I believe it was on account of Donna and Cody wishing so hard for snow... it was actually COLD today! Thankfully there was no snow except for in the mountains above us - although it was a lot lower than yesterday.
And today we had to finish welding the wave for the duck and install the lettering. We couldn't wait for a nicer day as I had rented the big portably welder and need to return it on Monday Tomorrow its supposed to be even COLDER! That's just not natural around these parts.
... so I dug into the back of the closet looking for what I could possibly wear to keep me warm. I found a thin liner from a long discarded coat... and a jean jacket too. I wore a t-shirt, then a heavy long sleeve shirt, and the jacket liner, and then my jean jacket... I could hardly move!
As we reluctantly left the house the truck thermometer said it was -1 celcius... that's just below freezing. By the time we got to the worksite it was -3... I left the truck running and the heater on full blast... so we could run back to the warm truck when we got too cold... (which we did a few times) then set to work with Peter and Phoenix who were also bundled up warm.
While the temps were certainly low it was the very brisk wind that cooled us even more. It made welding difficult too because it cooled our welds too fast and belw away our protective gas shielding. The wind howled steadily while we labored in the open area. Two hours in the miserable cold and we were done welding!
Then it was time to return home and empty the trailer of tools so we could transport the dimensional letters and install them.
Bec cooked us some hot soup to warm our insides and we were off for our final adventure of this year for this project... until warmer temps in spring.
By the time we returned to the worksite the temperature had dropped to -4 and the wind picked up considerably. We made record time and our quick movements warmed us as we worked...
It came together quickly. Bec ran the letters from the ground to the scaffold. I held them in place while Phoenix and Peter drove the screws from the back...
Now we are back in the warm studio in Yarrow...
-grampa dan
[ December 13, 2008, 10:22 PM: Message edited by: Dan Sawatzky ]
Posted by Dawud Shaheed (Member # 5719) on :
It just amazes me to ponder on something that scale. Sometimes I feel like people don't understand the magnitude of what goes into what I do. Friends, family, clients etc. I work alone and a lot of what I do to get a job completed goes on behind the scenes or in my own head where nobody lives but me. I can't imagine the logistics that go into a project this large, Dan. Bidding on the job, trying to foresee what type of problems might arise, adding in all the material costs, labor costs for helpers, travel time, unexpected weather etc etc etc. I truly admire your determination Dan. from someone who never met you, but can only imagine what goes into what you do. I'm sitting here with my jaw dropped.
I hope you only increase in good things.
Posted by Gary Boros (Member # 8487) on :
I heard the neighbors are complaining that it's blocking their view, they'd like to know if you could move your little sign thing about 20 feet to the right!
OK...wow...fabulous job Dan. Since it's a water park, was it required that you do all your work off of diving boards like that?
I believe you said that the letters were Precision Board, how did you attach them to the steel backer? I'm figuring they are probably attached with threaded studs but you just can't see that detail in the pics.
Posted by Gary Boros (Member # 8487) on :
Sorry...didn't see that last line "screws from the back" but could you clarify that a little more anyway...
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
The backer was fabricated from .100 steel plate (7 4'X8' sheets) which we cut with our plasma cutter and then welded into place using 1" square tubing to reinforce it off a 4" x 4" square tubing support. The engineer specified the HEAVY tubing in his drawings. Before we painted all that we placed the letters on the backing and traced them, then predrilled holes.
The letters were made from 30 lb Precision Board with a textured face (routered on our MultiCam of course). I cut the fronts from 1" board. A center layer was cut from 3/4" Precision Board with a hole cut in each letter one inch from the edges. A piece of 3/4 plywood (same shape) was cut for the center. Then we cut another set of the letters (for the back) from 1/2" Precision Board. The plywood was sandwiched in the middle to facilitate a solid substrate for fastening. Everything was sandwiched together using Precision Board urethane glue and then primed and painted with acrylic paints.
These letters which were 2 1/2 iches thick were held in place (by eye) and then screwed to the backing plates from the rear. If you look closely at the top picture you can see the legs of Peter poking down underneath the sign. Phoenix was on a plank behind the sign.
Dawud Thanks for the vote of confidence. Bidding these types of jobs can be daunting at times. There is a lot to consider. But experience helps a lot. On this project I never really spent much time on the bid... just quickly figured out how long it would take (based on previous experience) and themn multiplied that by our shop rate. I added in a little more for good measure and then shot a price to the client. He said yes! We've done pretty good on the job so far and my shoot from the hip time and material estimate proved to be pretty accurate.
Regarding the scale of this project... compared to most of our jobs this would be a medium size project... about 7 weeks. Most of our jobs are much bigger than that! I'm working on the concepts for a project now that would be 18 months of actual construction... and another that will go a good 6 months. Here's hoping!
Enjoying the now empty shop in Yarrow...
-grampa dan
[ December 13, 2008, 11:58 PM: Message edited by: Dan Sawatzky ]
Posted by Donna in BC (Member # 130) on :
Well done! It looks fabulous!
I'd like to apologize for the weather forecast, however I'm no longer to blame. I'm proud to report Cody takes over nicely for me in the snow pining dept. I've taught him well! He's forecasting about 5 feet for tomorrow.
Time for a 'real' coat I say. Posted by Henry Barker (Member # 174) on :
Signs looking great Dan,
-3 is like a warm day here this time of year, except its been unusually warm this year a couple of plus degrees and lots of rain.
I should have left you a fleece like I got for Phoebe they cover your lower back don't weigh anything and keep you warm under a lighter jacket, layers seem to function better thatn big heavy coats.
Glad we're not alone with the weather....wonder if Raymond owns a jacket, he's in a warmer part of the world.
Posted by Pat Welter (Member # 785) on :
Looking Really good Dan and Crew...Minus one or even three is warm compared to the -34 here yesturday and today, but thankfully no wind, which is unusual for here...We've been out and about in this cold too, as jobs require, but nice to be inside...That is one heavy duty sign,I was wondering though, how high and far off the road the sign and sculpture is?...Staying warm in good old Saskatchewan.
Posted by Cody Reich (Member # 8052) on :
Nice work Dan and crew!
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
Thanks for the encouragement!
The sign sits about 100 feet from the freeway adjacent to a side road which runs parallel to the main one. The footings were pured on the ground and then a berm built up around the foundation making the base of the sign seven feet off the ground. This berm will be landscaped when we are done. The wave is 15 feet tall and the duck goes up another 16 feet to the top. THat would make the whole thing about 38 feet from the ground including the berm.
-grampa dan
Posted by Raymond Chapman (Member # 361) on :
Good looking duck....and everything else, too. Congratulations of a successful job, thus far. I can't imagine waiting until spring to finish a job.
And, yes, I do own a jacket Henry. No need for very heavy stuff here, though. Today was cold for this part of the country - tonight will be in the low 20's with a high tomorrow forecast for 35F. The wind has been blowing so it feels a lot colder. Saturday and Sunday were in the upper 70's. Go figure.
My body doesn't like cold, so I stay where it's warm as much as possible. No use being an idiot and going outside when you can stay inside and not freeze. Installations just wait for relative warm weather, which usually comes around in a few days.
I would rather sweat than freeze.
Bob Gilliland doesn't like our Texas heat, so he usually visits in the Fall or Spring when the temperatures are mild.
[ December 15, 2008, 06:33 PM: Message edited by: Raymond Chapman ]
Posted by Donna in BC (Member # 130) on :
For the record, I've seen the 'coat.' It's a light weight fleece under a light jean jacket. No light windbreaker in sight. Note a light theme of sorts?!?
No pics for proof. The guy doesn't stand still long enough to allow for that. He's light on his feet too!
[ December 15, 2008, 06:55 PM: Message edited by: Donna in BC ]
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