Light house on the move!

Today was an exciting day. It was the day we would begin the process of taking some large finished pieces out of the shop and loading them on the trailer for delivery tomorrow. The bottom and top sections of the light house were the pieces of choice. The bottom section was just a teeny bit shorter than the top of the door. This meant it couldn't be lifted but rather had to be dragged from the shop with our trusty little tractor. We chained it up, I put the tough little machine in low range and four wheel drive and then began the pull. It was a tight squeeze but it fit.

The HEAVY light house protested mightily, scraping across the smooth concrete as I dragged it. But slowly it went until we were well clear of the shop where we could use the forklift to hoist it onto the trailer.

The piece was definitely heavy but the little forklift proved it's match and I slowly and carefully positioned the tall cylinder on the flat deck trailer.

The top portion of the lighthouse would be a whole lot easier as it was short enough to use the forklift from the get-go as we removed the piece from the shop. Even so, clearances were tight as we cleared the shop door once again.

The lighthouse topper quickly joined it's other half on the trailer.

Each piece has a threaded hole on the top into which we turned a tie down rig that was then strapped to the trailer. This meant no straps would rub against the load as we travelled and I could be confident the pieces would arrive safe and sound.

Tomorrow the big lift happens - first thing in the morning. We are ready!

-grampa dan

Rapid progress

Every day our crew amazes me with the work they accomplish. The shop is full to the brim with large pieces. While I spent my day fixing broken machines, gathering needed supplies and in meetings they kept up the pace in the shop and up at the work site. The lighthouse is now almost ready to go out of the door. The red and white stripes make it look taller than ever! We are trying our best to get ready for installation on Friday!

The big tree is quickly coming together as the crew applies the mesh to all the tight contours and in all the nooks and crannies. This will be a very difficult piece to apply the concrete and carve but the results will be nothing less than spectacular!

The sign faces are in the process of being routed on our MultiCam. The painting process will begin on these in the next few days.

As the lettering pieces come off the computerized routing machine we laminate them up over a sturdy welded frame. Some skilled hand finishing will make them ready for the paint.

I went back into the shop after supper for a while to polish off the welding on the ballon structure. It is now ready for the crew to apply the diamond lath. It's hard to judge scale by looking at a picture but this thing is BIG. It's just shy of eleven feet tall and about nine feet across. It clears the door by only a smidge on the sides and top.

I'll be taking a bunch of pictures on site tomorrow to show the amazing progress there. Stay tuned...

-grampa dan

Crazy energy

Working with a young and energetic crew is a lot of fun. They are often innovative in their methods of solving problems. Today's task for the boys was to wire up the tree Peter welded up over the last few days. The thing about trees is that the gnarlier, twistier and better looking they are, the harder they are to apply the metal diamond lath. This tree was one of the toughest I've seen by far. I tossed out the challenge and gave some brief instruction. Then they set to work.

The boys got a lot done while I was busy doing other jobs.As I looked over the work they had done I asked how they had managed to get into the tight areas. It turned out that TJ wiggled inside the tree trunk and tied the lath while the others pushed the mesh into the tight spots from the outside. It's unconventional but it got the job done and that's what counts. Marty grabbed this picture while they worked.

Elsewhere in the shop it became the wonderful world of color. The mountain topper got it's base coats as well as the lighthouse tower. Tomorrow it gets it's red stripes.

The lighthouse topper is already a little more colorful. Tomorrow it will become even more so.

Each day the shop is a whirlwind of energy and activity. I'm grateful for every moment of it. Thanks to my great crew!

-grampa dan