On Wed, 17 Dec 2014 20:20:25 -0600, Ignoramus11878
wrote:

NOTE: This is **NOT** about me!

I have a friend, who is 50 years old, all around very handy guy, knows
how to MIG weld, generally decent at fabrication, small engine repair
etc. His English, I would say is B-. He is energetic.

He has a dream, to have a "welding business" that he would operate
from his garage. To have people stop by with their welding needs and
to pay him live money for this kind of work.

He wants to learn learn to do stainless and aluminum TIG
welding. Right now he knows only MIG and stick, mostly MIG.

His funds, shall I say are LIMITED.

I am just wondering what do you think about the prospects for that
business idea. Maybe you are, were or know someone with that sort of
business plan and know how it worked out.

I do have some opinions about it, but I will withhold them to see what
you think. I just laid out pertinent facts.

Thanks

i

I had the same idea, at one time. I did a bit of investigation and it
seemed to me that one needs to have the ability to do the work at
"their place" a great deal of the time. I was in Southern California
and there was a lot of work on irrigation systems and heavy equipment,
but all "on site."

I did, not a lot of work, but enough to make it worth while, on a part
time basis, with a pickup truck and a small portable welding rig. You
can weld aluminum, stainless and carbon steel with a stick welder so
you are fairly flexible.

Another nice point is that when you go out to the construction site to
weld a guy's bulldozer you can charge "portal to portal" and you
normally get paid in cash :-)
--
Cheers,

John B.

"John B. Slocomb" wrote in message
...

I had the same idea, at one time. I did a bit of investigation and
it
seemed to me that one needs to have the ability to do the work at
"their place" a great deal of the time. I was in Southern California
and there was a lot of work on irrigation systems and heavy
equipment,
but all "on site."

I did, not a lot of work, but enough to make it worth while, on a
part
time basis, with a pickup truck and a small portable welding rig.
You
can weld aluminum, stainless and carbon steel with a stick welder so
you are fairly flexible.

Another nice point is that when you go out to the construction site
to
weld a guy's bulldozer you can charge "portal to portal" and you
normally get paid in cash :-)
--
Cheers,

John B.

What did you carry to move heavy pieces into position?

Around the house I use a pipe tripod plus chain hoist, a shop crane
and platform stacker ($10 + repairs)
https://wesco-equipment.com/p/Hydrau...atform-Models/
as positioners for welding and bandsaw cutoff. Only the tripod is
portable.

All of them make cutting heavy wood beams and steel columns on a 4x6
bandsaw very easy.

-jsw

"Jim Wilkins" fired this volley in news:m6uj91$1e0
:

All of them make cutting heavy wood beams and steel columns on a 4x6
bandsaw very easy.

Sorry, Jim, but I just had to laugh! What parts of "heavy wood beams"
and 4x6 bandsaw don't fit together? I never thought of a 4x6 as being
'heavy'. Thats just cribbing lumber.

I once helped a guy put together a timber frame home. THERE were some
heavy beams! Some 12" x 20" mains in there, for clear-spanning a
kitchen/rec-room area.

I have an 8" x 24" Kalamazoo saw, but it still wouldn't handle the 12 x
20 stuff in one pass.

Lloyd

"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote in message
. 4.170...
"Jim Wilkins" fired this volley in
news:m6uj91$1e0
:

All of them make cutting heavy wood beams and steel columns on a
4x6
bandsaw very easy.

Sorry, Jim, but I just had to laugh! What parts of "heavy wood
beams"
and 4x6 bandsaw don't fit together? I never thought of a 4x6 as
being
'heavy'. Thats just cribbing lumber.

I once helped a guy put together a timber frame home. THERE were
some
heavy beams! Some 12" x 20" mains in there, for clear-spanning a
kitchen/rec-room area.

I have an 8" x 24" Kalamazoo saw, but it still wouldn't handle the
12 x
20 stuff in one pass.

Lloyd

OK, yours is bigger. Satisfied?

A wet PT 6x6 is "heavy" to handle while closing the vise and trying to
keep the blade on the cut mark. Suspending it just beyond the center
of gravity makes the job easy.
-jsw

On Thu, 18 Dec 2014 19:08:54 +0700, John B. Slocomb wrote:

On Wed, 17 Dec 2014 20:20:25 -0600, Ignoramus11878
wrote:

NOTE: This is **NOT** about me!

I have a friend, who is 50 years old, all around very handy guy, knows
how to MIG weld, generally decent at fabrication, small engine repair
etc. His English, I would say is B-. He is energetic.

He has a dream, to have a "welding business" that he would operate from
his garage. To have people stop by with their welding needs and to pay
him live money for this kind of work.

He wants to learn learn to do stainless and aluminum TIG welding. Right
now he knows only MIG and stick, mostly MIG.

His funds, shall I say are LIMITED.

I am just wondering what do you think about the prospects for that
business idea. Maybe you are, were or know someone with that sort of
business plan and know how it worked out.

I do have some opinions about it, but I will withhold them to see what
you think. I just laid out pertinent facts.

Thanks

i

I had the same idea, at one time. I did a bit of investigation and it
seemed to me that one needs to have the ability to do the work at "their
place" a great deal of the time. I was in Southern California and there
was a lot of work on irrigation systems and heavy equipment,
but all "on site."

I did, not a lot of work, but enough to make it worth while, on a part
time basis, with a pickup truck and a small portable welding rig. You
can weld aluminum, stainless and carbon steel with a stick welder so you
are fairly flexible.

Another nice point is that when you go out to the construction site to
weld a guy's bulldozer you can charge "portal to portal" and you
normally get paid in cash :-)

That also takes care of the zoning issue. Getting insured is still a good
idea, though.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

On 12/18/2014 12:02 PM, Tim Wescott wrote:
On Thu, 18 Dec 2014 19:08:54 +0700, John B. Slocomb wrote:
....

Another nice point is that when you go out to the construction site to
weld a guy's bulldozer you can charge "portal to portal" and you
normally get paid in cash :-)

That also takes care of the zoning issue. Getting insured is still a good
idea, though.

If he's doing it as a business business clients will expect anybody on
their property for such activities be bonded/insured...

Some individuals may not think about it, but will if he starts a fire or
somesuch...and "things happen" more often that one wants to think about.

--

For moving heavy stuff, most commercial people use powered equipment,
such as truck cranes, forklifts, bobcats etc.

i

On Thursday, December 18, 2014 2:16:50 PM UTC-5, dpb wrote:
On 12/18/2014 12:02 PM, Tim Wescott wrote:
On Thu, 18 Dec 2014 19:08:54 +0700, John B. Slocomb wrote:
...

Another nice point is that when you go out to the construction site to
weld a guy's bulldozer you can charge "portal to portal" and you
normally get paid in cash :-)

That also takes care of the zoning issue. Getting insured is still a good
idea, though.

If he's doing it as a business business clients will expect anybody on
their property for such activities be bonded/insured...

Some individuals may not think about it, but will if he starts a fire or
some such ... and "things happen" more often that one wants to think about.

dpb, the average American doesn't learn by stern lectures such as yours, nor do they learn by having gotten so-called "fancy" degrees and diplomas. Instead, they learn by experience. Sadly.

"Ignoramus16960" wrote in
message ...
For moving heavy stuff, most commercial people use powered
equipment,
such as truck cranes, forklifts, bobcats etc.

i

Are you replying to my question to John Slocomb?

I specifically wondered what portable rigging, hoisting or jacking
gear he carried on his truck to job sites. I've seen jib cranes on the
back of field repair vehicles.
-jsw

On Thu, 18 Dec 2014 08:03:33 -0500, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

"John B. Slocomb" wrote in message
.. .

I had the same idea, at one time. I did a bit of investigation and
it
seemed to me that one needs to have the ability to do the work at
"their place" a great deal of the time. I was in Southern California
and there was a lot of work on irrigation systems and heavy
equipment,
but all "on site."

I did, not a lot of work, but enough to make it worth while, on a
part
time basis, with a pickup truck and a small portable welding rig.
You
can weld aluminum, stainless and carbon steel with a stick welder so
you are fairly flexible.

Another nice point is that when you go out to the construction site
to
weld a guy's bulldozer you can charge "portal to portal" and you
normally get paid in cash :-)
--
Cheers,

John B.

What did you carry to move heavy pieces into position?

Around the house I use a pipe tripod plus chain hoist, a shop crane
and platform stacker ($10 + repairs)
https://wesco-equipment.com/p/Hydrau...atform-Models/
as positioners for welding and bandsaw cutoff. Only the tripod is
portable.

All of them make cutting heavy wood beams and steel columns on a 4x6
bandsaw very easy.

-jsw

I was the "welder" and the owner did the heavy lifting :-) But more
seriously, what I was doing was generally "done in place". You
discover a big crack in your dozer blade and you don't want to hire
someone that tells you got to move the blade. You hire a guy that will
get right down there in the mud and weld the damned thing :-)
--
Cheers,

John B.

On Thu, 18 Dec 2014 07:48:12 -0600, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:

"Jim Wilkins" fired this volley in news:m6uj91$1e0
:

All of them make cutting heavy wood beams and steel columns on a 4x6
bandsaw very easy.

Sorry, Jim, but I just had to laugh! What parts of "heavy wood beams"
and 4x6 bandsaw don't fit together? I never thought of a 4x6 as being
'heavy'. Thats just cribbing lumber.

I once helped a guy put together a timber frame home. THERE were some
heavy beams! Some 12" x 20" mains in there, for clear-spanning a
kitchen/rec-room area.

I have an 8" x 24" Kalamazoo saw, but it still wouldn't handle the 12 x
20 stuff in one pass.

Lloyd

You usually cut 12 x 20 inch beams with a two man crosscut saw :-)
--
Cheers,

John B.

On Thu, 18 Dec 2014 17:01:38 -0500, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

"Ignoramus16960" wrote in
message ...
For moving heavy stuff, most commercial people use powered
equipment,
such as truck cranes, forklifts, bobcats etc.

i

Are you replying to my question to John Slocomb?

I specifically wondered what portable rigging, hoisting or jacking
gear he carried on his truck to job sites. I've seen jib cranes on the
back of field repair vehicles.
-jsw


I didn't carry anything except the welding machine, 4" and 6" hand
grinders and the welding stuff, and in the couple of years I did it
never needed anything else. As I said, I was the "welder" and you
hired me to weld something.

But, most often the stuff I was doing was construction equipment out
on a job site. You broke something and you could call me and I'd hop
in the truck, drive to your location and weld it, days nights, or
Sunday (I was much younger and hungrier then).
--
Cheers,

John B.

On Thu, 18 Dec 2014 12:02:16 -0600, Tim Wescott
wrote:

On Thu, 18 Dec 2014 19:08:54 +0700, John B. Slocomb wrote:

On Wed, 17 Dec 2014 20:20:25 -0600, Ignoramus11878
wrote:

NOTE: This is **NOT** about me!

I have a friend, who is 50 years old, all around very handy guy, knows
how to MIG weld, generally decent at fabrication, small engine repair
etc. His English, I would say is B-. He is energetic.

He has a dream, to have a "welding business" that he would operate from
his garage. To have people stop by with their welding needs and to pay
him live money for this kind of work.

He wants to learn learn to do stainless and aluminum TIG welding. Right
now he knows only MIG and stick, mostly MIG.

His funds, shall I say are LIMITED.

I am just wondering what do you think about the prospects for that
business idea. Maybe you are, were or know someone with that sort of
business plan and know how it worked out.

I do have some opinions about it, but I will withhold them to see what
you think. I just laid out pertinent facts.

Thanks

i

I had the same idea, at one time. I did a bit of investigation and it
seemed to me that one needs to have the ability to do the work at "their
place" a great deal of the time. I was in Southern California and there
was a lot of work on irrigation systems and heavy equipment,
but all "on site."

I did, not a lot of work, but enough to make it worth while, on a part
time basis, with a pickup truck and a small portable welding rig. You
can weld aluminum, stainless and carbon steel with a stick welder so you
are fairly flexible.

Another nice point is that when you go out to the construction site to
weld a guy's bulldozer you can charge "portal to portal" and you
normally get paid in cash :-)

That also takes care of the zoning issue. Getting insured is still a good
idea, though.

From what I read on the Web you are undoubtedly right. But I was doing
this a long time ago when people weren't so litigation minded.
--
Cheers,

John B.

John B. Slocomb fired this volley in
:

You usually cut 12 x 20 inch beams with a two man crosscut saw :-)

I have two (sort of 'retired' now, because that's chainsaw territory for me
these days G). One is a double-cut and the other a raker-tooth. And a
one-man 4' crosscut saw in raker tooth, too.

Lloyd

"John B. Slocomb" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 18 Dec 2014 07:48:12 -0600, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:

"Jim Wilkins" fired this volley in
news:m6uj91$1e0
:

All of them make cutting heavy wood beams and steel columns on a
4x6
bandsaw very easy.

Sorry, Jim, but I just had to laugh! What parts of "heavy wood
beams"
and 4x6 bandsaw don't fit together? I never thought of a 4x6 as
being
'heavy'. Thats just cribbing lumber.

I once helped a guy put together a timber frame home. THERE were
some
heavy beams! Some 12" x 20" mains in there, for clear-spanning a
kitchen/rec-room area.

I have an 8" x 24" Kalamazoo saw, but it still wouldn't handle the
12 x
20 stuff in one pass.

Lloyd

You usually cut 12 x 20 inch beams with a two man crosscut saw :-)
--
Cheers,

John B.

I can cut smoothly and accurately enough for a pole barn with a
chainsaw. A clamp-on ripping guide can be jigged and clamped up to
improve on freehand accuracy.

If the chain is sharp and your hands steady, you can smooth and
straighten the side of a log pretty well by sliding the bar along it
flat, controlling the depth of cut by twisting the saw. On upright
posts the adjacent corner post provides a visual target to keep the
cut square.

To cut tight-fitting mortises in columns I clamp the beam or diagonal
in place and then clamp 2x4 blocks above and below it, remove the beam
and use the blocks to guide the hand saw. The saw kerf is thus inside
the line, not outside, and usually the beam is a snug fit in the
mortise. A thin Japanese type saw works very well for this.

My point was that a 4x6 horizontal bandsaw does a fine job of cutting
the size of timber we might need for a deck or landscaping, as long as
you can support the weight. My cribbing collection is a contractor's
cutoffs from building decks, including his own, and their cut ends
aren't as smooth or square as what my bandsaw did.
-jsw

"Jim Wilkins" fired this volley in news:m718cq$a3d$1
@dont-email.me:

My point was that a 4x6 horizontal bandsaw does a fine job of cutting
the size of timber we might need for a deck or landscaping, as long as
you can support the weight

Jim, I concur. I just got tickled at the reference to 6x8 as being "heavy
timber", that's all.

We have an itinerant bandsaw miller in this county who'll rip or cross-cut
anything you have for pittance. He's an old guy who does it to stay busy
and in shape, and he does a LOT of work for his $15/hr.

Lloyd

"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote in message
. 4.170...
"Jim Wilkins" fired this volley in
news:m718cq$a3d$1
@dont-email.me:

My point was that a 4x6 horizontal bandsaw does a fine job of
cutting
the size of timber we might need for a deck or landscaping, as long
as
you can support the weight

Jim, I concur. I just got tickled at the reference to 6x8 as being
"heavy
timber", that's all.

We have an itinerant bandsaw miller in this county who'll rip or
cross-cut
anything you have for pittance. He's an old guy who does it to stay
busy
and in shape, and he does a LOT of work for his $15/hr.

Lloyd

I built my own bandsaw mill from the wheels of a wrecked motorcycle,
scrap 3" channel from pallet racks and the engine borrowed from my
logsplitter. The first batch of oak planks became a wall of
bookshelves, the second is on the to-do list to edge and plane, the
third is still logs. I don't think a commercial operator would wait
while I evaluate the quality of each piece to decide its use and set
the thickness.

"Heavy" is relative. The 6x6 PT timbers I cut up this fall were much
too heavy at 50 lbs to hold in place on the bandsaw without mechanical
help. The 20"+ by 8' oak logs in my drying shed weighed up to 900 lbs
wet. That tree bounced on impact and broke a 3/8" logging chain that
was guiding its fall.

I weigh stuff so I won't overstress equipment. I had no idea how heavy
the 900 lb log or 1100 lb boulder were otherwise. The previous owner
of my shop crane wasn't so careful and bent the boom extension.

-jsw

On Fri, 19 Dec 2014 09:18:55 +0700, John B. Slocomb wrote:

On Thu, 18 Dec 2014 12:02:16 -0600, Tim Wescott
wrote:

On Thu, 18 Dec 2014 19:08:54 +0700, John B. Slocomb wrote:

On Wed, 17 Dec 2014 20:20:25 -0600, Ignoramus11878
wrote:

NOTE: This is **NOT** about me!

I have a friend, who is 50 years old, all around very handy guy, knows
how to MIG weld, generally decent at fabrication, small engine repair
etc. His English, I would say is B-. He is energetic.

He has a dream, to have a "welding business" that he would operate
from his garage. To have people stop by with their welding needs and
to pay him live money for this kind of work.

He wants to learn learn to do stainless and aluminum TIG welding.
Right now he knows only MIG and stick, mostly MIG.

His funds, shall I say are LIMITED.

I am just wondering what do you think about the prospects for that
business idea. Maybe you are, were or know someone with that sort of
business plan and know how it worked out.

I do have some opinions about it, but I will withhold them to see what
you think. I just laid out pertinent facts.

Thanks

i

I had the same idea, at one time. I did a bit of investigation and it
seemed to me that one needs to have the ability to do the work at
"their place" a great deal of the time. I was in Southern California
and there was a lot of work on irrigation systems and heavy equipment,
but all "on site."

I did, not a lot of work, but enough to make it worth while, on a part
time basis, with a pickup truck and a small portable welding rig. You
can weld aluminum, stainless and carbon steel with a stick welder so
you are fairly flexible.

Another nice point is that when you go out to the construction site to
weld a guy's bulldozer you can charge "portal to portal" and you
normally get paid in cash :-)

That also takes care of the zoning issue. Getting insured is still a
good idea, though.

From what I read on the Web you are undoubtedly right. But I was doing
this a long time ago when people weren't so litigation minded.

Unless you work in a segment that is particularly litigation-prone, or
unless you have a history of getting sued, the insurance isn't too
expensive. The insurance companies know that suits are (a) infrequent,
and (b) expensive, and they know how to do the math so that they make
money and you still want to buy.

My business insurance takes into account my annual gross revenue, and it's
a very small percentage of that annual gross; I'm sure that if I doubled
my gross that my premium would go up, on the theory that more business
means more exposure.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

On 12/19/2014 12:30 PM, Tim Wescott wrote:
....

My business insurance takes into account my annual gross revenue, and it's
a very small percentage of that annual gross; I'm sure that if I doubled
my gross that my premium would go up, on the theory that more business
means more exposure.

And it'll look like a whole lot less if that _one_ unexpected
incident/accident does happen!!!

--

On Fri, 19 Dec 2014 12:53:38 -0600, dpb wrote:

On 12/19/2014 12:30 PM, Tim Wescott wrote:
...

My business insurance takes into account my annual gross revenue, and
it's a very small percentage of that annual gross; I'm sure that if I
doubled my gross that my premium would go up, on the theory that more
business means more exposure.

And it'll look like a whole lot less if that _one_ unexpected
incident/accident does happen!!!

Yup. I expect that I'll go the whole life of my business without ever
needing the coverage -- but if I do, it'll maybe keep someone from eating
up my business, and my house, and every other asset I have to my name.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

On 12/19/2014 2:24 PM, Tim Wescott wrote:
On Fri, 19 Dec 2014 12:53:38 -0600, dpb wrote:

On 12/19/2014 12:30 PM, Tim Wescott wrote:
...

My business insurance takes into account my annual gross revenue, and
it's a very small percentage of that annual gross; I'm sure that if I
doubled my gross that my premium would go up, on the theory that more
business means more exposure.

And it'll look like a whole lot less if that _one_ unexpected
incident/accident does happen!!!

Yup. I expect that I'll go the whole life of my business without ever
needing the coverage -- but if I do, it'll maybe keep someone from eating
up my business, and my house, and every other asset I have to my name.

When I was consulting, most clients required proof of professional
liability to be able to bid. It wasn't excessively expensive but just a
cost of doing business. While not quite the same as moonlight welding,
my experience was that clients that didn't require it weren't likely to
be of sufficiently deep pockets to want to deal with, anyway.

I'm not back on the farm rather than consulting but even at that I
expect any contractor I do hire to have coverage...it's dangerous for us
without it in case he does cause a problem. The large feedlot just to
our east set about $100K worth of hay on fire with a stray spark from
welding on new fencing they were having installed just a couple years
ago. We had been out of town on trip to the mountains with grandson for
a weekend and as were driving into town that evening could see the
smoke. From 10 mi away looked awfully close to the house so was a
little concern until we got a few miles closer and could get rid of the
parallax and tell it wasn't our place or ground...

http://www.leaderandtimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&id=12548:hay-bales-ignite-on-bluebell-road&Itemid=40

--

On Fri, 19 Dec 2014 08:16:15 -0500, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

"John B. Slocomb" wrote in message
.. .
On Thu, 18 Dec 2014 07:48:12 -0600, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:

"Jim Wilkins" fired this volley in
news:m6uj91$1e0
:

All of them make cutting heavy wood beams and steel columns on a
4x6
bandsaw very easy.

Sorry, Jim, but I just had to laugh! What parts of "heavy wood
beams"
and 4x6 bandsaw don't fit together? I never thought of a 4x6 as
being
'heavy'. Thats just cribbing lumber.

I once helped a guy put together a timber frame home. THERE were
some
heavy beams! Some 12" x 20" mains in there, for clear-spanning a
kitchen/rec-room area.

I have an 8" x 24" Kalamazoo saw, but it still wouldn't handle the
12 x
20 stuff in one pass.

Lloyd

You usually cut 12 x 20 inch beams with a two man crosscut saw :-)
--
Cheers,

John B.

I can cut smoothly and accurately enough for a pole barn with a
chainsaw. A clamp-on ripping guide can be jigged and clamped up to
improve on freehand accuracy.

If the chain is sharp and your hands steady, you can smooth and
straighten the side of a log pretty well by sliding the bar along it
flat, controlling the depth of cut by twisting the saw. On upright
posts the adjacent corner post provides a visual target to keep the
cut square.

To cut tight-fitting mortises in columns I clamp the beam or diagonal
in place and then clamp 2x4 blocks above and below it, remove the beam
and use the blocks to guide the hand saw. The saw kerf is thus inside
the line, not outside, and usually the beam is a snug fit in the
mortise. A thin Japanese type saw works very well for this.

My point was that a 4x6 horizontal bandsaw does a fine job of cutting
the size of timber we might need for a deck or landscaping, as long as
you can support the weight. My cribbing collection is a contractor's
cutoffs from building decks, including his own, and their cut ends
aren't as smooth or square as what my bandsaw did.
-jsw


Yes it would be, but hauling the beam to the saw is somewhat
bothersome and I suspect that taking the saw to the log is probably
less trouble.
--
Cheers,

John B.

On Fri, 19 Dec 2014 12:30:00 -0600, Tim Wescott
wrote:

On Fri, 19 Dec 2014 09:18:55 +0700, John B. Slocomb wrote:

On Thu, 18 Dec 2014 12:02:16 -0600, Tim Wescott
wrote:

On Thu, 18 Dec 2014 19:08:54 +0700, John B. Slocomb wrote:

On Wed, 17 Dec 2014 20:20:25 -0600, Ignoramus11878
wrote:

NOTE: This is **NOT** about me!

I have a friend, who is 50 years old, all around very handy guy, knows
how to MIG weld, generally decent at fabrication, small engine repair
etc. His English, I would say is B-. He is energetic.

He has a dream, to have a "welding business" that he would operate
from his garage. To have people stop by with their welding needs and
to pay him live money for this kind of work.

He wants to learn learn to do stainless and aluminum TIG welding.
Right now he knows only MIG and stick, mostly MIG.

His funds, shall I say are LIMITED.

I am just wondering what do you think about the prospects for that
business idea. Maybe you are, were or know someone with that sort of
business plan and know how it worked out.

I do have some opinions about it, but I will withhold them to see what
you think. I just laid out pertinent facts.

Thanks

i

I had the same idea, at one time. I did a bit of investigation and it
seemed to me that one needs to have the ability to do the work at
"their place" a great deal of the time. I was in Southern California
and there was a lot of work on irrigation systems and heavy equipment,
but all "on site."

I did, not a lot of work, but enough to make it worth while, on a part
time basis, with a pickup truck and a small portable welding rig. You
can weld aluminum, stainless and carbon steel with a stick welder so
you are fairly flexible.

Another nice point is that when you go out to the construction site to
weld a guy's bulldozer you can charge "portal to portal" and you
normally get paid in cash :-)

That also takes care of the zoning issue. Getting insured is still a
good idea, though.

From what I read on the Web you are undoubtedly right. But I was doing
this a long time ago when people weren't so litigation minded.

Unless you work in a segment that is particularly litigation-prone, or
unless you have a history of getting sued, the insurance isn't too
expensive. The insurance companies know that suits are (a) infrequent,
and (b) expensive, and they know how to do the math so that they make
money and you still want to buy.

My business insurance takes into account my annual gross revenue, and it's
a very small percentage of that annual gross; I'm sure that if I doubled
my gross that my premium would go up, on the theory that more business
means more exposure.

This was probably 40 years ago and probably the worst thing that would
have happened was the guy calling up and saying, "Hey! That thing you
welded broke", and I'd have said something like, "I'll be there this
evening" and wouldn't have charged him.
--
Cheers,

John B.

"John B. Slocomb" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 19 Dec 2014 08:16:15 -0500, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

...
My point was that a 4x6 horizontal bandsaw does a fine job of
cutting
the size of timber we might need for a deck or landscaping, as long
as
you can support the weight. My cribbing collection is a contractor's
cutoffs from building decks, including his own, and their cut ends
aren't as smooth or square as what my bandsaw did.
-jsw


Yes it would be, but hauling the beam to the saw is somewhat
bothersome and I suspect that taking the saw to the log is probably
less trouble.
--
Cheers,

John B.

The tiny wheels that come on a 4x6 bandsaw don't work off pavement. I
replaced them with 6" lawnmower wheels spaced further apart but the
saw is still top-heavy and liable to tip over. I can't assume that
anyone else has a large enough trailer for their ATV or riding mower
with tie-down eyes to secure the heavy saw. If they do they should
know how to move stuff around.

The axle for the 6" wheels is the bolts made for them joined together
with 3/8" threaded rod and couplers, since the sheet metal is too
flimsy to keep them from twisting.

My log storage shed has an overhead steel rail and HF 1 ton beam
trolley that I can extend out over the trail where I set up the
sawmill. There should be two trolleys, one I can reach from outside on
each end instead of a single one in the middle to move logs in and
out, but one in the middle is better to rotate them 90 degrees from
the trailer or sawmill position. I had to turn down the rollers to fit
in the 3" channels they run in anyway, and carving scrap hydraulic
cylinder rod into another set of rollers to go on an electric hoist is
on the winter project list. Except for the hardened skin it machines
nicely.

-jsw

On Sat, 20 Dec 2014 10:14:39 -0500, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

"John B. Slocomb" wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 19 Dec 2014 08:16:15 -0500, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

...
My point was that a 4x6 horizontal bandsaw does a fine job of
cutting
the size of timber we might need for a deck or landscaping, as long
as
you can support the weight. My cribbing collection is a contractor's
cutoffs from building decks, including his own, and their cut ends
aren't as smooth or square as what my bandsaw did.
-jsw


Yes it would be, but hauling the beam to the saw is somewhat
bothersome and I suspect that taking the saw to the log is probably
less trouble.
--
Cheers,

John B.

The tiny wheels that come on a 4x6 bandsaw don't work off pavement. I

Hah! They don't work on-pavement, either. With a bit of swarf or
even a healthy-sized dust bunny, they lock up and slide.


replaced them with 6" lawnmower wheels spaced further apart but the
saw is still top-heavy and liable to tip over. I can't assume that
anyone else has a large enough trailer for their ATV or riding mower
with tie-down eyes to secure the heavy saw. If they do they should
know how to move stuff around.

The axle for the 6" wheels is the bolts made for them joined together
with 3/8" threaded rod and couplers, since the sheet metal is too
flimsy to keep them from twisting.

I've been eyeing OA torch sets and thinking about modifying a standard
HF hand truck to handle OA tanks so I'd retain the nice pneumatic
tires for movement. (Yes, I know to park the cart far away from
sparks so the tires remain pneumatic.) HD has 5/8" x 36" steel rod
($8.32) which I'd use for a wider axle.


My log storage shed has an overhead steel rail and HF 1 ton beam
trolley that I can extend out over the trail where I set up the
sawmill. There should be two trolleys, one I can reach from outside on
each end instead of a single one in the middle to move logs in and
out, but one in the middle is better to rotate them 90 degrees from
the trailer or sawmill position. I had to turn down the rollers to fit
in the 3" channels they run in anyway, and carving scrap hydraulic
cylinder rod into another set of rollers to go on an electric hoist is
on the winter project list. Except for the hardened skin it machines
nicely.

Do you grind the skin first, then cut, or just slowly machine through
it?

--
With every experience, you alone are painting your
own canvas, thought by thought, choice by choice.
-- Oprah Winfrey

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 20 Dec 2014 10:14:39 -0500, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:


The axle for the 6" wheels is the bolts made for them joined
together
with 3/8" threaded rod and couplers, since the sheet metal is too
flimsy to keep them from twisting.

I've been eyeing OA torch sets and thinking about modifying a
standard
HF hand truck to handle OA tanks so I'd retain the nice pneumatic
tires for movement. (Yes, I know to park the cart far away from
sparks so the tires remain pneumatic.) HD has 5/8" x 36" steel rod
($8.32) which I'd use for a wider axle.

I buy the wheels first and then pick an axle to fit, sometimes a
larger inch size that I turn down to metric. The plastic and
pressed-steel wheels from hardware stores have held up fairly well for
me in much more demanding use, such as the column end of a shop crane
that I tow on gravel trails with the tractor. After they have shown
(or not) that the ground here will support their load I replace them
with stronger, more expensive or home-made stainless wheels. The
replacement wheels for trailer tongue jacks are quite tough and also
6" (150mm) diameter.

... and carving scrap hydraulic
cylinder rod into another set of rollers to go on an electric hoist
is
on the winter project list. Except for the hardened skin it machines
nicely.

Do you grind the skin first, then cut, or just slowly machine
through
it?

Carbide cuts it. If necessary I could groove it with the chop saw,
bandsaw off the piece I need and anneal it in the stove.

-jsw

"Jim Wilkins" fired this volley in news:m743mo$liu$1
@dont-email.me:

to secure the heavy saw.

Hah! There you go again! I've got one of those Chinese 4x6 saws in the
corner, and it doesn't weigh more than about 120lb.

G
Lloyd

Larry Jaques fired this volley in
:

I've been eyeing OA torch sets and thinking about modifying a standard
HF hand truck to handle OA tanks so I'd retain the nice pneumatic
tires for movement. (Yes, I know to park the cart far away from
sparks so the tires remain pneumatic.) HD has 5/8" x 36" steel rod
($8.32) which I'd use for a wider axle.

Get semi-pneumatics, Larry. I'm on a farm, and bought an OA cart with
8" rim pneumatics. Unfortunately, the best tires and tubes you can get
in that size is those Chinese gum rubber toys that check and crack, don't
seat well, and penetrate easily with any-ol' sort of barn or field trash.

I was constantly fixing leaks or re-filling the tires until I finally
broke down and replaced them with foam-filled tires.

Lloyd

On Sat, 20 Dec 2014 10:54:11 -0600, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:

Larry Jaques fired this volley in
:

I've been eyeing OA torch sets and thinking about modifying a standard
HF hand truck to handle OA tanks so I'd retain the nice pneumatic
tires for movement. (Yes, I know to park the cart far away from
sparks so the tires remain pneumatic.) HD has 5/8" x 36" steel rod
($8.32) which I'd use for a wider axle.

Get semi-pneumatics, Larry. I'm on a farm, and bought an OA cart with
8" rim pneumatics. Unfortunately, the best tires and tubes you can get
in that size is those Chinese gum rubber toys that check and crack, don't
seat well, and penetrate easily with any-ol' sort of barn or field trash.

I was constantly fixing leaks or re-filling the tires until I finally
broke down and replaced them with foam-filled tires.

Hmm, good point, Lloyd.

--
With every experience, you alone are painting your
own canvas, thought by thought, choice by choice.
-- Oprah Winfrey

On Sat, 20 Dec 2014 14:38:38 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Sat, 20 Dec 2014 10:54:11 -0600, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:

Larry Jaques fired this volley in
m:

I've been eyeing OA torch sets and thinking about modifying a standard
HF hand truck to handle OA tanks so I'd retain the nice pneumatic
tires for movement. (Yes, I know to park the cart far away from
sparks so the tires remain pneumatic.) HD has 5/8" x 36" steel rod
($8.32) which I'd use for a wider axle.

Get semi-pneumatics, Larry. I'm on a farm, and bought an OA cart with
8" rim pneumatics. Unfortunately, the best tires and tubes you can get
in that size is those Chinese gum rubber toys that check and crack, don't
seat well, and penetrate easily with any-ol' sort of barn or field trash.

I was constantly fixing leaks or re-filling the tires until I finally
broke down and replaced them with foam-filled tires.

Hmm, good point, Lloyd.

Indeed. I had a place up the road fill the front tires on my riding
mower. The spiny bumelia and mesquite thorns were keeping me too
busy. I have small pneumatics on my welding and 4x6 carts. Maybe the
same outfit can do those little suckers, although they don't requre
near the attention the lawnmower tires did.

The rear lawnmower tires are too big for that treatment. The excess
weight would trash the transaxle (according to the repair/parts guy at
the top of the hill).

Pete Keillor

On Sun, 21 Dec 2014 06:00:30 -0600, Pete Keillor
wrote:

On Sat, 20 Dec 2014 14:38:38 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Sat, 20 Dec 2014 10:54:11 -0600, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:

Larry Jaques fired this volley in
:

I've been eyeing OA torch sets and thinking about modifying a standard
HF hand truck to handle OA tanks so I'd retain the nice pneumatic
tires for movement. (Yes, I know to park the cart far away from
sparks so the tires remain pneumatic.) HD has 5/8" x 36" steel rod
($8.32) which I'd use for a wider axle.

Get semi-pneumatics, Larry. I'm on a farm, and bought an OA cart with
8" rim pneumatics. Unfortunately, the best tires and tubes you can get
in that size is those Chinese gum rubber toys that check and crack, don't
seat well, and penetrate easily with any-ol' sort of barn or field trash.

I was constantly fixing leaks or re-filling the tires until I finally
broke down and replaced them with foam-filled tires.

Hmm, good point, Lloyd.

Hmm, I wonder if Great Stuff would work in tires...


Indeed. I had a place up the road fill the front tires on my riding
mower. The spiny bumelia and mesquite thorns were keeping me too
busy. I have small pneumatics on my welding and 4x6 carts. Maybe the
same outfit can do those little suckers, although they don't requre
near the attention the lawnmower tires did.

Blackberries are the bane to my existence. You wouldn't think they'd
be tough enough or long enough to go through a tire, but they do.
I finally got a couple quarts of Slime and did the mower. Only one
goes down now, the right front, and it's the one which stays on the
grass the whole time. Go figure.


The rear lawnmower tires are too big for that treatment. The excess
weight would trash the transaxle (according to the repair/parts guy at
the top of the hill).

Pete Keillor

--
With every experience, you alone are painting your
own canvas, thought by thought, choice by choice.
-- Oprah Winfrey