Shop Shut Down Maintenance

RC Mech · Dec 3, 2021

Hello business owners and professionals,

Christmas being upon us, I’ve been compiling a list of things I’ll likely never have time to finish before we take some time off and open back up in January. Machine maintenance items, inspections tools to buy. What does your list look like?

Friend of mine owns a large fab shop and his annual maintenance includes opening up all the 650 Deltawelds and blowing the crud out of them. For a machine shop it’s a bit more involved. My partial list:

High/low belts for the Fadals
Thrust washers for above
Acquire Haimer probe
Sinker EDM filters
Spindle chiller fan on Mori
Seals on Enerpac press
Put skimmers on the cnc lathes
Get all machines on a local network

Antarctica · Dec 3, 2021

RC Mech said:
Hello business owners and professionals,

Christmas being upon us, I’ve been compiling a list of things I’ll likely never have time to finish before we take some time off and open back up in January. Machine maintenance items, inspections tools to buy. What does your list look like?

Friend of mine owns a large fab shop and his annual maintenance includes opening up all the 650 Deltawelds and blowing the crud out of them. For a machine shop it’s a bit more involved. My partial list:

High/low belts for the Fadals
Thrust washers for above
Acquire Haimer probe
Sinker EDM filters
Spindle chiller fan on Mori
Seals on Enerpac press
Put skimmers on the cnc lathes
Get all machines on a local network

Should be a good thread. Curious as to you plan to get all (including older machines/fadals) on the local network. What are you using? Maybe that should be a different thread though...

Ox · Dec 4, 2021

Snow tires on trucks

Fix wastegate alarm on truck

Finish left hand throttle set-up on snowmachine

Checking into getting a plow mount on the newer truck Justin Case, but that's not "my" time.

----------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

DanASM · Dec 4, 2021

I bought some pallet racking, Re-Stocked Common drills/taps.

Top up lube / cutting oils.

Got snow tires / alignment for car. Bought a brand new snowblower ( no more breakdowns ).

Chip Chester · Dec 4, 2021

DanASM said:
(snip) Bought a brand new snowblower ( no more breakdowns ).

Keep thinkin' that, bud. I bought a nearly-new snowblower a few years ago. It will run great until you bump into something and then it quits. Won't re-start until the next day.

However, my inherited Montgomery-Ward machine from 1975 still runs great, and starts on the first or second pull.

PDW · Dec 4, 2021

RC Mech said:
Hello business owners and professionals,

Christmas being upon us, I’ve been compiling a list of things I’ll likely never have time to finish before we take some time off and open back up in January. Machine maintenance items, inspections tools to buy. What does your list look like?

Drink beer.

Go sailing.

Repeat....

PDW

CarbideBob · Dec 5, 2021

We used to have a Christmas party/open house when GM and Ford allowed such.
Every single workbench, tool box, storage cabinet, plate stand got taken out out the front building and move to the back room.
Then each machine got cleaned and paint touched up. Things that we had put off fixed. The floor scrubbed, power washed and painted or waxed which was much easier with nothing but machines left.
As brought back in all that stuff got cleaned and things put away in the proper places.
A lot of employee time (read paychecks) spent but it was like you had a brand new and well organized shop.
Same/same in the office space.
Once in this condition people would pay more attention to keeping it that way for at least the next 6 months since they had done the work.
This was very expensive with 30 to 60 people getting paid and no productive output for over two weeks but did seem to payoff.

Now I am small, have no manpower and would be so embarrassed to have someone come into my shop.
Bob

CITIZEN F16 · Dec 5, 2021

Chip Chester said:
Keep thinkin' that, bud. I bought a nearly-new snowblower a few years ago. It will run great until you bump into something and then it quits. Won't re-start until the next day.

However, my inherited Montgomery-Ward machine from 1975 still runs great, and starts on the first or second pull.

When someone mentions a defunct chain that I remember I always try to guess what year they went away then I Google them. Usually they were gone longer than I thought, this time it was the opposite, Monkeywards closed their last stores 20 years ago, I thought it was closer to 30.

As for Christmas maintenance here is my list in a one man shop:

One CNC lathe needs the headstock belts changed, wiring and mounting for power supplies cleaned up. I recently replaced the original expensive as hell from the manufacturer power supplies with off the shelf models for less that 5% of the price, but they were a different size, and even though the same wattage the terminals were much smaller and closer together. I just did a quick and dirty job to get the machine back on line.

The other CNC lathe has a leaky hydraulic pump and a dead way lube pump.

Manual mill has a plugged lube system.

Time to order the growing list of needed oddball items and take a run to the metal recycler.

Probably should call that a Christmas maintenance wish list as those are items that have been needed taken care of for a while. I have been hand lubing things or manually pumping the electric lube pump. Using floor dry for the leaky hydraulic pump. I am getting a little old and creaky to enjoy wearing the shop maintenance man hat.

RC Mech · Dec 5, 2021

PDW said:
Drink beer.

Go sailing.

Repeat....

That’ll be the goal in a few years, for now I’m working weekends and forgetting what day it is.

Walking around the shop I’m reminded of “it’s only temporary unless it works.” Lotta that going on here.

CITIZEN F16 · Dec 5, 2021

P.S. I forgot about an overhead light fixture that needs replacing. I doubt both 8 foot bulbs died at once.

DanASM · Dec 5, 2021

CITIZEN F16 said:
P.S. I forgot about an overhead light fixture that needs replacing. I doubt both 8 foot bulbs died at once.

That just happened to me last week. I watched both bulbs "pop" at the same time. Now I have a damn dark spot to work under.

RC Mech · Dec 5, 2021

Ox said:
Fix wastegate alarm on truck

Finish left hand throttle set-up on snowmachine
----------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

The heck is a wastegate alarm? Your truck tells you if the turbo is malfunctioning? I’d ask about the skidoo throttle deal but I don’t want to hear you’ve lost a hand.

TeachMePlease · Dec 6, 2021

Ox said:
Finish left hand throttle set-up on snowmachine

Like the other guy said... Can you still count to ten using both hands?

Ox · Dec 6, 2021

Yes Sirs.

LH is for off camber riding - hanging off the left side eh?

Well, it has an alarm that says sumpthing about the wastegate anyhow.
Turbo doesn't seem to be working right now, not that I need it to usually...

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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

mhajicek · Dec 6, 2021

Need to schedule a day off to have PQI calibrate the machine.

Need the temp in the shop stable for that.

Need to add insulation for that.

Need customers to pay invoices for that.

Fortunately the machine is pretty tight even without the calibration, so it isn't slowing me down.

AgnewBlues · Dec 7, 2021

Moved my shop to a new building not too long ago. The new shop has been a mess ever since, while also trying to get work done. The holiday project will be installing tool chests, shelves and other storage solutions wherever space permits. Then I can finally unpack the remaining dozens of boxes that are always in my way and that I constantly need to dig through to find parts, screws and other bits and pieces. Can’t wait! Several pallets full of tool cabinets are on their way!

I also finally hauled over several of the workbenches from the old shop, that had been left behind as everything had to be moved in a hurry due to the lockdown. I have been sorely short of bench space since the move, but I can finally put an end to this!

Truck maintenance and machine tool maintenance was already done when the weather was still nice.

CITIZEN F16 · Dec 7, 2021

CITIZEN F16 said:
P.S. I forgot about an overhead light fixture that needs replacing. I doubt both 8 foot bulbs died at once.

DanASM said:
That just happened to me last week. I watched both bulbs "pop" at the same time. Now I have a damn dark spot to work under.

I have somehow managed to have 3 different type lighting fixtures in a small shop. I even have a work around when light fixtures blow and I don't want to change them right away. The clamp on light trick, I also have some halogens on a telescoping stand. I guess I should standardize the lighting. I just remembered another thing. The fan in the roof needs replacing. I could never find anything but a Chinese motor that would fit with out cutting a hole in the roof, I have no leaks don't want to ask for trouble and I don't belong on roofs anymore anyways.
Getting old sucks! I judge maintenance work by how long it will take to recover the beating it gives me. I wish I could have my memory erased, it is tough to look at something at call it an 8 hour job when you know it was a 2 hour one when you were 30.

Ox · Dec 7, 2021

Yeah, I got 12's, 8's, and 5's here.

But one thing that is becoming more and more obvious - is that "they don't make them like they used to" is alive and well in the lighting industry.

Fixtures from the 70's may still be alive and well (maybe a X change along the way?) but the newer ones keep blowing out the plastic end caps on them.
And then the fixture is junk.

Maybe it's just the oils in the air?
Maybe they aint so junky elsewhere?

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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

CarbideBob · Dec 7, 2021

I had to google left hand throttle on a snowmobile to even know the what and why.
Benn so many. many years since riding competition but I have been riding sleds since about 1964 when dad built one from scratch.
Cushman eagle motor, conveyor belt section stolen from AC spark plug as a track, tunnel good to be trades, hood was wood as dad a boat builder.
I would make a track on the lake and just ride and ride forever on Dad's toys trying to make every corner faster.
Just run hard and harder. Refill the tank and go.
Nirvana that is hard to explain but those days long gone now.

Ox is obviously riding harder than me. This must take some mastering.
Bob

Ox · Dec 7, 2021

Has nothing to doo with cornering or speed.

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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

Shop Shut Down Maintenance

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Titanium

Stainless

Titanium

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Plastic

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