The wife has been downloading some American TV programme called "Million
Dollar Contractor". Last night, I watched one. Basically, it's about a brash
New Yorker who inherited a cabinet-making business from his father, complete
with the skills to carry it on, which had been taught to him by said father.
He has developed the business into a sort of custom 'shopfitters' working on
behalf of designers, who are in turn working on behalf of punters with more
money than sense, who live in multi-million dollar apartments. He has a very
well equipped woodworking shop, and skilled staff, and to be honest, the
custom furniture and fittings that he turns out are top-notch in that sort
of 'elegant but lacking cutting edge style' that typifies American design.
Also, his trades are very good, so all in all, not a cowboy outfit.

So, this particular client wants to be able to divide off one end of his
living space at will, to create a home cinema area. So laddo comes up with a
design for a hinged wall that folds out to 90 deg from one of the
apartment's original brick walls. This mobile wall is probably 8 feet tall,
and 10 feet across. It's made from sort of 'slat-work' at an angle - think
the old louvred doors that we all had back in the 70's - but on a much
bigger scale. The wood is something fancy, the name of which I didn't
recognise. It has to be made in three pieces to get it in the lift, and
these are to be assembled on site. So far, so good. Then he tells us how
much. $20k for materials, and $30k for labour to make it !!!!!!

But it gets worse. The site foreman gets worried that it is going to weigh
more than the hinges that they've got for it, can take, so he gets some
industrial scales to check it, and it goes almost 700 pounds. The hinges are
rated to 500 ... So now the boss goes into panic mode and starts bleating
that he's going to have to have custom hinges made by his mate the metal
fabricator. So we follow on down to this guy's workshop, where we see these
marvels of engineering. Basically, each hinge - one for the top and one for
the bottom - comprises a plate of 1/2" steel about a foot square, with six
holes drilled in it. Welded to the middle - and not actually very well, in
my opinion - was a stub perhaps 8" long, of 2" circular bar.

And how much did the metal shop charge him for these ? Seven THOUSAND
dollars !!!!!! FFS. What are we all doing charging a few quid an hour
for our various skilled services ? It's enough to make you weep ... d :-\

Arfa

Maybe they have emission zones out there as well I mean here in London the
gov charge white van man with the wrong van 100 notes a day to be in the
zone and its right out to the suburbs so they cannot avoid it.
Brian

--
Brian Gaff....Note, this account does not accept Bcc: email.
graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them
Email:
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________


"Arfa Daily" wrote in message
...
The wife has been downloading some American TV programme called "Million
Dollar Contractor". Last night, I watched one. Basically, it's about a
brash New Yorker who inherited a cabinet-making business from his father,
complete with the skills to carry it on, which had been taught to him by
said father. He has developed the business into a sort of custom
'shopfitters' working on behalf of designers, who are in turn working on
behalf of punters with more money than sense, who live in multi-million
dollar apartments. He has a very well equipped woodworking shop, and
skilled staff, and to be honest, the custom furniture and fittings that he
turns out are top-notch in that sort of 'elegant but lacking cutting edge
style' that typifies American design. Also, his trades are very good, so
all in all, not a cowboy outfit.

So, this particular client wants to be able to divide off one end of his
living space at will, to create a home cinema area. So laddo comes up with
a design for a hinged wall that folds out to 90 deg from one of the
apartment's original brick walls. This mobile wall is probably 8 feet
tall, and 10 feet across. It's made from sort of 'slat-work' at an angle -
think the old louvred doors that we all had back in the 70's - but on a
much bigger scale. The wood is something fancy, the name of which I didn't
recognise. It has to be made in three pieces to get it in the lift, and
these are to be assembled on site. So far, so good. Then he tells us how
much. $20k for materials, and $30k for labour to make it !!!!!!

But it gets worse. The site foreman gets worried that it is going to weigh
more than the hinges that they've got for it, can take, so he gets some
industrial scales to check it, and it goes almost 700 pounds. The hinges
are rated to 500 ... So now the boss goes into panic mode and starts
bleating that he's going to have to have custom hinges made by his mate
the metal fabricator. So we follow on down to this guy's workshop, where
we see these marvels of engineering. Basically, each hinge - one for the
top and one for the bottom - comprises a plate of 1/2" steel about a foot
square, with six holes drilled in it. Welded to the middle - and not
actually very well, in my opinion - was a stub perhaps 8" long, of 2"
circular bar.

And how much did the metal shop charge him for these ? Seven THOUSAND
dollars !!!!!! FFS. What are we all doing charging a few quid an hour
for our various skilled services ? It's enough to make you weep ... d
:-\

Arfa

Arfa Daily :
The site foreman gets worried that it is going to weigh more than the
hinges that they've got for it, can take, so he gets some industrial
scales to check it, and it goes almost 700 pounds. The hinges are rated
to 500 ... So now the boss goes into panic mode and starts bleating
that he's going to have to have custom hinges made by his mate the
metal fabricator.

Wouldn't one more similar hinge have solved the problem?

--
Mike Barnes

On 07/01/2012 09:39, Mike Barnes wrote:
Arfa :
The site foreman gets worried that it is going to weigh more than the
hinges that they've got for it, can take, so he gets some industrial
scales to check it, and it goes almost 700 pounds. The hinges are rated
to 500 ... So now the boss goes into panic mode and starts bleating
that he's going to have to have custom hinges made by his mate the
metal fabricator.

Wouldn't one more similar hinge have solved the problem?

People with large incomes have to spend their money on something that
impresses their friends, so it has to be something frivolous or over
priced. Abramovich bought Torres after all.

Arfa Daily wrote:
The wife has been downloading some American TV programme called "Million
Dollar Contractor". Last night, I watched one. Basically, it's about a
brash New Yorker who inherited a cabinet-making business from his
father, complete with the skills to carry it on, which had been taught
to him by said father. He has developed the business into a sort of
custom 'shopfitters' working on behalf of designers, who are in turn
working on behalf of punters with more money than sense, who live in
multi-million dollar apartments. He has a very well equipped woodworking
shop, and skilled staff, and to be honest, the custom furniture and
fittings that he turns out are top-notch in that sort of 'elegant but
lacking cutting edge style' that typifies American design. Also, his
trades are very good, so all in all, not a cowboy outfit.

So, this particular client wants to be able to divide off one end of his
living space at will, to create a home cinema area. So laddo comes up
with a design for a hinged wall that folds out to 90 deg from one of the
apartment's original brick walls. This mobile wall is probably 8 feet
tall, and 10 feet across. It's made from sort of 'slat-work' at an angle
- think the old louvred doors that we all had back in the 70's - but on
a much bigger scale. The wood is something fancy, the name of which I
didn't recognise. It has to be made in three pieces to get it in the
lift, and these are to be assembled on site. So far, so good. Then he
tells us how much. $20k for materials, and $30k for labour to make it
!!!!!!

But it gets worse. The site foreman gets worried that it is going to
weigh more than the hinges that they've got for it, can take, so he gets
some industrial scales to check it, and it goes almost 700 pounds. The
hinges are rated to 500 ... So now the boss goes into panic mode and
starts bleating that he's going to have to have custom hinges made by
his mate the metal fabricator. So we follow on down to this guy's
workshop, where we see these marvels of engineering. Basically, each
hinge - one for the top and one for the bottom - comprises a plate of
1/2" steel about a foot square, with six holes drilled in it. Welded to
the middle - and not actually very well, in my opinion - was a stub
perhaps 8" long, of 2" circular bar.

And how much did the metal shop charge him for these ? Seven THOUSAND
dollars !!!!!! FFS. What are we all doing charging a few quid an
hour for our various skilled services ? It's enough to make you weep
... d :-\

Arfa

Tome Lheres's introduction to 'In Old Mexico'

"Now, I'm sure you're all aware that this week is national gall-bladder
week. So as sort of an educational feature at this point I thought I
would acquaint you with some of the results of my recent researches into
the career of the late doctor Samuel Gall, inventor of the gall-bladder.
Which certainly ranks as one of the more important technological
advances since the invention of the joy-buzzer and the dribble-glass.
Doctor Gall's faith in his invention was so dramatically vindicated last
year, as you no doubt recall, when, for the first time in history, in a
nation-wide poll the gall-bladder was voted among the top ten organs.
His educational career began interestingly enough in agricultural
school, where he majored in animal husbandry, until they caught him at
it one day. Whereupon he switched to the field of medicine in which
field he also won renown as the inventor of gargling. Which prior to
that time had been practiced only furtively by a remote tribe in the
Andes who passed the secret down from father to son as part of their
oral tradition. He soon became a specialist, *specializing in diseases
of the rich*. He was therefore able to retire at an early age. To the
land we all dream about, sunny Mexico of course. The last part of which
is completely irrelevant, as with the whole thing I guess, except, it's
a rather sneaky way of getting into this next type of popular song which
is one of those things about that magic, and romantic land south of the
border."

On 01/06/12 6:31 PM, Arfa Daily wrote:
The wife has been downloading some American TV programme called "Million
Dollar Contractor". Last night, I watched one. Basically, it's about a
brash New Yorker who inherited a cabinet-making business from his
father, complete with the skills to carry it on, which had been taught
to him by said father. He has developed the business into a sort of
custom 'shopfitters' working on behalf of designers, who are in turn
working on behalf of punters with more money than sense, who live in
multi-million dollar apartments. He has a very well equipped woodworking
shop, and skilled staff, and to be honest, the custom furniture and
fittings that he turns out are top-notch in that sort of 'elegant but
lacking cutting edge style' that typifies American design. Also, his
trades are very good, so all in all, not a cowboy outfit.

So, this particular client wants to be able to divide off one end of his
living space at will, to create a home cinema area. So laddo comes up
with a design for a hinged wall that folds out to 90 deg from one of the
apartment's original brick walls. This mobile wall is probably 8 feet
tall, and 10 feet across. It's made from sort of 'slat-work' at an angle
- think the old louvred doors that we all had back in the 70's - but on
a much bigger scale. The wood is something fancy, the name of which I
didn't recognise. It has to be made in three pieces to get it in the
lift, and these are to be assembled on site. So far, so good. Then he
tells us how much. $20k for materials, and $30k for labour to make it
!!!!!!

But it gets worse. The site foreman gets worried that it is going to
weigh more than the hinges that they've got for it, can take, so he gets
some industrial scales to check it, and it goes almost 700 pounds. The
hinges are rated to 500 ... So now the boss goes into panic mode and
starts bleating that he's going to have to have custom hinges made by
his mate the metal fabricator. So we follow on down to this guy's
workshop, where we see these marvels of engineering. Basically, each
hinge - one for the top and one for the bottom - comprises a plate of
1/2" steel about a foot square, with six holes drilled in it. Welded to
the middle - and not actually very well, in my opinion - was a stub
perhaps 8" long, of 2" circular bar.

And how much did the metal shop charge him for these ? Seven THOUSAND
dollars !!!!!! FFS. What are we all doing charging a few quid an hour
for our various skilled services ? It's enough to make you weep ... d :-\

Arfa

Come visit me sometime. I'll take you to some shops on Rodeo Drive where
you will marvel at the opportunity to buy a plain leather purse for
$8,000.00 and where all merchandise in the neighboring shops is
similarly priced.

McGyver

"Mike Barnes" wrote in message
...
Arfa Daily :
The site foreman gets worried that it is going to weigh more than the
hinges that they've got for it, can take, so he gets some industrial
scales to check it, and it goes almost 700 pounds. The hinges are rated
to 500 ... So now the boss goes into panic mode and starts bleating
that he's going to have to have custom hinges made by his mate the
metal fabricator.

Wouldn't one more similar hinge have solved the problem?

--
Mike Barnes

Sadly, not, as they were not that sort of hinge. They were a pair of
'pins' - the pieces of two inch bar - one of which stuck upwards into the
bottom of the mobile wall from the bottom plate, bolted to the floor
underneath the decorative top-flooring, and the other of which hung
downwards into the top of the wall from a similar plate bolted to the
ceiling joists underneath the ceiling board, so no direct hinging actually
attached to the fixed wall itself.

Arfa

"McGyver" wrote in message
...
On 01/06/12 6:31 PM, Arfa Daily wrote:
The wife has been downloading some American TV programme called "Million
Dollar Contractor". Last night, I watched one. Basically, it's about a
brash New Yorker who inherited a cabinet-making business from his
father, complete with the skills to carry it on, which had been taught
to him by said father. He has developed the business into a sort of
custom 'shopfitters' working on behalf of designers, who are in turn
working on behalf of punters with more money than sense, who live in
multi-million dollar apartments. He has a very well equipped woodworking
shop, and skilled staff, and to be honest, the custom furniture and
fittings that he turns out are top-notch in that sort of 'elegant but
lacking cutting edge style' that typifies American design. Also, his
trades are very good, so all in all, not a cowboy outfit.

So, this particular client wants to be able to divide off one end of his
living space at will, to create a home cinema area. So laddo comes up
with a design for a hinged wall that folds out to 90 deg from one of the
apartment's original brick walls. This mobile wall is probably 8 feet
tall, and 10 feet across. It's made from sort of 'slat-work' at an angle
- think the old louvred doors that we all had back in the 70's - but on
a much bigger scale. The wood is something fancy, the name of which I
didn't recognise. It has to be made in three pieces to get it in the
lift, and these are to be assembled on site. So far, so good. Then he
tells us how much. $20k for materials, and $30k for labour to make it
!!!!!!

But it gets worse. The site foreman gets worried that it is going to
weigh more than the hinges that they've got for it, can take, so he gets
some industrial scales to check it, and it goes almost 700 pounds. The
hinges are rated to 500 ... So now the boss goes into panic mode and
starts bleating that he's going to have to have custom hinges made by
his mate the metal fabricator. So we follow on down to this guy's
workshop, where we see these marvels of engineering. Basically, each
hinge - one for the top and one for the bottom - comprises a plate of
1/2" steel about a foot square, with six holes drilled in it. Welded to
the middle - and not actually very well, in my opinion - was a stub
perhaps 8" long, of 2" circular bar.

And how much did the metal shop charge him for these ? Seven THOUSAND
dollars !!!!!! FFS. What are we all doing charging a few quid an hour
for our various skilled services ? It's enough to make you weep ... d :-\

Arfa

Come visit me sometime. I'll take you to some shops on Rodeo Drive where
you will marvel at the opportunity to buy a plain leather purse for
$8,000.00 and where all merchandise in the neighboring shops is similarly
priced.

McGyver

I've actually been to Rodeo Drive long ago, and I regularly visit Vegas,
where similarly priced items are to be seen in Stevie Wynn's two places, and
Caesars, and the Bellagio etc. What I found unbelievable about this was not
so much that the wall cost the client $50k, but that $30k of that was
claimed as 'labour' to build it, and that the metal fabricator charged *him*
$7k to knock up this pair of hinges that you would think was taking the ****
out of you, if a similar outfit here tried to charge you even 700 quid for
them. I would reckon on the 'true' value of them being 200 quid ($300) tops.

Arfa