Phillip Rhodes Project Update--September 10, 2001 This weekend was mostly spent dealing with lessons learned while installing the port-side sheer pipe. Some things were more difficult than they had to be, and since we have a very long way to go, those issues need to be dealt with. So, to fix this stuff, you simply apply "Danny's rules of large projects". "Danny's rules of large projects" is a constantly changing and evolving list of rules . . . all pretty much based on the principle: "Laziness is the mother of invention." Don't get the wrong idea . . . I am a Texan . . . and we are never afraid of a little hard work . . . but we want the work to be absolutely necessary and as fun as is possible. All things considered we would rather be eating BBQ and drinking large quantities of iced tea-both of which are in ready supply here. Basically, why would you use a shovel when you can use a Cat D-9? Or explosives? Lesson one: The Miller 300 Plasma cutter, while indispensable for the work we have to do, can be rather difficult to move around due to its weight (40+ pounds) and all its attendant cables and hoses. There is the torch on its 12-foot lead, the power cord, the ground clamp, and the air supply hose. When picking it up and moving it you inevitably end up with a tangle of cables, and you usually end up setting the thing down on top of at least one of them. Kind-of annoying, and really tiring. Since the boat, being something over 44 feet long, is rather larger than your typical shop project, I ended up moving the plasma cutter around a lot to do all the cutting necessary to prepare for the port sheer pipe. A lot means bunches and bunches. I did something over 70 feet of precision cutting to install that pipe. For lesson one, we invoke "Danny's rules of large projects" #9-B. Essentially, if it is heavy, put wheels on it. So . . . off to Harbor Freight tools we go. For those that are not familiar with Harbor Freight, they are a tool outlet for cheap Chinese junk. Never buy anything that is not on sale, and only buy things that are simple. This week, it seems they have a heavy-duty dolly (hand truck) with pneumatic tires on sale for twenty bucks. Weld a couple of tangs on the base to keep the plasma cutter from sliding around and then weld a cable hanger above that. Presto . . . easy to move plasma cutter, and the cables are safe and out of the way. The entire thing can be lifted by the hand-truck handle if it needs to be put aboard for internal work. Lesson one taken care of for about twenty bucks. Lesson two: Some time ago I built a rudimentary scaffold out of scrap angle iron to do the work on the outside hull of the boat. This boat has real sheer and thus the bow is about twelve feet off the ground. The scaffold, while relatively light and very strong, is 8' X 3' and is quite awkward to move around by oneself. I had been summoning the wife from the depths of the engine room to help, but that meant that she had to climb out of the pit, down the ladder at the stern, and after helping, wander all that way back again. As I was beginning to get the hang of this cutting thing, we were having to move the scaffold quite frequently. Then the grinding was going to start. Since all this moving about was interrupting her enthusiastic singing of bawdy Viking rowing songs (see relevant update), and I was starting to feel premonitions of being swatted with a twenty foot oar, I decided I needed to be able to move the scaffold by myself. Women can say a lot with just one look. If only we could harness that power, we could take over the world . . . oh wait . . . just got a look from the wife . . . what was I saying? Anyway . . . Looks like "Danny's rules of large projects" #9-B applies again. Off to Harbor Freight we go. Seems they have 10" pneumatic tires on sale for five bucks. These are the same tires found on hand trucks and are good for about 300 pounds. Picked up two of the tires, stopped by Home Owner Hell . . . um . . . I mean Home Depot . . . for a couple 5/8" X 5" bolts. The tires have a 5/8" X 3" bore bearing in them, and the 5" bolt has about 3" of shoulder. Perfect. Weld the bolts head-first onto two legs on one end of the scaffold, install the tires, stick a nut on, and we are done. Now I can pick up one end of the scaffold and roll the whole thing around like a great big, ugly, spindly, two-wheeled wheelbarrow. Well Ok, so it's not at all like a wheelbarrow. You get my point though. Easy. Lesson two taken care of for about twelve bucks. Lesson Three: If I thought that the plasma cutter was a chore to move around, the Miller 185 Mig welder was about to teach me a whole new lesson. It comes with wheels, but they are hard plastic and frankly they are only suitable for rolling the thing around on a smooth concrete shop floor. Since a concrete floor around my boat would cost about what we have budgeted for the whole boat, we have the boat on a gravel pad and there it will stay. The welder with its attendant gas bottle and internal 40 pound spool of wire, probably weighs in at about 450 pounds. It took two of us to move it around on the gravel, and I dread to think if the ground had been wet. We had started welding the sheer pipe at the stern, and worked our way forward. Since my shop is near the stern, when we finished tacking the sheer pipe on, we had to drag the welder the length of the boat all the way back to the shop. That job was tougher than installing the darn pipe in the first place! At one point we nearly dropped the bottle (it was chained, but again this was intended for moving on a smooth floor). Dropping a bottle is dangerous, as you may break the valve and launch the bottle into orbit (or through your wife's car) and start World War III. As you may know from an earlier post, we Texans regard starting the next World War accidentally as something of a faux pas. "Danny's rules of large projects" #9-B does not apply here . . . as the welder already has wheels. So here we apply the same rule we Texans for some reason use on our pickups. That would be rule #8-C . . . jack it up and put bigger tires on it. So . . . off to Harbor Freight we go again. Four more of the 10" pneumatic tires are bought, four more bolts are summoned from the depths of hell . . . uh . . . I mean . . . well . . . never mind. Anyway, I built a platform out of angle, installed the tires, and set the welder on it. Add a couple of tie downs and we are done. Easily moved by one person across the rough terrain, stable, the bottle is secure, and it has lifting points available for when we have to lift it aboard for the internal welding. Great! An ATW (All Terrain Welder). Lesson three taken care of for about 25 bucks. Just in case you may think we were slacking . . . we also drove to Houston (about 250 miles each way) to pick up a new (used) motorcycle for the wife. Apparently I am rubbing off on her (I love to ride). Sigh. Women and their toys. (HA, I finally got to say it!) I also pumped about 3000 pounds of water out of the boat. Did I mention we have been getting rain? Lots? In Texas? In September? Frankly I was thrilled and amazed that there are sections of this boat that actually hold water. Imagine that! For next time, we are cutting out for the starboard sheer pipe. CUAgain, Daniel Meyer http://cuagain.manilasites