That column base took me 8 hours on a Tuesday

Kept cracking because the bolt hole pattern was off by 3/8. Had to redrill and ream everything in place. Anyone else run into prefab steel that just doesn't line up?

3 comments

3 Comments

tarajenkins13d ago

Spent a whole Saturday once drilling out anchor holes that were supposed to be 1/2 inch but came in at 5/8. Had to ream every single one with a worn out step bit that kept grabbing. By the end I was just staring at the steel wondering if I'd accidentally ordered the "make life harder" package. Prefab is supposed to save time, not give you a new hobby in swearing.

blake_black4713d ago

Had to deal with the exact same crap on a job last year. The step bit trick works but man it fights you the whole way. Nothing worse than trusting the dimensions and getting punished for it.

terryallen13d ago

How are you even supposed to plan a workday when stuff like that happens? @tarajenkins you nailed it with that "make life harder" package line because that's exactly what it feels like. I've had prefab columns where the base plate holes were drilled on a Friday afternoon I swear, somebody just let the intern go wild with a mag drill. The worst part is when you triple check the shop drawings and they say everything is right, but the actual steel is off by that much and you're stuck fixing it in the field. People think steelwork is all straight lines and perfect math, but really it's just problem solving with angry metal.