Used to freehand boiler tube fit-up but now I use a template jig every time

For years I just eyeballed my tube fit-ups on site and got lucky most of the time. Then last summer on a job in Gary, Indiana, I messed up a whole row of superheater tubes because I was off by a quarter inch. The foreman made me cut them all out and redo it with a cardboard template first. Now I make a reusable steel jig for every bundle and it saves me about 2 hours per shift. Have you guys ever switched to a new method after one bad mistake?

2 comments

2 Comments

alice2421mo ago

You mentioned "cut them all out and redo it" which really hits home. That's the kind of rework that makes you question if you're even cut out for the trade. But what I want to know is why did you stick with freehanding for years when a simple cardboard template could have saved you that headache way earlier? Were you just being stubborn about your reputation as the guy who "doesn't need a pattern" or was there some other reason you avoided jigs?

bettyk5329d ago

Why not just tape two pieces of scrap wood together as a guide? That's what I'd do, saves all that measuring.