Breaks My Heart

Autocar · June 21, 2013, 07:20:21 PM

Twice this week I saw semis loaded with thick walled pipe 12/14 inch in diameter and fifty feet long go into the junk yard. It looks brand new what I wouldn't give to have a few sticks like that laying around.

sandhills · June 21, 2013, 07:40:17 PM

You wouldn't want to see what Zimmatic irrigation sends to scrap, at least it should be getting recycled I guess :

iffy · June 21, 2013, 07:56:01 PM

I just bought some 1x1 & 2x2 L and 3x5 rect tubing all in 20' lengths from a salvage yard. They bought it as scrap. Going to use the 3x5 for my Linn mill frame. It was .30 a lb, but still much cheaper than new.

Warbird · June 21, 2013, 08:06:15 PM

The majority of it is probably being shipped to China.

clww · June 21, 2013, 09:11:59 PM

Quote from: Autocar on June 21, 2013, 07:20:21 PM
Twice this week I saw semis loaded with thick walled pipe 12/14 inch in diameter and fifty feet long go into the junk yard. It looks brand new what I wouldn't give to have a few sticks like that laying around.

I think I know how you felt. One piece of that, and I could have all the culverts finished on our driveway at the cabin. I hate seeing perfectly useful things wasted needlessly. >:(

BobInMN · June 21, 2013, 10:35:04 PM

12/14" sounds like piling. Without the heat numbers from manufacturing and testing or not passing strength and wall thickness measurements not much else you can do with it, but scrap it. Happens more than you would expect on state jobs.

tyb525 · June 22, 2013, 12:43:16 AM

Welcome to the forum Bob!

thecfarm · June 22, 2013, 07:00:02 AM

Yes,BobinMN,welcome to the forum. What is your interest with wood?

Magicman · June 22, 2013, 07:17:48 AM

Hello and Welcome to the Forestry Forum, BobInMN. Also, Thank you for your service to our USA.

drobertson · June 22, 2013, 08:23:01 AM

Howdy bobinmn, this is what I was thinking as well, some defect rendering them out of spec, david

sandhills · June 22, 2013, 09:56:59 AM

Welcome Bob, and I know the feeling, just plain tired ;). The plant I was talking about scraps it for those reasons but they used to let employees have first pick of what was going out the door, now with all the "politically correct" bs (or whatever you want to call it) they can't allow it anymore so it goes to the scrap pile, by the truck loads also. Used to pick up a lot of good iron from that place, can't anymore :-\

BobInMN · June 23, 2013, 12:53:57 PM

Thanks for the welcome everyone! I've been lurking for awhile trying to learn what I can. I ordered one of the Chinese sawmills from a company that I don't want to name. Got a great deal, less than $1600 delivered to my door. It was about all I can afford at this time. Make a long story short, they emailed me yesterday and said my order has been canceled, please accept our $25 gift certificate for your troubles. Called them and they said the factory is no longer going to manufacture them so they aren't selling them anymore. I guess it's back to plan A and build my own.

I've got a 30'X48' insulated shop I built. I'm set up that I can do metal and woodworking. My driveway is about 1/2 mile long and I designed and built a towable grader so I figure I would be able to build a bandsaw mill. I don't plan on doing enough sawing to justify spending a lot on a mill.

Thanks again for the welcome. (If I'm missing any "R"s its because that key sticks on my computer.)

beenthere · June 23, 2013, 01:15:58 PM

Sorry to hear you won't get your mill.
How about a pic or two of the grader you fabricated?

Magicman · June 23, 2013, 02:54:18 PM

Several of our sponsors listed on the left have entry level hobby type sawmills. That could be an option that would allow you to saw much more quickly.

Ianab · June 23, 2013, 03:49:18 PM

Keep an eye out for a 2nd hand mill.

With new (and decent quality) entry level mills selling for ~$3,000, a used one should be in your budget. As long as it's not abused there isn't a lot that can go wrong, especially if you have the skills to consider building your own mill. A fair percentage of the guys buying those mills either upgrade, or don't continue sawing after while, so you might get lucky.

You would be better off with a used LT10 than one of those cheapo Chinese mills from "They who shall not be named"

Ian

Magicman · June 23, 2013, 04:49:13 PM

Quote from: Ianab on June 23, 2013, 03:49:18 PMYou would be better off with a used LT10...

I completely agree, plus the demand for them is such that if your sawing expectations are not met, they can be sold and your cost recovered.

Sure, sawmills can be home built, but I read about so many "engineering" problems that folks face that have already been solved by a quality manufacturer. There is a lot more to sawing a log than simply dragging a blade through it. Later selling a home brewed sawmill and recovering your cost would be questionable.

BobInMN · June 23, 2013, 05:19:52 PM

Quote from: beenthere on June 23, 2013, 01:15:58 PM
How about a pic or two of the grader you fabricated?

Here you go. I always meant to paint it, just never found the round tuit. It's held together for over 8 years now.

beenthere · June 23, 2013, 05:59:54 PM

BobinMN
That looks like a clever design. Tilt and depth adjustment, and weight 8) .

Thanks for the pic.

Bibbyman · June 23, 2013, 07:05:52 PM

The factory where I worked for 33+ years was some 19 acres under roof. It had a tool crib that was as big as a hardware store and filled with plumbing, electrical, and mechanical parts. It also contained spare parts for the custom machines. Each part id was loaded onto the computer data base and a bin number or shelf location assigned. But parts too large to handle by hand were stored in a warehouse area that came to be called the million dollar hole. Motors, pumps, gearboxes, etc went in never to be found again. I had the job of ordering spare parts for one machine and loading them onto the system. One part was a motor from Germany that cost $3, 000. It went into the "hole". I heard after I left the motor went out. They looked for the spare motor but couldn't fine it. So they ordered a new one "overnight" from Germany. It was received but lost in receiving! So they ordered another. In the mean time they found the original spare in the hole.

I heard a new manager was so frustrated by the conditions in the million dollar hole he ordered scrapped everything in it. Over $5, 000, 000 in major parts.

DaleK · June 23, 2013, 08:33:38 PM

One of my neighbours sons works in the shop at a generating plant for our "state utility" Most years at the end of the budget period, they bring everyone in on overtime the last few days and cut up the ENTIRE stock of new steel in the welding shop for scrap, so they can justify keeping the same material budget for the next year. Most years it's well over 100 tons of new plate, pipe, angle, tube, etc, just from one shop.

Magicman · June 23, 2013, 09:45:41 PM

Quote from: Bibbyman on June 23, 2013, 07:05:52 PMI heard a new manager was so frustrated by the conditions in the million dollar hole he ordered scrapped everything in it. Over $5, 000, 000 in major parts.

You do not need to be a manager to be an idiot......you just need to be an idiot. Many times poor managers are just promoted to the height of their incompetence.

beenthere · June 23, 2013, 10:14:08 PM

And maybe the poor managers were the ones collecting all those extra things all along. :

Maybe no need for the scrap when they took a good look at the waste over the years. Who knows.
What are scrap prices now? Seems the druggy's are pulling copper out of new houses, and cutting off catalytic converters from under cars.