Steel walkways and transport frames

[Hitch]

Work has been unreal as of late, incredibly busy, so making hay while the sun shines as they say.

Heres a few of my jobs for the last 2/3 months. Done many other inbetween too.

Been out on site for best part of 2 weeks, installing some walkways.
Phase 1, outside walkways and stairs to give a suitable access to the roof void.
Phase 2, internal walkways, above a fancy curved and sort of coffered ceiling plaster ceiling...Army officers mess dining room.
Walkways to give safe maintenance access as well as access for some remedial works to the ceiling.

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Stairs up onto roof. Had an issue with this, and this bit has to be taken down and moved 300mm to the right, and 500mm forward in a few weeks.

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Walkways across the roof, ours is the galvanised stuff.

Everything you see in the roof space, has been carried between 3 of us, from the material storage area (to the right of the site cabins) up the 3 sets of new steps, plus an existing staircase (black painted)
Space restrictions at the top meant the longer bits had to be carried up the last stairs vertically, steel channels, weighing approx 80kg, 4.2m long.
Total weight of the internal walkway is around 5 tonnes, and 600 odd bolts.

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Sloped section raises the floor height above all the ceiling joists, cables etc.

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And continuos walkway right round the roof space to access the chandelier winches, lighting, heating, alarms etc.

Not great pics, but gives an idea.
Had a few issues with some bits not fitting, so some modifications made on site. Far from ideal, but needs must....all modifications had to be made in the storage area, so back down with anything that didnt fit, modify, and carry back up.
How someone can be a metre out when measuring up is beyond me
2 bits of kickplate to be remade too, and fitted in a week or two.

Few aches and pains this week, but finished today!



And these, 4 big ones and 9 small ones (of may have been 5 and 8, cant remember)
For transporting some fancy bits to go on a submarine I believe.
Quite heavy and chunky little frames, they are about 2mx1m and 2mx2m. Feet are 20mm thick, lifting points are 30mm thick.
We sent these out for painting, due to the paint specs required.
Just in the corner of a dusty ol shed for storage prior to delivery.

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And this one, I did just before Christmas.
Customer wanted some heavy duty toolboxes made up, to go under a heavy plant trailer. Chains and straps stored in them mainly.
Fabricated from 3mm thick sheet, cut/folded/welded.
Front faces folded back into itsself and up for a rubber seal to fit on. The tapered ones took some thinking about, but turned out well. Hot dip galvanised so they will last being out in the elements.

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[nick200]

Some great stuff there Hitch. I like the fabrication side, I used to design fabricated works a few years back.

[Bikergirl]

I would love to have the space and time and kit to be able to try some metalwork. Doing that kind of job just looks like bloody hard work though. Good work!

[Hitch]

Some great stuff there Hitch. I like the fabrication side, I used to design fabricated works a few years back.

What sort of stuff were you designing Nick?

[big-all]

i love all the stuff you show hitch its so different
good work well done

[ultimatehandyman]

Nice work Hitch.

Those tool boxes are superb, I bet they took ages to make!

[nick200]

Some great stuff there Hitch. I like the fabrication side, I used to design fabricated works a few years back.

What sort of stuff were you designing Nick?

I have designed parts for Rangemaster cookers, stainless steel cooking/refrigeration areas in Pret, Subway, even McDonalds. Plus I have worked on a potato peeler and helped work on refuse trucks for Dennis Eagle. I used to really enjoy the designing and then seeing parts made from it - castings, sheet metal, plastic mouldings, welded assemblies, Proto types through to the finished assembly. There is something about seeing something that you have designed out in shops, whilst out eating or just clearing up the rubbish. The only thing missing was the actual building of the parts which also looked fun.

I miss it now but I have probably gone a but too far down my current path.

[Retired]

Hi,

Excellent job Hitch; metal is heavy stuff especially when there is a lot of it. Is there a lot of difference in cost between using stainless steel than mild steel and having the mild steel galvanised?

I find welding to be relaxing once all the cutting has been carried out. Thanks for sharing.

Kind regards, Col.

[Hitch]

Hi,

Excellent job Hitch; metal is heavy stuff especially when there is a lot of it. Is there a lot of difference in cost between using stainless steel than mild steel and having the mild steel galvanised?

I find welding to be relaxing once all the cutting has been carried out. Thanks for sharing.

Kind regards, Col.

Materials wise, stainless would be about 2-3 times the price of mild steel i'd imagine, although it would save on galvanising costs, any saving would be out weighed in extra cost during fabrication, more wear and tear on cutting tools, magnetic drills would be out, so large sections would need to be handled onto drill beds etc.
Things like pasivation/pickling the stainless steel after fabrication would alone cost more than galvanising.
Its also very very difficult to get hold of some of the larger sections in stainless steel.
We looked at job last year, but didn't price it in the end, structural stuff in stainless. There was something like £10-15,000 worth of fixings alone.

Some great stuff there Hitch. I like the fabrication side, I used to design fabricated works a few years back.

What sort of stuff were you designing Nick?

I have designed parts for Rangemaster cookers, stainless steel cooking/refrigeration areas in Pret, Subway, even McDonalds. Plus I have worked on a potato peeler and helped work on refuse trucks for Dennis Eagle. I used to really enjoy the designing and then seeing parts made from it - castings, sheet metal, plastic mouldings, welded assemblies, Proto types through to the finished assembly. There is something about seeing something that you have designed out in shops, whilst out eating or just clearing up the rubbish. The only thing missing was the actual building of the parts which also looked fun.

I miss it now but I have probably gone a but too far down my current path.

A fairly varied set of projects is that.
Did you have any of the practical manufacturing experience before you got into the designing then?
The design and drawing side is something that i'm looking at getting into myself.
Enroled on an introductory solidworks course, hopefully to start in May, subject to numbers.

[nick200]

Some great stuff there Hitch. I like the fabrication side, I used to design fabricated works a few years back.

What sort of stuff were you designing Nick?

I have designed parts for Rangemaster cookers, stainless steel cooking/refrigeration areas in Pret, Subway, even McDonalds. Plus I have worked on a potato peeler and helped work on refuse trucks for Dennis Eagle. I used to really enjoy the designing and then seeing parts made from it - castings, sheet metal, plastic mouldings, welded assemblies, Proto types through to the finished assembly. There is something about seeing something that you have designed out in shops, whilst out eating or just clearing up the rubbish. The only thing missing was the actual building of the parts which also looked fun.

I miss it now but I have probably gone a but too far down my current path.

A fairly varied set of projects is that.
Did you have any of the practical manufacturing experience before you got into the designing then?
The design and drawing side is something that i'm looking at getting into myself.
Enroled on an introductory solidworks course, hopefully to start in May, subject to numbers.

Only a little, I tinkered with cars, helped my dad out. It was because of him that I ended up completing my Engineering degree. Sadly this meant minimal hands on experience. When I went to Dennis, I spent my first year completing Engineering Change requests (when there is a mistake during a build - welding, paint, too many/not enough holes, bill of materials etc.). At first I thought that it was a waste of time (I wanted to design lorries not move holes etc.) it was mainly investigate and see why there is an issue with the build but it meant that I spent a year going through every part of the build process and time with the different teams. After that I spent time in Value Engineering and reducing costs, also looking into new products. I like to do more hands on now so I do a lot of DIY but I want to do some welding next. My brother and brother in law do up cars and it looks fun.

I really enjoy designing something and it getting built. I have SolidWorks at the moment but it seems that as I am good at what I do they don't want me to drop off my current work on AutoCad. Which is layout designs and then managing the installation of large industrial Laundries - over a million pieces a week and 19 tonne washing machines.

I have used
3D, I have used SolidWorks, SolidEdge and Inventer.
2D, I have used AutoCad

SolidWorks is fun, but can take a little while to get your head around the planes and extrusions/mouldings.

[Retired]

Hi,

I've always been hands on Hitch working from blueprints in my early years as a mechanical engineering apprentice in the pit. It was common for us to drill large section RSJ on a very old radial arm drill with power feed. Drilling large holes in the centre of thick sheet steel used to be fun whilst standing on the sheet wearing hob nailed boots using a big industrial electric hand drill; as the bit broke through it could grab sending me spinning. Cutting to size on this big stuff was done with an oxy/acetylene burner. The good old days of 50 years ago. I should hate to be tied to an office.

I've been hands on for the last 50 years and these days being retired still very much enjoy making or repairing things. Buying scrap woodworking machinery and restoring it to full working order is a wonderful hobby and once the machines are restored they can be put to good use to earn their keep. I've restored many motorcycles which I've used and also restored classic cars but these tend to be a labour of love just looking pretty once completed; old cast iron machines grab my interest and they are not difficult to work on. This has been my way of obtaining top quality kit at a fraction of the new price.

Working using head and hands is just so satisfying on a personal level. Restoring old cars is fun but I now find having restored old woodworking machines leads to other interests like furniture making and generally making things for use around home mostly from offcuts costing very little. Below is a couple of pictures of two of my restored machines; no longer with me because I'm constantly changing machines but both these did a lot of work for me and I even made money on them when I sold them. Both are industrial machines; the Wadkin would scare the H&S lot because it was foot operated by pedal. Just an idea but it works for me.

Kind regards, Col.

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