Took me 2 years to realize I was cutting tubes wrong

I started out always cutting tubes with a torch and a straight edge, marking them by eye with a soapstone. Last month I had to do a full boiler retube and an old timer walked over and handed me a simple wrap-around template. I told him I been doing it this way forever and he just said 'yeah, I can tell by the gaps you been filling.' It hit me right then that I was adding hours of extra fitting work. Have any of you switched to a different method that felt stupid simple but saved you a ton of time?

3 comments

3 Comments

mark_smith593d ago

Heard a guy at the supply house say the same thing about @noah914's buddy. Wasted a whole weekend before someone showed him that same wrap-around trick. Makes you wonder how many other simple fixes we're missing.

noah9144d ago

Man my buddy wasted a whole weekend before someone showed him the wrap-around trick!

-1

the_robin4d ago

Man I still think the real trick is knowing when to step away and come back fresh!