M.B. Naegle
Diamond
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2011
- Location
- Conroe, TX USA
I know it's come up before, but I wanted to get some specifics.
One of my pipe-dream fantasies involves (like the title says) building a small manual machine shop into a standard 20' cargo container. It kinda stems back to the idea of having a mobile machine shop, which has come up before with various problems associated with it. IMO you can divide them into two issues:
1. Mobile Business - the simple idea of moving a machine shop closer to the job doesn't make sense when you can often ship items almost anywhere in 24 hours for a reasonable rate. Shop transit time can kill you too. I think it could make sense if you only serviced a nitch product or industry that was always moving around like oilfield, however they tend to be on top of having everything they need on hand or being able to get it quickly.
2. The Logistics - THIS what I want to pick your brains about. For my purposes, I'm not interested in moving the mobile shop every time I get a job, but rather I'm just interested in being able to move the shop as needed. I like the idea of it being a self sustained unit that can be moved without having to box and unbox everything, sell/purchase real-estate, bring in electricians, being down for a month or longer, etc. etc. So regardless of how you would run a mobile business, I'm interested in how you could physically keep a machine shop mobile.
I know they do it in the military and there have been a couple examples of Job-shops built into the back of semi trucks. I like the idea of putting one in a cargo container with a built in power source for when there isn't 60 amps of 3 phase available at the RV park. It could be built to be usable on the back of a trailer temporarily, or have a crane pick it up and put it on the ground. I know there are container companies that modify them with doors, windows, AC, insulation, etc., but I'm curious how much of that can be done before the guys at the port say they won't pick your box up and put it on a ship? Paperwork aside, is anyone aware of any shipping guidelines you can follow when outfitting the box? Similarly, How would you bolt a mill or lathe into a cargo container? Do shipping companies have any standards for how much a container is allowed to tip before they are liable for damages inside? One thought I had was that containers do flex a bit, so it would need to have jacks on the corners to level it between moves. Would it make sense to keep the interior weight evenly balanced, or more on the ends?
So I'm not so much after the "why" as I am the "how." If nothing else, the "why" could be that I decide to move to Nebraska, and then next year set up shop in the Congo.
One of my pipe-dream fantasies involves (like the title says) building a small manual machine shop into a standard 20' cargo container. It kinda stems back to the idea of having a mobile machine shop, which has come up before with various problems associated with it. IMO you can divide them into two issues:
1. Mobile Business - the simple idea of moving a machine shop closer to the job doesn't make sense when you can often ship items almost anywhere in 24 hours for a reasonable rate. Shop transit time can kill you too. I think it could make sense if you only serviced a nitch product or industry that was always moving around like oilfield, however they tend to be on top of having everything they need on hand or being able to get it quickly.
2. The Logistics - THIS what I want to pick your brains about. For my purposes, I'm not interested in moving the mobile shop every time I get a job, but rather I'm just interested in being able to move the shop as needed. I like the idea of it being a self sustained unit that can be moved without having to box and unbox everything, sell/purchase real-estate, bring in electricians, being down for a month or longer, etc. etc. So regardless of how you would run a mobile business, I'm interested in how you could physically keep a machine shop mobile.
I know they do it in the military and there have been a couple examples of Job-shops built into the back of semi trucks. I like the idea of putting one in a cargo container with a built in power source for when there isn't 60 amps of 3 phase available at the RV park. It could be built to be usable on the back of a trailer temporarily, or have a crane pick it up and put it on the ground. I know there are container companies that modify them with doors, windows, AC, insulation, etc., but I'm curious how much of that can be done before the guys at the port say they won't pick your box up and put it on a ship? Paperwork aside, is anyone aware of any shipping guidelines you can follow when outfitting the box? Similarly, How would you bolt a mill or lathe into a cargo container? Do shipping companies have any standards for how much a container is allowed to tip before they are liable for damages inside? One thought I had was that containers do flex a bit, so it would need to have jacks on the corners to level it between moves. Would it make sense to keep the interior weight evenly balanced, or more on the ends?
So I'm not so much after the "why" as I am the "how." If nothing else, the "why" could be that I decide to move to Nebraska, and then next year set up shop in the Congo.