I finally listened to old Sal about rail alignment

Been doing elevators for 8 years. Old Sal, retired guy, told me last month to check my rail brackets with a 4-foot level instead of just the 2-foot. I thought he was just being picky. Tried it on a job in a 12-story building downtown. Found 3 brackets off by almost 1/16th inch. Fixed them before the car went in and now the ride is smooth as glass. Sal was right. Anyone else have a mentor whose advice you ignored at first?

2 comments

2 Comments

max_ramirez487d ago

Haha yep, I had an old timer named Frank tell me to always run a string line on the rails before tightening anything. Took me three jobs to finally try it and man, the difference in smoothness was night and day.

ellis.rose6d ago

Damn, that string line trick huh? Did Frank ever tell you how much of a difference it makes on the longer runs, like over 10 floors? I've always wondered if the payoff gets bigger the taller you go, or if it's just a steady improvement.