Working on projects

I have found that projects are never easy or straight forward.

This is a common example for around the shop. I am working on a single shot rifle in 218 bee and 22 hornet. I like both calibers for fun target shooting and minimum recoil.

The design work is finished but there is a small issue and that is the steel. I have it but it is a large sheet.

So to move this slab of steel to the cutting table and cut with the track cutter.  I need to use the forklift, which by the way is not working.

I bought it from a friend (?). who had jury rigged the hydraulic system to get it to move. Once I realized why it would no longer work it was time to start repairs. They had removed the generator and replaced it with an alternator but this left no room for the new hydraulic pump, so to solve that issue they removed the oil reservoir and turned the pump sideways and connected a hose with a check valve that he filled with oil long enough of the forklift to move off the trailer. Now on to the repairs. To fix the forklift I needed to make new brackets and weld supports in the forklift to mount them. To do this I needed to fix the portable welder.

The welder needed a new fuel pump, filter and carburetor rebuilt. With the welder repaired the bracket supports were welded in. The new brackets were design, fabricated and welded in my fab shop.

Once installed the pump and alternator were installed and the next set of issues discovered, lack of space. the brackets were then modified again and re-installed. The belt pulleys needed to be adjusted for proper alignment.

It was at this moment that the hydraulic hose and pipe might rub against the alternator and a clamping system was installed to hold the pipe back.

This now leads us to yesterday, after everything was mounted and getting ready for belts it was noted that the adjustment arm would not work properly. It was not long enough. A new arm was design in Fusion 360.

Then Fusion was used to write a program to cut it out on the cnc plasma cutter.

But to use the plasma cutter I needed to fix the coolant system which had developed a leak on one of the tanks.

With the leak located and fixed on the plasma cutter. The program was installed and

by the end of the day the new adjustment arm was cut out

bent to the proper angle and installed on the forklift.

It was for all intents and purposes a really good day. Now on to the next issue that needs to be addressed.

So when someone makes a really stupid comment like why is something not finished because it should only have taken 10 minutes I just smile and tell them to fuck off.