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Thinking back on how we used to set up for big pipe rolls in the yard
Honestly, I was cleaning out my old truck box and found a set of wooden wedges we used to use for rolling 36 inch pipe. Back in the day, maybe 15 years ago, we'd spend half a morning just cutting and shaping those things on site with a skill saw, trying to get the angle right so the pipe wouldn't bind. It was a whole process, and you'd always end up with a pile of wood chips and a sore back. Now, we just use these adjustable steel roller stands from the shop. They show up on the flatbed, you crank them to height, and you're done in ten minutes. The change came around 2015 when our foreman in Pittsburgh saw a crew using them and pushed the company to buy a set. It's way safer and faster, but I kinda miss the puzzle of making those wedges work. Anyone else have an old method they're weirdly fond of, even though the new way is clearly better?
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susansingh14d ago
Funny how the old ways stick with you even when they were a pain. @gavin228 is right about the time saved, but I wonder if we lost a bit of problem solving that made the crew work together. Those wedges meant everyone had to pay attention and talk it out, not just crank a handle. Now the gear does the thinking, so maybe the new guys miss out on learning why the angle mattered in the first place.
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gavin22814d ago
Yeah, I used to think the old way was just part of the job, you know? But seeing how much time and hassle those steel stands save, I can't argue with it.
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My uncle ran a body shop for thirty years and refused to get a lift. He said crawling under cars on his back built character. Last year his knees finally gave out and he got one. He called me last week just to say he wasted about ten thousand hours over his life.
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