kai463•1mo ago

Just realized the shop's new policy on grinding bevels is slowing us down

We switched from letting us hand-grind to a fixed jig setup about three months ago, and my fit-up time on 8-inch pipe has gone up by almost 20 minutes per joint. I think the push for perfect consistency is costing us more in labor than we save on weld material. Has anyone else's shop made a change like this and found a better middle ground?

3 comments

3 Comments

matthewf401mo ago

Honestly, I think that jig is saving you money in the long run. The extra weld time now beats a bad fit-up causing rework later. Our shop saw way fewer rejects after we switched.

joelc151mo ago

My buddy's crew wasted a whole day fixing one bad hand-fit assembly last month.

jakef661mo ago

That bit about a bad fit-up causing rework is so true. It reminds me of this one time we had a guy who could freehand a bevel so fast it was scary, but his consistency was all over the place. The welders would get so mad because the gap would be perfect for six inches and then suddenly way too tight. Ended up causing more problems than it solved, even if it looked quick on paper. Sometimes the slower, steady way keeps the whole crew from getting held up later.