house. In fact, when the ground slides and concrete block
foundations crack, they almost invariably crack in a zigzag line of the
mortar. If you are afraid to go under a vehicle PROPERLY supported by
concrete blocks, how do you get the courage to go into your house and
how do people manage to live & sleep in mobile homes supported by the
flimsiest of concrete block stacks?

Nick Hull wrote:
In article ,
"Bushy Pete" wrote:


As another poster said, don't use bricks, concrete blocks or similar as they
can crumble and collapse. You do not want to be underneath something heavy
trying to hold it up with the side of your head......


Actually concrete blocks are pretty strong, IF you put the holes
vertical and put a 2x on the top (and bottom unless dirt). Concrete is
very strong but will crumble if stress is allowed to accumulate at one
spot.


--
Free men own guns, slaves don't
www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/
reply to nickhull99(at)hotmail.com because Earthlink has screwed up my e-mail

On Mon, 11 Jul 2005 19:05:03 GMT, Nick Hull wrote:
In article ,
RoyJ wrote:

Problem with concrete blocks is that they crumble at unexpected times
and do it in a total failure mode.

If that were really true no one would use them for the foundation of
their house.

Not really. In their intended use, the loads are very evenly
distributed. Setting the weight of part of a car on a small point on
the block is a very different stress.

In fact, when the ground slides and concrete block
foundations crack, they almost invariably crack in a zigzag line of the
mortar. If you are afraid to go under a vehicle PROPERLY supported by
concrete blocks, how do you get the courage to go into your house and
how do people manage to live & sleep in mobile homes supported by the
flimsiest of concrete block stacks?

Well, put it this way. When we block up a car for an extrication in the
firefighting world, we use wood cribbing. Cranes, as mentioned, use
wood cribbing. Cement block for building, wood for cribbing. If
there's a standard material for a purpose, why not use it?
The load that a house puts on block is very even, and all compression.
If your car puts a point load on the concrete, it puts a tension load on
either side of that contact, and concrete stinks in tension.

Since it's a matter of putting your body under it, I'll go with what has
been used for a few millennia, myself.

Put another way: One shot from my .357 will completely destroy a 12"
concrete block, biggest piece is 6" or so. The 8"x10 tapered timbers I
use for car ramps wouldn't even notice. Same weight I might add. Net:
Concrete is very good in pure compression, wood is very fiberous,
concrete fails suddenly, wood fails gracefully.

Concrete blocks used in a basement are carefully bedded in mortar
tofully distribute the load. Block and brick cutters are nothing more
than a press with a concetrated load. Snaps blocks with very little
effort. They really don't handle a concentrated load at all well.

Nick Hull wrote:
In article ,
RoyJ wrote:


Problem with concrete blocks is that they crumble at unexpected times
and do it in a total failure mode.


If that were really true no one would use them for the foundation of
their house. In fact, when the ground slides and concrete block
foundations crack, they almost invariably crack in a zigzag line of the
mortar. If you are afraid to go under a vehicle PROPERLY supported by
concrete blocks, how do you get the courage to go into your house and
how do people manage to live & sleep in mobile homes supported by the
flimsiest of concrete block stacks?

Nick Hull wrote:

In article ,
"Bushy Pete" wrote:



As another poster said, don't use bricks, concrete blocks or similar as they
can crumble and collapse. You do not want to be underneath something heavy
trying to hold it up with the side of your head......


Actually concrete blocks are pretty strong, IF you put the holes
vertical and put a 2x on the top (and bottom unless dirt). Concrete is
very strong but will crumble if stress is allowed to accumulate at one
spot.