Sean wasn’t sure of the weight or exact size of the dino skeleton we offered yesterday but he was very excited to bring it to their home which was only a couple of blocks from ours. Since they own an excavation company (ADS Bobcat and Excavation) and all of the related equipment he decided to bring his heavy hauler for the task. The dinosaur and base log fit on with ample room to spare and then fastened on with heavy-duty straps. The dino rode to his new home in grand style!
Free dino to a good home
Ten years ago when Moth was much younger, dinosaurs were fascinating. When Becke needed a mailbox stand and we were looking for a test project for our new CNC plasma cutter I whipped this all-steel skeleton. Moth loved it but Becke’s landlord wasn’t so sure. The feature was instead relegated to hold a ‘by appointment’ sign out in front of our property. We’ve decided to change him out for the little fish submarine which returns tomorrow. That means this piece is now up for grabs. We’ve decided he will go free to the first person who provides him with a good home. We will remove the sign he holds in his claws. We can help load the heavy piece with our forklift but transportation is up to the recipient. He measures approximately ten feet long and the sculpted concrete log under him is included as that is how he is held upright. First come - first serve as we don’t want to store him on our property.
Flying solo
People are often surprised to hear that it most often takes a year or more to bring a new team member up to speed. Newcomers to our team quickly discover that our projects are built with a ‘feel’ in mind rather than a highly detailed plan. There are many unspoken nuances needed to create magic. Most often, our projects are guided by a single concept drawing which our customers have signed off on. This concept seldom has measurements and is only one angle. At the start, we generally do a quick scribble on the floor in chalk to work out the rough measurements and angles of the structural steel. Heavy base plates are cut on the CNC plasm cutter and we kick the welding crew loose. When Keith came to us he was used to working with detailed drawings and precept pieces. Jigs were commonplace to ensure accuracy. We instead go with the flow, working out challenges on the fly. It is all about problem-solving and working by eye rather than tape measure and square. After more than a year of working under our close supervision and guidance, Keith was ready to tackle this project himself. It looks deceptively simple but will be challenging to make it flow perfectly. We had a long discussion at the start, with him explaining how he interpreted the drawing, how he would do the structure and then form and weld the pencil rod armature around this heavy frame. I’ve been busy working on my projects across the shop and watching with keen interest from afar. I am delighted to report is doing great!
