Fabrication

[pennychew]

Ive really enjoyed the last 5-6 weeks at college, we've been playing with cable tray and galv trunking, fabricating our own internal/external bends, reducers, sets and the like. It also makes a nice change using all hand tools for a change and getting to take a bit of time getting things looking nice as its not on a job.

Been to college today so finished at 16:00 and just thought id share that while i drink my cuppa!

 

[telectrix]

makes a nice change from forcing twisted, cold, T/E through holes in joists, wrecking your knees.

 

[pennychew]

makes a nice change from forcing twisted, cold, T/E through holes in joists, wrecking your knees.

I'll bet the novelty would wear off doing it day in day out but its lovely to work with with when you've never done any before, I've just checked the prices of the pre-fabricated bends and stuff and they would add quite a bit onto the price of a job although they would be much quicker.

Horses for courses i suppose but what do you guys do, buy in or fabricate?

 

[Beavstro]

I had to Fabricate when id been given internal bends, but needed external bends and the wholesaler is 1.5hours away... But generally I always fabricate unless the Job is a big un ! Quite enjoy the metal work actually, although the metal conduit is a skill I need to perfect, :/

 

[GMES]

It is really nice if you have the time to fabricate your own stuff especially tray with the 90 degree and t pieces but i am always busy so it just becomes more viable to buy them in for the job, at the end of the day the customer is paying so it just means you can get the job done faster.
But yes in an ideal world it is good to learn the art of tray and trunking.

 

[pennychew]

I had to Fabricate when id been given internal bends, but needed external bends and the wholesaler is 1.5hours away... But generally I always fabricate unless the Job is a big un ! Quite enjoy the metal work actually, although the metal conduit is a skill I need to perfect, :/

I'll bet if you were doing it all the time and had the benefit of a grinder for the cuts you could knock the joints out pretty quick, i'm going to pick a length of tray and a length of trunking and give some a go.

Metal conduit seems quite time consuming on the little bits ive done, its a bit of an art measuring where to start your bends from as well

 

[Simonslimline]

Check these out.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKcZN9cVcNo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVOxkdHC3To

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLbJuoOOEHg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QANIIlFA17c

 

[Beavstro]

Here's the last bit of decent amount of cable tray I did, it was in a shipping container which was converted into a power converter for a tidal turbine. The first pic is just a 90 bend, and the second and third are under a suspended floor above the 11kV cable ladder (red cables) and yes a grinder was used! They are great!

 

[Beavstro]

The first photo

 

[Guest77]

My college trained me wrongly to put bends in trunking lol, we were taught to use plates and then to bolt the plates in, when I actually got around to doing trunking on site the spark I was working with showed me the right way, no plates, just knowing how to cut it right, remove the lip on the one side and bend around then bolt through.

I have showed my apprentices during the years what I was taught, they were also taught wrongly at college.

 

[Beavstro]

(Try again) haha. The first photo!!

 

[Beavstro]

Yes the photo is upside down... Photo 2!

 

[Beavstro]

And again upside down...? I definitely took this right way up haha. Photo 3.

 

[pennychew]

Check these out.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKcZN9cVcNo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVOxkdHC3To

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLbJuoOOEHg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QANIIlFA17c

Great vids Simon

 

[pennychew]

My college trained me wrongly to put bends in trunking lol, we were taught to use plates and then to bolt the plates in, when I actually got around to doing trunking on site the spark I was working with showed me the right way, no plates, just knowing how to cut it right, remove the lip on the one side and bend around then bolt through.

I have showed my apprentices during the years what I was taught, they were also taught wrongly at college.

Yeah we were shown the correct way I think. We were given an A4 handout to follow for each bend, i'll scan a couple and post them up later on. Im going to get them laminated and keep hold of them