May/June 2015 O&MM Fabricator

Ornamental and Miscellaneous Metal

Fabricator 速

The official publication of the National Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metals Association

May/ June 2015 $6.00 US

2015 NOMMA Top Job Gold Award: Restoration

Finelli, Nauman res t ore Edgar Brandt gate

Biz Talk Architect, designer CEU classes may widen fabricator market, 13

Shop Talk Automated gate designer certification available, 18

Shop Talk Electric slide solutions, 28

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Biz Talk Should employees think like owners?, 46

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Inside

May / June 2015 Vol. 56, No. 3

NOMMA Network A successful METALfab2015 ......... 10

Knowledge to enlighten the industry.

This cantilever gate had problems.

Learn how Steel Magnolia’s Ken Miller fixed it, page 32.

Shop Talk Electric slide solutions .......................... 28

Biz Talk NOMMA accreditation courses for architects and designers widens market for fabricators......13

Program teaches fabrication and finishing specification writing, codes, and technology trends to AIA, ASLA, and ASID members who need CEUs. Also: How to help architects, designers pay more attention to you .................. 14

Even with the attendant challenges, cantilevered gates have an unabated popularity. Here are a few ways to resolve the problems.

By Jeff Fogel Also: Why the cantilever gate sags no more ......................................... 32 Top Job Profile

Biz Talk Owners, should you teach your employees to think like you? ........ 46

The concept of “ownership thinking” typically calls for moving your company culture away from entitlement. If that is a concern, here’s a way to fix it.

Also: How to make incentive plans ensure employee excellence ............................ 48

Finelli, Nauman & Brandt .................. 36

Shop Talk Automated gate designer certification available now .......... 18

The Automated Vehicular Gate Systems Coalition has also changed its plans from developing a technician certification to having an access control certification that would accompany its designer and installer certifications.

By Stephen Stinedurf Also: Being certified shows you’re serious ........................................ 23 Class descriptions for AFA’s gate systems designer school ..................... 24 President’s Letter............. 7

Your mission to help fabricators.

Not a law firm, just a degree or so of separation over a 90-year period. Finelli Architectural Iron & Stairs collaborated with Bighorn Forge and others to restore a 1926 Edgar Brandt gate built for Harvey Firestone Jr. The partners enjoy being a Top Job gold winner.

By Linda Erbele Also: Edgar Brandt brought new aesthetic to metalwork ..... 43 Jim Korosec, salesman, with shop foreman Jim Mellott, Finelli Ironworks.

Exec. Director’s Letter.... 8

NOMMA helps you solve your problems.

What’s Hot! News ........................................................ 53

FabCAD version 2015 has new AutoRail features. n Feeney Inc. wins 2015 Houzz customer satisfaction honors. n

Events...................................................... 54

CanIRON X, Blacksmithing classes, New England School of Metalwork.

Products ................................................ 55

NOMMA Supplier Members ......... 51 New NOMMA Members .................. 52 Ad Index................................................. 57 NEF ........................................12

With your generous support, another successful year.

Metal Moment ................. 58

Pull-out truck bed suits Scott Colson like a solid weld.

About the cover The restoration of this 12 Edgar Brandt gate, built for Harvey Firestone Jr., won Top Job gold awards for Finelli Architectural Iron & Stairs and Bighorn Forge. See Edgar Brandt’s name in the photo inset. See story, page 36.

May / June 2015 n O&MM Fabricator

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President’s Letter

Your mission to help fabricators Something about the way we’re look back at our generation and made seems to make us shine say: “The NOMMA members the brightest when we’re giving, in 2015 were the kind of people doing something for somebody that wanted to make sure that else just because they need it we could benefit from what without expecting anything in they learned.” return. Taking things appeals to Right now the memberthe selfish side of us, and giving ship of NOMMA is made up of Allyn Moseley, appeals to the compassionate three types of people: The Heirloom side of us. n Those who are looking to Companies, When the fact that you have is president get something out of it. something to give coincides n Those who are looking to of NOMMA. with the need that someone give something back. else has, that’s when something n Those who are in a transideep inside you says: “Yeah, I did the tion between the two. right thing.”

And that’s as it should be — we have a place for all three. My appeal You didn’t succeed alone is not to those who have a legitimate Greatness never happens in a right to be takers, but rather to those vacuum. No matter what you accomwho are still takers that by now should plish, someone is always in your past be givers. who helped you achieve it. They gave, The success of NOMMA going you took, and now you’re reaping forward will not depend on finding the benefit. enough new members to hit some At some point in our lives, however, magic membership goal, rather it will we need to realize that we have taken hinge on the willingness of those of enough and now it’s time to give back us who are already members to give because there there’s always someone enough of ourselves, without any who needs help. expectation of remuneration. Those on the outside will see this and want to I wasn’t around when NOMMA become a member and join our efforts was founded 1958, but I would bet that to make this industry the best that it nowhere in the initial conversations can be. was this statement: “Hey, let’s start this That is the essence of the “Pay It organization so that we all can make a Forward” attitude. Somebody helped lot of money and fill our own needs!” you, now you go out and help someNo, more than likely it was along body else. the lines of this: “We need to find a If you are as passionate about this way to pass along our knowledge of industry as I am, then you understand metalworking and how to be an ethical business person to the next generthat NOMMA is the perfect platform ation so that this industry can benefit for giving back. after we’re all dead and gone.”

We are blessed with many givers in this association and I’m grateful for Giving will be your legacy every last one of them.

Fast forward to 2015. We are all But we need more, and I’m asking now benefiting from the vision and you to look inside and ask yourself if commitment of those who started this it’s time to become a NOMMA giver. association. In that sense, we are takPay it forward. ers and that’s OK so long as we realize that at some point our focus must become giving instead of taking.

We need to make sure that 50 years from now the people of NOMMA will allyn@theheirloomcompanies.com May / June 2015 n O&MM Fabricator

Dedicated to the success of our members and industry.

NOMMA O FFICERS

President Allyn Moseley, The Heirloom Companies, Campobello, SC President­Elect Keith Majka, Majka Railing Co. Inc., Paterson, NJ Vice President/Treasurer Cathy Vequist, Pinpoint Solutions, Jupiter, FL Immediate Past President Mark Koenke, Germantown Iron & Steel Corp., Jackson, WI

F ABRICATOR D I RECTORS

Greg Bailey, Bailey Metal Fabricators, Mitchell, SD Max Hains, Mofab Inc., Anderson, IN Maciej Jankowski, Artistic Iron Works, Norwalk, CT Tony Martinez, Big D Metalworks, Dallas, TX Tina Tennikait, Superior Fence & Orn. Iron, Cottage Hills, IL Henry Wheeler, Wheeler Ornamental Metals, Dothan, AL

S U PPLI ER D I RECTORS

Bill Schenke, Ameristar, Tulsa, OK Stacey Lawler Taylor, Lawler Foundry Corp., Birmingham, AL Dave White Jr., Locinox USA, Countryside, IL

NOMMA E DUCATION F OU N DATION O FFICERS

Chair Lynn Parquette, Mueller Ornamental Iron Works Inc., Elite Architectural Metal Supply LLC, Elk Grove Village, IL Vice Chair Rob Rolves, Foreman Fabricators Inc., St. Louis, MO Treasurer Mike Boyler, Boyler’s Ornamental Iron Inc., Bettendorf, IA

NEF T RUSTEES

Heidi Bischmann, Hartland, WI Roger Carlsen, Ephraim Forge Inc., Frankfort, IL Carl Grainger, Grainger Metal Works, Nichols, SC Christopher Maitner, Christopher Metal Fabricating, Grand Rapids, MI Greg Terrill, Division 5 Metalworks, Kalamazoo, MI Keith Majka, Majka Railing Co. Inc., Paterson, NJ

NOMMA C HAPTER P RESI DENTS

Chesapeake Bay Patty Koppers, Koppers Fabricators Inc., Forestville, MD, 301-420-6080 Florida Marco Vasquez, Vasquez Custom Metals Inc., Tampa, FL, 813-248-3348 Gulf Coast Randy LeBlanc, Metal Head Inc., Lafayette, LA, 337-232-38383 Northeast Scott Hess, Hess Ornamental Iron Inc., Red Lion, PA, 717-246-3135 Pacific Northwest Gale Schmidt, A2 Fabrication Inc., Milwaukie, OR, 503-771-2000 Upper Midwest Mark O’Malley, O’Malley Welding & Fabricating Inc., Yorkville, IL, 630-553-1604

NOMMA S TAFF

Executive Director, J. Todd Daniel, CAE Meetings & Exposition Manager; NEF Executive Director, Martha Pennington Member Care & Operations Manager, Liz Harris Sales Director, Sherry Theien Editor, O&MM Fabricator, Robin Sherman

O&MM FABRICATOR EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Terry Barrett, Pinpoint Solutions, Jupiter, FL Doug Bracken, Wiemann Metalcraft, Tulsa, OK Bill Coleman, Arc Angels, Dunedin, FL Nancy Hayden, Tesko Enterprises, Norridge, IL Chris Holt, Steel Welding, Freedom, PA Rob Rolves, Foreman Fabricators Inc., St. Louis, MO

7

Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metal Fabricator (ISSN 0191-5940), is the official publication of the National Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metals Association (NOMMA).

O&MM Fabricator / NOMMA 805 South Glynn St., Ste. 127, #311 Fayetteville, GA 30214 Editorial We love articles!

Send story ideas, letters, press releases, and product news to: Fabricator at address above. Ph/Fax: 888-516-8585.

E-mail: fabricator@nomma.org.

Advertise Reach 8,000 fabricators For information, call Sherry Theien, Ph: 815-282-6000. Email stheien@att. net. Ads are due on the first Friday of the month preceding the cover date. Send ads to: Fabricator at address above.

Email ads to: fabricator@nomma.org (max. 5 megs by e-mail). Or upload ads to our website where a downloadable media kit is available: www.nomma.org.

Membership Join NOMMA! Beyond the magazine, enjoy more benefits as a NOMMA member. To join, call 888-5168585, ext. 101. For a list of benefits, see membership ad in this issue.

Exhibit in METALfab Exhibit at METALfab, NOMMA’s annual convention and trade show. For more information, contact Martha Pennington at 888-516-8585, ext. 104, or martha@nomma.org.

Subscriptions Subscription questions?

Call 888-516-8585. Send subscription address changes to: Fabricator Subscriptions, 805 South Glynn St., Ste. 127, #311, Fayetteville, GA 30214. Fax: 888516-8585, or fabricator@nomma.org.

1-year: U.S., Canada, Mexico — $30 2-year: U.S., Canada, Mexico — $50 1-year: all other countries — $44 2-year: all other countries — $78 Payment in U.S. dollars by check drawn on U.S. bank or money order. For NOMMA members, a year’s subscription is a part of membership dues.

NOMMA Buyer’s Guide Published each December as a separate issue. Deadline for all advertising materials is November 27. Contact Sherry Theien at 815-282-6000 or stheien@att.net.

Opinions expressed in Fabricator are not necessarily those of the editors or NOMMA. Articles appearing in Fabrica­ tor may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of NOMMA.

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How to reach us

Executive Director’s Letter

NOMMA helps you solve problems I recently attended a sales class

and determine how we can cregiven by Richard P. Farrell of ate programs to solve them.

Tangent Knowledge Systems, Chicago, IL. The topic of his talk ListServ help forum grows is the title of his new book, and NOMMA’s best example of it was intriguing: “Selling Has a service that solves problems, Nothing To Do With Selling.” and quickly, is the ListServ, our The general theme of his email discussion list. Much to Todd Daniel presentation, as I interpreted it, is executive my surprise, many associations director of is that survival in the post-redon’t even have a ListServ or NOMMA. cession era requires a new way have tried it unsuccessfully. of thinking and selling. The idea is to I’m proud to report that just a few days focus on solving problems and differen- ago our ListServ hit the 300 subscriber tiate yourself from the competition. mark. I’d love to see all of our members The challenge, he explained, is to join the list, and if you are interested, find creative ways to enhance value for please contact the NOMMA office. your customers. As he said at one point, “High value customers care more about A call for more resources what you know about them.”

In last November’s issue, I wrote One of the subthemes of his talk about a new benefit called “Models & was learning to ask the right questions, Samples.” The idea with this benefit so that you can quickly, yep, solve the is that members share their standard problem. In the legal world, this is forms and documents to keep others called the “discovery process.” from reinventing the wheel. The idea is A favorite part of my job is making to save time by downloading and modiwelcome calls to new members. As Mr. fying an existing document. If you have Farrell was talking, I wrote down the a favorite form to share, such as a warlast five members who joined NOMMA ranty or checklist, please send it to me. and the reasons why they joined.

We have a ton of resources online, In four out of five cases, members including nearly all past issues of were joining to solve a problem. One O&MM Fabricator magazine for the new member felt that NOMMA could past 12 years, and every ListServ discussion going back to 2001. provide helpful business skills, another I’m also looking for a delivery syswanted information for his first bronze rail job, and yet another firm was a wood tem that can do a better job of quickly getting members the information they shop that was expanding into metal. need. If you have a copper project Can we do it better? coming up, for example, my dream is The timing of this sales class was to create a system that would quickly provide a list of past articles, videos, perfect because NOMMA has created a webinars, and ListServ discussions on task force to review our current benefit package. With each benefit that we offer, that topic.

As always, your ideas are welcomed. we have to ask, “Is this benefit solving a Feel free to contact me at todd@ problem?” More importantly, we need nomma.org, 888to study our surveys and other data to 516-8585. determine the most pressing problems F I LE S, U R JO B P RO W E W AN T YO

© 2015 National Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metals Association 8

TI PS

Are you a NOMMA Top Job winner? Do you have how-to, step-by-step tips to share? Have you solved an interesting fabrication problem?

Write for O&MM Fabricator. Contact Editor Robin Sherman at nomma.editor@att.net.

O&MM Fabricator n May / June 2015

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The NOMMA Network Knowledge to enlighten the industry METALfab2015

Fabricators gathered in King of Prussia,

PA, March 11–14 for METALfab2015, NOMMA’s 57th annual meeting and exhibits.

A general business meeting and keynote address by Barry Willingham, Ameristar Perimeter Security USA, kicked off the four-day event.

Attendees then hit the classrooms for three days of Next year in intense learnGreenville, SC ing. The educaPlan now tion program, to attend presented by the NOMMA Educa- METALfab in Greenville, SC, tion Foundation March 16–19.

(NEF), provided a mix of business and fabrication topics. Some of the top sessions covered business best practices, measuring, and employee hiring.

The exhibits, opening on the second day, featured industry suppliers who showed their latest products and services. Simultaneously, the Top Job Gallery opened, which displayed the photographs from the Top Job Contest.

NOMMA member attendees voted as they walked through the gallery.

Party with a Purpose was held that evening featuring dinner, dancing, and the annual NEF benefit auction.

On Friday, the education and exhibits continued, ending with the Top Job Jamboree in the late afternoon.

That evening, attendees gathered again for the NEF Partners in Education Reception.

The final day featured a day of shop tours, which included visits to M. Cohen & Sons Inc. and Compass Ironworks. Both stops featured a series of mini-demos, including ones on finishing and bending. The evening featured the grand finale — the annual awards banquet. Outstanding volunteers were featured as well as winners in the Ernest Wiemann Top Job Contest.

10

Charles Celeste with C & P Fabricators Inc., right, shows samples during the architect’s continuing education class, which exposes architects to the creative options available in metalworking.

Architects and interior designers earn continuing education units when they attend these NOMMA-sponsored classes.

Attendees, above, take their seats at M. Cohen & Sons Inc. to hear a presentation on the company and its history.

Chris Holt and John Steel of Steel Welding, right, work a shift at the Top Job contest booth.

Upper Midwest Chapter founders and leaders, left, accept the Julius Blum Award for outstanding industry service.

Shown are n Mark O’Malley, O’Malley Welding & Fab. Inc.; n Lynn Parquette, Elite Arch. Metal Supply LLC, Mueller Ornamental Iron Works Inc.; n Rob Rolves, Foreman Fabricators Inc.; and n Mason Hains of Mofab Inc.

O&MM Fabricator n May / June 2015

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NOMMA Education Foundation

In partnership with the National Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metals Association

With your generous support, another successful year After producing another outstanding education pro-

gram for METALfab2015 and recovering from their busy week at METALfab, NEF trustees thank the presenters, volunteers, donors, and participants for helping make the program a success.

The trustees are excited with the outcome and wish all NOMMA members could have been at Valley Forge Casino Resort for the event.

Moreover, they hope that those who were not able to attend will put next year’s METALfab on their calendar for March 16-19, 2016 in Greenville, SC, at the Hyatt Regency Greenville. Next year is already shaping up to be an exciting one for METALfab.

The NEF trustees thank the following for their support this year: n To our donors for their financial support. n To our presenters who spend hours preparing

watch the videos of classes that you wanted to review.

You will be able to share the METALfab experience with your staff through these videos, too.

Now, for 2016

Lynn Parquette, owner, Mueller Ornamental Iron Works Inc. & Elite Architectural Metal Supply LLC, is the Chair of the NEF.

their classes for attendees. n To our volunteers for helping with the education program, auctions, and NEF activities. n To the attendees at METALfab who make the education sessions more valuable through their questions and discussion.

METALfab2015 education session videos

Once the METALfab2015 education session videos are edited, attendees will receive a link to access them. This way you can see the classes that you were not able to attend and

As our financial year comes to an end on June 30, 2015, we ask you — our loyal supporters — to make our next year a great success with your donation.

You can add a donation to your membership renewal (which many of you have received recently) or use the form below to make your donation to the NOMMA Education Foundation.

Donations are the life-blood of a foundation. Your donation supports the operation and programs of the foundation. NEF does not make a profit on the programs that it produces. Classes are done either at a break even cost or are given to members FREE.

Ways NEF accomplishes its goal

Continuing education classes, outstanding education programs for METALfab, support for new chapters (NEF provides the education program for the organizational meeting of a new chapter), support for existing chapters (NEFERP program provides partial funding for chapter education), educational videos, webinars, publications.

As I am sure you realize, this all costs money. Your support is greatly appreciated and goes to good use. Thank you again to all our supporters — we could not do this without your help!

YES — I want to help support the NEF programs and operations with a donation.

Name__________________________________________________________________________________________ Company_______________________________________________________________________________________ Address_________________________________________________________________________________________ Donation amount _____ $20 _____$50 _____$100 _____ $250 _____$500 _____$1,000 or Other $______________ Payment method: Check ____

Credit Card type: ___AMEX

___MC

___VISA

___Discover

Credit card number_____________________________________________Expiration___________CVV__________ Name as it appears on card_________________________________________________________________________ Signature________________________________________________________________________________________ Submit to NOMMA Education Foundation, 805 S. Glynn St., Suite 127, #311, Fayetteville, GA 30214 or fax to 888-279-7994. Your donation is greatly appreciated.

12

O&MM Fabricator n May / June 2015

Keith Majka of Majka Railing Co. Inc., Paterson, NJ, kicks off NOMMA’s accreditation program for architects and interior designers at the recent METALfab2015.

Majka taught a two-hour metal finishing class.

Biz Talk

NOMMA accreditation courses for architects and designers widens market for fabricators ■

Program teaches fabrication and finishing specification writing, codes, and technology trends to AIA, ASLA, and ASID members who need CEUs.

Fabricators may soon work more effec-

tively with architects, interior designers, and landscape architects.

NOMMA, the professional association for ornamental and miscellaneous metal fabricators, is now an accredited Continuing Education Unit provider for members of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), and the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID).

Last March, NOMMA hosted its first accredited conference for AIA, ASLA, and ASID members at METALfab2015.

NOMMA will offer another class due to the “phenomenal success and positive feedback,” says Amos Glick, a member of the Industry Marketing Committee and owner of Compass Ironworks in Gap, PA. It will be at METALfab2016, March 16-19, in Greenville, SC. Taught by NOMMA fabricator members, the program provides architects and designers with visual inspiration and broadens their capability to specify ironwork, something lacking in the marketplace, says Glick.

Although the accreditation process was a team effort, Compass Ironworks’ Adam Leofsky managed the techni-

May / June 2015 n O&MM Fabricator

cal aspects and submission. Glick, as an approved speaker with AIA, ASLA, and ASID, made it easier for NOMMA to meet requirements.

“Fabricators have long struggled to interpret poorly constructed specifications,” Glick says, “which often indicate the wrong material or finish for a job or require explanation and revision — problems that could lead to lower quality, missing deadlines, and less time available to complete other jobs.”

The NOMMA program offers architects and designers — and their customers — a portfolio of metal fabrication ideas based on NOMMA’s Top Job competition entries. This is expected to more effectively open up these markets to fabricators.

In turn, architects and designers will have another way to receive CEUs that are required for them to keep their licenses and stay current with the latest trends, technologies — including “sustainable” ones — and codes.

Consumers, architects, and designers are seeing a resurgence in ironworks, Glick says. “Here at NOMMA, we can be proactive by providing interested parties with an enriching educational experience and great photos for detail clarity.

“Looking into the future, NOMMA might recreate this great one-day conference in all parts of the country, sponsored by local chapters that can engage the architect and design professionals on a local and national basis,” Glick says.

Three classes taught

The program at METALfab kicked off with a two-hour metal finishing course led by Keith Majka of Majka Railing Co. Inc., Paterson, NJ. This course, originally created by NOMMA’s Northeast Chapter a decade ago, was made current and presented in an open forum with a panel of metal crafts people to answer questions.

Next, Glick and his associate Adam Leofsky taught a one-hour introduction to metalwork course that featured a brief history of ironwork spotlighting famous Philadelphia blacksmiths Pat Lyon and Samuel Yellin. The course also examined the various tools and vocabulary used in the industry.

Finally, Glick and Leofsky presented the highlight of the day — entries from NOMMA’s Top Job contest that is open each year to fabricator members who compete for the best Continued on page 16.

13

Help architects and designers help you Like fabricators, designers and archi­

tects are visual people. Now that the Top Job contest is part of the NOMMA accreditation program, your best work will be seen directly by job specifiers. Put your photos in the best light by entering the contest with the highest quality photos. Here’s how: Engage a professional photo­ grapher to take photos of your work at the highest resolution n

(you can do the same with your digital camera or smartphone).

A professional photographer can eliminate shadows and glares and improve the detail. “Our work is absolutely about the details,” Glick says.

To the design industry, a quality photo enhances beautiful metalwork in its completed environment. “That is the key in being able to collaborate in future projects,” Glick adds.

Additionally, high-resolution photos are necessary for print media, especially if published in NOMMA’s

O&MM Fabricator magazine, which regularly publishes articles about Top Job winners. The magazine typically needs photos that show each step of the fabrication process and that are 300 ppi at about 7 inches wide (or a file size of about 5 megapixels).

n Take photos before Septem­ ber 25 while the landscape is still lush. Even better, ask your clients

when they will have the most colorful flowers in the project area. “Top Job photos with drab landscapes or snow can do a disservice to the ambiance of your project,” Glick says.

n Participate in the Top Job Competition. The Top Job entries are

a key tool in the accreditation program. The contest had entries in all its 17 categories for the first time this year, which allowed interior designers and architects at METALfab2015 “to see the width and depth of NOMMA member’s innovation and design capabilities,” Glick says.

“Also, if we encourage more non-member shops to join NOMMA and participate, it helps the industry flourish as we interact more with architects and design professionals who understand our trade and engage with NOMMA members because of our professional service.”

And make sure you provide the project hours with your Top Job submission; hours help architects gauge the budget on a given project. n Sponsor your architect and designer contacts to the accred­ ited education. Help them get the

expertise you need. “One thing that was great,” Glicks says, “was when an architect in the audience saw a project that he had personally specified.

He was gratified to see his own work in the competition.” n Teach sustainability. Architects and designers admire historic masterpieces for the timelessness of ironwork, which can be eco-friendly when specifications include 97–100% recycled content.

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O&MM Fabricator n May / June 2015

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Continued from page 13. in ironwork. An accredited course was created from 100+ contest submissions using information and photographs supplied from each fabricator entrant.

“The architects and designers were thrilled to be a part of the conversation, asking questions each step of the way, and getting answers from experts in the field. Everyone involved really benefited from the open forum,” says Glick.

“Many learners said it was better than many presentations they attend because they could engage directly with someone with hands-on knowledge, something lacking from other presentations they attend,” says Glick. “Design professionals cannot specify what they cannot visualize. The entire lecture was about providing a phenomenal visual experience to the attendees.”

Accreditation process was arduous

Compass embarked on its own CEU program in January 2011; it took 20 months to get its one-hour course built, approved, and accredited.

The NOMMA program is six-hours and took four months to create and get

16

accredited. In all, NOMMA created three courses for its program: a one-hour, a twohour, and a three-hour.

The last accrediting association “literally happened the week of the [METALfab2015] conference,” says Glick. “Everything had to be approved before the conference.”

NOMMA worked closely with ASID, AIA, and LA CES to develop the courses to meet the CEU requirements.

Says Glick: “Each association had different requirements. For instance, the Learning Objectives for AIA could qualify for Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) related training, if you followed their procedure. HSW topics are required for 75% of an architect’s license retention.

However, the HSW material had to be rewritten to meet LA CES and ASID requirements.

“Plus, all three associations have different requirements for recordkeeping, the longest being six years after the program is presented,” says Glick. “Each

course had to be packaged with different ‘packing materials’ to meet the different association requirements, and there were different requirements from each group if you wanted to be a speaker or present a program.”

In taking the lead for NOMMA on the development of the accreditation program, Glick maintains his vigor for knowledge-sharing.

“I am very passionate about it because I strongly believe that by sharing more knowledge the industry will benefit.

“In other words, every shop is trying to do better, get more work, and get a bigger piece of the pie. By increasing the pie [by more formally adding architects and designers], we can get more work without cutting into each other’s work.,” says Glick.

In fact, Glick says shortly after METALfab2015, a NOMMA shop got iron rail work from an architect who had been exposed at the conference to the timeless appeal of metal.

O&MM Fabricator n May / June 2015

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Shop Talk

n

The Automated Vehicular Gate Systems Coalition also changes plans from developing a technician certification to having an access control certification that would accompany its designer and installer certifications.

By Stephen Stinedurf Fabricators, you can now be certi-

fied as an automated gate systems designer.

The Automated Gate Systems Design Certification is the second in a series of three certifications to be developed by the Automated Vehicular Gate Systems Coalition.

The coalition is comprised of members from four organizations: n American Fence Association (AFA). n Door and Access Systems Manufacturers Association International (DASMA). n International Door Association (IDA). n National Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metals Association (NOMMA).

Anyone wanting to become certified as a designer can register for $200 at the IDEA web site: http://dooreducation.com/ cert_automated_gate_systems_ designer.php.

The first certification the Coalition developed, the Automated Gate Operator Installer Certification, came online in January 2008.

To register for the installer certification, go to: 18

Covers of the brochures for the installer, left, and design certification programs.

http://dooreducation.com/ cert_gate_op.php.

The registration fee includes a study guide from IDEA, which covers in depth all of the material needed to pass the certification test.

The AFA also offers multi-day, hands-on courses as another way to prepare for the tests: n Automated Gate Operator Installer School (one week; http:// americanfenceassociation.com/ operator-installer-school).

n Automated Gate Systems Designer School (three days; http://

americanfenceassociation.com/

certified-automated-gates-systemdesigner-program/).

Coalition developing access control certification

Work on creating the third certification, the Automated Gate Systems Technician, had recently begun and was expected to take two or three years to complete.

At its March 2015 meeting in Dallas, however, the Coalition changed the third certification from technician to gate access controls, says Brent Nichols, founder of Picasso Gate, Cheyenne, WY, and NOMMA’s representative on the Coalition, along O&MM Fabricator n May / June 2015

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with NOMMA Executive Director Todd Daniel.

Had the Coalition kept its focus on the technician certification it would have focused on the repair of automated gate systems.

In the July 2012 issue of O&MM Fabricator, Nichols said, “We’re trying to teach people to troubleshoot at a gate site where a gate’s not working.

To be safe, to know what’s required on the job, to meet the standards code and then start off with a meter, going where you need to in order to find the problem.”

Nichols now says that given all the changes in technology that are creating new challenges in our industry, e.g. the growing numbers and varieties of keypads, cameras, and phone systems, and their underlying principles, fabricators need to understand technologies such as Ethernet, fiber optics, and Wi-Fi. Customers want to use access control systems over the Internet and from their mobile devices, Nichols says. They want to know how they can connect their smartphones to open a gate or see who is at a gate.

One reason for changing the certification development focus to an access controls certification has to do with the servicing of an existing gate operator.

Technicians can get help from the manufacturer, Nichols says. Fabricators need to understand The principles are technologies similar enough that such as Ethernet, seasoned technicians fiber-optics, can work their way and Wi-Fi, says Brent Nichols, through a problem with the manufactur- Picasso Gate. er’s help.

The Coalition considered adding coverage of the new access control technologies to the existing gate design certification, but the consensus was that the access control material could be overwhelming, and it was better to have it as a separate certification.

Design comes second

Developing the design certification before the technician certification

(and now the access controls certification) was particularly important to NOMMA, says Nichols. He had to teach fellow Coalition members about a fabricator’s business cycle to get the Coalition to change its mind about the order of the certification development.

“The need to design and install a gate entry system starts with the sales call,” says Nichols. “It is hard to have the installer up-sell a client on items that are left off the original bid and that are critical for a safe gate installation because the sales person did not have adequate knowledge or training to design a gate entry system.”

Moreover, Nichols says that “because a purpose of our group was to teach and encourage safety, [the design certification] was far more important to develop for the sales person. [This included] information on safety, types of gates and operators, and control devices [as well as] how they all come together to create an entry gate system.

This was far more critical to the work of our group than a technician class.”

Nichols says that completing the Gate Design and Gate Installer certifi-

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cation enables NOMMA members to add entry gate systems to their product line.

Even for those who do not plan to install gates with automation, a fabricator who works on gates that other firms will automate still benefits from the design certification. Fabricators will know what is required for an automated gate; they can check that the installer’s plans and work meet the relevant standards. That might help protect them from an injury liability lawsuit.

For the Automated Vehicular Gate Systems Design Certification workbook and test, “the coalition met for approximately three years to develop it,” says Tom DeSilvia, director of engineering — regulatory and test services for The Chamberlain Group of Elmhurst, IL, and the current chairman of the Coalition.

“Most of the work was done as a group. Some members would do specific chapters between meetings, then we would review content at our next meeting,” he says.

“For the test,” DeSilvia says, “the

22

coalition met for a couple days developing questions using the course material.

After the content was approved by the Coalition, it was sent to IDEA for grammar cleanup and formatting for “. . . the coalition the workbooks.” is extremely “The certifications are stand-alone dedicated, with each existing entities,” DeSilvia member having says when asked at least 10 years of industry about their relationship to the AFA knowledge,” says Tom DeSilvia, multi-day schools. director of “The Automated engineering Gate Operator — regulatory and test services, Installer School is The Chamberlain only offered once Group. per year. It is a full week of training in Dallas. This is a hands-on school, so it is difficult to transport the equipment around the country and line up all the volunteer instructors more than once per year.

“The Systems Designer course is a two-day course. The course does not use equipment and can be taught many times per year at any location.

All that is needed is the PowerPoint slides and a projector.”

“I would like to add that the coalition is extremely dedicated, with each existing member having at least 10 years of industry knowledge. Our motto is: Professionalism through Education.”

How to study and take the test

The Institute of Door Dealer Education and Accreditation (IDEA) administers both the Automated Gate Operator Installer and Automated Gate Systems Design certifications.

When complete, they will do the same for the Automated Gate Systems Access Control certification.

Applicants take the same path toward each certification. n Ensure eligibility requirements are met. n Submit an application. n Work through the self-study Continued on page 24.

O&MM Fabricator n May / June 2015

Being a certified installer shows you’re serious about meeting code, says Jeffery Presbaugh As of this writing, 615 people have Automated Gate Operator Installer Certifications, according the IDEA technician search page (http://dooreducation.com/find_ technician_results.php). One is Jeffery Presbaugh, vice president of Aberdeen Custom Gate and Iron in Weatherford, TX. Among his company’s services are gate fabrication, operator automation, and operator servicing.

Here are some of his comments about certification:

Study guide is thorough

“The study guide covered every area of the test quite thoroughly. We had been installing for five years before I took the test, and still learned things from the study guide. The technical content was thorough; we still use it when training a new guy to do installation and service.

The guide covers reading schematics, understanding how the different processors work, and explaining how ground sensor loops work. It took me about a week to get through it.”

Certification test is ‘extensive’

“The test was actually tough. I know of several installers with years of experience that, without studying, could not pass the test. It is designed to be used with the [AFA] Installer School, but I believed I could read through [the study guide] a couple of times and pass the test, and did.

“It was all multiple choice. For some of the questions, you did have some calculations to do to determine the right answer. It was extensive. I was impressed.”

Would your customer prefer you to be certified?

“It has given me more confidence knowing the code requirements and the liability issues associated with automated gates. Education is a powerful thing. I know there have been jobs we passed on because of a lack of code knowledge, and jobs we have gained because of a deeper understanding of the dangers inherent in operator-equipped gates.

“If your business does any kind or operator installation, I would highly recommend having these certifications says Presbaugh. “If not, and you sub-contract the work out, I would sure prefer someone who has gone through the effort of becoming certified.

“It is obviously not necessary to be certified to be code compliant, but at the least, doing so demonstrates that you are serious about meeting code requirements.

My theory is that it is best to get in front of the wave of upcoming mandated codes. Don’t think that the level of litigiousness is going down over time.

“Everybody, including my current team, is going to need to have or take the Installer exam. I will also likely get my Automated Gate Systems Designer certification,” says Presbaugh.

— Stephen Stinedurf May / June 2015 n O&MM Fabricator

23

Here are the class descriptions for AFA’s November gate systems designer school The following topics are covered

in the designer study guide developed by the the Automated Vehicular Gate Systems Coalition (PDF: http://bit.ly/1DZqicA).

It is also used at the American

Fence Association’s (AFA) three-day Automated Gate Systems Design School.

The next AFA design school is scheduled for November 1-3 in Dallas, TX, as part of AFA University.

NOMMA members receive a substantial discount.

Types of gates and gate operators,

and the pros and cons of each, as they relate to site-specific applications. Although not a formulaic science, the selection of what type of gate to provide is the critical starting point in systems design.

Gate Operator are matched to the type of gate, and this course covers the pros and cons of the various types of operators and how these factors influence the best selection to use to meet both site and customer demands.

Continued from page . guide and/or attend the AFA school. n Take the certification test.

The study guide covers a full range of gate operator theory, professionalism, and product accessories, according to the IDEA website.

Taken directly from the IDEA website, the following are the topics of the installer study guide: n UL 325 Standard — Gate Operator Safety n ASTM F 2200 Standard — Safe Gate Design n Safety/Standard Practices n Types of Vehicular Gates and Matching Gate Operators n Gate Operator Basics n Gate Operator Accessories n Installation of Gate Operators n Electrical Training/ Troubleshooting 24

The UL 325 standard is presented in detail as it relates to Automated Gate Operator System Design. Known future and very significant changes are also addressed.

The ASTM F-2200 standard is presented in detail as it relates to what must be done to a gate before it can be automated. The requirements differ for each type of gate and each will be covered to include examples.

Vehicle detectors, how they work and

what issues must be considered to select the placement of the loops and the functional aspects of how they wire to the gate operators.

Although the sales force may not need to know how to install a vehicle detector loop, the knowledge of what to look for during a site inspection is critical to the proper design of a system.

Entrapment protection builds upon

what has been learned in the previous chapters by giving site conditions and showing how to eliminate or negate potential hazards.

Electrical conduits and wires covers the basic fundamentals of electricity as they relate to the selection of automated gate operators and site requirements.

The conduit and wire requirements for each device are addressed to allow the student to “build” an automated gate operator system.

Access controls Review many types

Site layout has the student employ

of access controls is conducted to highlight the pros and cons of each as they relate to site-specific applications. The balance between security requirements and practical considerations will give the student a better understanding of how to select the right access controls to meet the customer’s needs.

Timers to Close and Vehicle Detectors n Glossary of Gate Operator Terminology The following are the topics of the design study guide, also taken directly from the IDEA website: n Types of Gates and Gate Operators n The UL 325 Standard n The ASTM F-2200 Standard n Entrapment Protection n Access Controls n Vehicle Detectors n Electrical Conduits and Wires n Site Layout For a description of each design topic, see sidebar on this page.

Find additional information at: n

n www.dooreducation.com/ cert_automated_gate_systems_ designer.php n www.dooreducation.com/ cert_gate_op.php

all of the previous information presented by giving site conditions and then practical exercises of what to use in the design of an automated gate system.

Contact 800-822-4342;

http://americanfenceassociation. com/afa-university/

The current cost for each certification is $200, with $100 due upon application. Once your application is accepted, a self-study guide ships to you on CD-ROM, which can be printed and shared with other members of your company.

In general, the qualifications for certification are as follows: n Register for the test with IDEA. n Two years of field experience related to the certification. If you do not yet have that experience, you can still take the test but awarding of your certification will occur after you meet the experience requirement. n Pass a 100-question written examination.

For additional detail on requirements, contact IDEA at 937-698-1027 or visit their Certification and Accreditation web page: http:// dooreducation.com/certification_ accreditation.php.

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The recommended study time before taking the test is 30 to 60 days, says Todd Thomas, managing director of IDEA, but that varies with individual experience and knowledge level.

The study guides, says Thomas, “are traditional ones, but don’t have sample questions and answers. They contain the information that certified individuals ought to know, and they must pass a written examination documenting they know it.”

IDEA does not publish a master schedule of testing opportunities.

Instead, they recommend that you work through a trade organization, NOMMA for example, to arrange testing at a trade event. Or contact IDEA by phone at 947-698-1027 or email dwelhener@longmgt.com. The AFA may schedule testing opportunities at its annual FenceTech event (http:// americanfenceassociation.com/

Fabricators will know what is required for an automated gate; they can check that the

installer’s plans and work meet the relevant standards. That might help protect them from an injury liability lawsuit. fencetech-2016).

The test is graded on a pass/fail basis with a minimum passing score of 80%. The written tests are multiple choice and true-false. Reference material is not permitted in the testing site. Anyone failing the test may take it again at no charge. Two hours are allotted to complete the test.

“In most cases, [applicants] are notified [of test results] soon after they turn in their exams,” says Thomas. “It depends on the number of people test-

ing at any given event. Otherwise, they are notified in writing within 30 days.”

Another option for those with less hands-on experience is the American Fence Association (AFA) Automated Gate Systems Designer School. The AFA describes this two-day course as “. . . the equivalent of two years of experience.” You still need to take and pass the Coalition test to be certified, but it could accelerate your learning process.

The Installer and Design certifications are for a three-year period. To maintain certification, a renewal fee is required. Certified installers and designers must earn nine Continuing Education Units (1 hour of education equals 1 CEU) during the three-year period. No specific information on CEUs is posted on either the AFA or IDEA Web site; contact IDEA for details.

For your information

n

Automated Vehicular Gate Systems Coalition American Fence Association (AFA) 800-822-4342 http://americanfenceassociation.com Door and Access Systems Manufacturers Association International (DASMA) 216-241-7333 www.dasma.com International Door Association (IDA) 800-355-4432 http://www.doors.org Institute of Door Dealer Education and Accreditation (IDEA) 937-698-1027 http://dooreducation.com National Ornamental and Miscellaneous Metal Association (NOMMA) 888-516-8585 www.nomma.org

FIRENZA c

26

About the author Steve Stinedurf is a freelance writer and information technology professional based in southeast Michigan. He finds that writing provides him endless opportunities to meet fascinating people and learn about their industries.

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This curved, cantilevered gate from Wiemann Metalcraft was made of #8 stainless and copper with all-mechanical fasteners. Wiemann used heavy-duty stainless rollers from D.J.A. Imports Ltd., Bronx, NY. The pre-slotted tube — which, D.J.A. sells to pair with the rollers — couldn’t be rolled. Wiemann then rolled stainless square tube and slotted it to suit its needs, only to realize that the rollers and tube sold were metric; Wiemann had to modify the rollers to fit the Imperial-sized tube.

electric slide solutions Shop Talk

■

Even with the attendant challenges, cantilevered gates have an unabated popularity. Here are a few ways to resolve the problems.

By Jeff Fogel Exterior cantilevered gates are ubiquitous. We often barely notice them. They greet — or impede — visitors to airports, warehouses, industrial parks, military installations, and for reasons unclear, cemeteries.

The concept of a sliding gate that would be self-suspending is a relatively recent invention. A patent was issued in 1898 to a John O. Moss of Fannin County, TX, for “. . . a sliding gate, which will open automatically and close in a like manner after a person, team, or the like, has passed through it. A further object of the invention is to provide the means whereby the gate will be protected from being accidently opened by stock.”

The cantilevered gate’s raison d’être was, and remains to this day, a practical, or defensive accoutrement. Practical security remains no less a concern than it was in the 19th century prairies. Hence the cantilevered gate’s impressively uninterrupted popularity.

Even more impressive is that only a smat28

tering of fabricators produce all these gates.

Many companies distribute, sell, or install these gates, but not all that many make them.

Because it’s not that easy to build a good solid, well-functioning cantilevered gate.

For one thing, they’re big. Most are in the 10- to 20-foot range. For another, certain techniques must be mastered to overcome the challenges ensuring a 500-plus-pound gate rolls smoothly to the side on command.

So what’s involved in fabricating one of these puppies?

Let ’em roll

To understand the problems inherent in fabricating a cantilevered gate one must know how these gates work.

The gate opens and closes by sliding to one side or the other. The slide is directionally controlled by means of a track that is supported by several vertical posts. Because of its weight, several rollers attached to either the top or bottom of the track facilitate the gate’s sliding. The rollers act as bearings for the gate, allowing it

“The gates should be limited to four rollers, two top and bottom pairs.

This prevents binding from the natural inclination of the gate to sag ever so slightly,” says Mike Stylski, owner, Accent Ornamental Iron & Powder Coating.

O&MM Fabricator n May / June 2015

to overcome the forces of both weight and friction to move smoothly along the track.

Of course, a heavy gate, let’s say 800-pounds or so, is going to exert a vertical load on the rollers. This is called a reaction load, which can be overcome by using either more rollers or making the rollers larger.

Mike Stylski, owner of Accent Ornamental Iron & Powder Coating, Cambridge, MN, has strong feelings about solving this problem. He opts for using more robust rollers rather than increasing their number.

“I’ve seen instances where someone was having problems with the gate not sliding right, and when I looked at it, there were sometimes six rollers. I’d get rid of two, level the gate, and it would work perfectly.”

The gates should be limited to four rollers, says Stylski, two top and bottom pairs. This prevents binding from the natural inclination of the gate to sag ever so slightly. This slight sagging results in pressure on the top left roller (as viewed from the front of the gate) and the bottom right roller when the gate is extended or open.

The problem can be exacerbated, says Stylski, if the rollers are too widely spaced. In this case, the pressure increases and interferes with smooth rolling.

What if the two pairs of rollers, correctly placed, are still binding? Go to beefier rollers, says Stylski. As long as you keep the number limited to four.

A handy formula determines the loading on each roller pair.

Weight of the gate multiplied by the distance from its end to its center of gravity divided by the distance between the two vertical support posts.

As noted, where you place the posts makes a crucial difference in the smooth operation of a cantilevered gate. Popular opinion based on a collective body of experience has it that a gate must be counterbalanced by a length equal to one-half of the length of the gate’s opening.

This means a 25-foot gate would have a 12- or 13-foot counter section called a “tail.” Its purpose is to provide sufficient counter weight to keep the gate from deflecting too much. Too much deflection would cause binding that even the largest rollers would be hard pressed to overcome.

Again, let’s take our example of an 800-pound gate and assume that the gate will cover a 25-foot-wide opening.

Using the formula, a 25-foot gate might have a 13-foot tail, which would be the correct distance between the two support posts. The center of gravity from one end of the gate would be roughly 16 feet. Thus: 800 lb x 16 ft = 400 lb/roller 13 ft This information will allow you to specify the correct size rollers for the gate.

For those disinclined to tinkering with math equations, software can do the cyphering for you.

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29

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Elemental Analysis) software,” says Kendall Shrock, Shrock Fabrication, Bird-in-Hand, PA, “which will automatically calculate the stress and sag on each member, and show where the gate needs to be strengthened.”

Of course, an engineer will do this as well. “Send your drawing to a professional engineer to do the calculations,” adds Shrock. “A couple of hours at the engineer’s desk can save thousands of dollars down the road.”

Defeating deflection

“More and more companies are investing in [Finite Elemental Analysis] software,” says Kendall Shrock, Shrock Fabrication.

The posts being critical to the support of the gate, deflection is the enemy of smooth sliding on a cantilevered gate.

At this point, a quick review of deflection is helpful. Simply defined, deflection is the degree to which a post will bend under a lateral load before returning, on its own, to its original vertical position.

Factors that affect a post’s deflection properties n post

diameter (or thickness). thickness of the walls of the post, if it is a tube. n the force of the load.

The thicker the walls and the bigger the post, the more loading it can withstand and still bounce back.

Experience shows Stylski that the optimal size for posts is 2-inch square tubing and can be used for gates up to 25 feet.

Frank Duff, national sales manager for International Gate Devices, Folsom, PA, goes with a larger size for posts: between 4-inch and 6-inch square or round tubing.

Duff notes that a trend is toward 6-inch stock, but bigger is not necessarily better, and 4-inch generally works most of the time. “You don’t really need it [on a cantilevered gate].

Maybe on a very wide swing gate [though].”

Shrock concurs, noting that the number one cause of deflection is insufficient vertical mass in the frame members of the gate. Shrock explains that you can add mass in several ways, including “more horizontal members close to other horizontal members with connections, such as pickets or various infill options, such as vertical plate or scrolls.”

Another option in Shrock’s bag of tricks “With minor is to “use a very heavy bottom and top hor- adjustments, izontal frame member, and have a diagonal they can last 50 years or member connecting them at the back.” more, unless Stylski relies on experience to deteryou drive mine post size, although he will “err on the through them side of a heavier post.” with snow plow, which Yet another option is to use pre-engihappens,” says neered specifications to avoid deflection.

Ludwig Weber, sales manager for Ametco, Frank Duff, national sales Willoughby, OH, says his company has manager for tabulations by engineers for a variety of International gate sizes. The tabulations cover everything Gate Devices. n the

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Why the cantilever gate sags no more

Photo shows wood blocks under gate track just to get it off the ground so that the fabricator could figure out how to fix this problem.

Columns to keep top from falling over

Red suggest rigid frame

Blue suggest tension cable

Probable configuration. Consult a professional engineer.

Once upon a time, there was a good

fabricator in Blaine, WA, Ken Miller.

One day a customer came to his shop, called Steel Magnolia Inc., and asked him to build him a gate. The customer wanted it to be a grand gate — 50 feet wide — and cantilevered. This would be a fine project, Ken thought and told the customer he would build it.

Ken is a skilled fabricator and he worked hard on the gate. He cut, bent, and welded until at last it was finished.

It was a beautiful gate made of aluminum with a steel trolley track welded to its bottom on which it could slide open and closed.

It was quite a job to install. After all, the gate weighed 780 pounds, and was thru-bolted together in four sections. The trolley was propped up on blocks as they leveled the gate.

Finally, when it was time to see how the gate worked and they removed the temporary support blocks, the gate sagged sadly and wouldn’t slide.

Ken was puzzled. He had built other gates and everything seemed in order. Sure, the driveway sloped ever so slightly so the customer had asked 32

for a slight incline to the gate so it wouldn’t be so high off the ground at one end. But that couldn’t be the problem, Ken thought.

The advice

He went online to the magical place where all the fabricator wizards hang out and give wise advice. Some call this place the NOMMA ListServ.

“Why does it have no diagonal supports?” asked Kendall Shrock, vice president, Shrock Fabrication. Curt Witter, president Big D Metalworks and Art Ballard, owner, Art’s Work Unlimited, both agreed it needed more “tail.”

“Perhaps there is weld warp from when you attached the trolley,” mused Kendall.

Some of them suggested tensioning cables. And many more thought Ken should consult an engineer. Yes, definitely ask an engineer, they said.

The solution

Ken went back to his shop and thought about all the advice he received on the NOMMA ListServ. It

Consult a professional engineer, says Curt Witter, president, Big D Metalworks.

Meanwhile, he offered the idea, left, as a possible configuration.

was all good advice and he was certain it would help him solve his problem.

First he added four pairs of criss-crossed diagonal support cables. Then he gave them some turnbuckles so they could be properly adjusted.

Ken Miller, Then he had an idea. president, Steel Magnolia He fashioned two wheels from 2-inch sections of steel tube. He put 3/4-inch shafts with bearings inside tubes, and fastened them to the gate’s bottom track with steel straps at either end of the gate.

Now the gate could ride on the wheels as it slid on the original trolley.

The gate has been working perfectly for several weeks now, thanks to the modifications.

Moral. One way to get things rolling on a project is to get on the NOMMA ListServ.

— Jeff Fogel O&MM Fabricator n May / June 2015

1

1) Fixed cantilever gate showing the trolley wheels set at 12 feet apart and in about 7,780 pounds of concrete,

5

2

4 3 Clockwise from the middle photo at right: 2) tail end roller, 3) tensioning cables crisscrossed for support, 4) the roller has lifted off the ground just in time to slide into the receiver, and 5) 3/16 cable tensions and leading edge roller Ken Miller made to keep the gate from dragging on the asphalt. Notice that the 50-foot gate is halfway closed at 25 feet and the roller has yet to contact the ground.

May / June 2015 n O&MM Fabricator

33

from tail length to diameters for the square tubing Ametco uses for frames and vertical posts. Their preference for square tubing, explains Weber, is that they find it easier to attach the gates’ hardware to square surfaces.

Weber concurs with a 2:1 ratio of gate to tail. However, while sufficient tail length is necessary to overcome deflection, he points out another way to skin that cat.

“There may not be enough room (at the site) for (a long enough) tail, but there are some styles that use a mono-rail (for a track).” The monorail uses a heavy counter weight rather than a longer tail.

Double-sliding gates also exist. Most of these are massive and are operated on wheels, but they are not true cantilevered gates. However, some of the more modest double gates are occasionally cantilevered. These are mostly seen at either airports or military installations.

As Frank Duff wryly notes, “if you’ve just passed through double-sliding gate, you’re probably somewhere you shouldn’t be.”

The rules for fabrication are the same for these megagates, but with a longer tail, and much more robust rollers.

Additional challenges manifest themselves though.

After they leave the shop, many are too big to ship by conventional means. They are often shipped in parts to be assembled on site. This can mean securing the necessary permits for extra-wide shipping on roads.

Another challenge that arises from building a lengthy cantilevered gate is how to attach the frame for the track and rollers. Stylski just welds a working frame onto the back of the gate. This is necessary for not only large gates, or extra strength, but also when ornamentation such as spear points, a crown in the center of the gate’s top line, or a lot of fancy iron work is necessary.

Another reason to add a working frame is if the gate is made of round tubing, which doesn’t easily allow attachments such as tracks.

Why fabricators sometimes avoid cantilever gates n Price. The cost for a cantilevered gate can be rather

high. But curiously, it’s not the fabrication costs, it’s the cost of the hardware; in particular, the operator. As Stylski points out, “operators are the expensive part. They can cost more than the gate itself.” n Space. Because of the “tail,” true cantilevered gates take up a lot more room on the sides. Residences typically don't have as much available room for this. n Safety. The Underwriters Laboratory doesn’t recommend them for residential use because the sensors for the electric operator are located at the end of the gate.

This means if a child, for example, accidentally shoved a mitt through the bars or filigree work of the gate (don’t think it couldn’t happen), the sensors wouldn’t pick it up and the gate would continue to open or close with infelicitous result. And an infelicitous result is the stuff of lawsuits.

But they are still popular

Even with the attendant challenges and costs associated with cantilevered gates, they have an unabated popularity. n They’re simple. The notion of shifting something 34

O&MM Fabricator n May / June 2015

tions don’t have the room on either side of the gate opening to accommodate a cantilevered gate. Sure, space limitations can be dealt with by a counter weight, or monorail, but even that requires some elbow room for the gate, and in some cases reality must be adhered to.

In other words, sometimes it is what it is.

For your information

heavy on rollers has its roots in antiquity. Monstrous chunks of dressed stone for the Pyramids and Parthenon were moved this way. Once you have a good idea, you tend to stick with it.

The simpler a mechanism is, the less that can go wrong with it. This gives rise to the second attribute of cantilevered gates.

n They’re strong. They tend to have the longevity of Hostess Twinkies. “With minor adjustments, they can last 50 years or more,” says Duff, “unless you drive through them with a snow plow, which happens.”

Finally, some good ole field measurement is vital to a cantilevered gate before it is even fabricated. Some loca-

n

The checkered pattern on this all-aluminum gate with a 15-foot brick opening from Groll Ornamental Iron Works was made with three overlapping layers. The 20-foot cantilever track was from International Gate Devices Inc., Folsom, PA. The top track has the rollers inside, which keeps them out of the weather. The two, 4-inch-round galvanized posts support the rollers for the top and the guides on the bottom. This 15-year-old-gate meets today’s UL325 code with a separate main gate and no openings to get a foothold to ride the gate.

For more on deflection see November-December 2014 issue of O&MM Fabricator, page 14.

About the author Jeff Fogel began writing as a journalist with the New York Daily News. He has been a copywriter and associate creative director for advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather.

Jeff now lives in New Hampshire where the weather’s bad, the skiing’s better, and blacksmithing’s a respectable way to keep warm.

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2015 Top Job Gold Award: Restoration

Finelli, Nauman & Brandt

A photo of the rendering of the original Edgar Brandt concept given to Harvey Firestone Jr. It is still on display in the home today.

The gold, in the original, was not added to the final gate. Right, the completed restoration in all its glory, waiting for the new driveway.

n

Not a law firm, just a degree or so of separation over a -year period. Finelli Architectural Iron & Stairs collaborated with Bighorn Forge and other fabricators to restore a 12 Edgar Brandt gate built for Harvey Firestone Jr. The partnership now enjoys being a Top Job gold winner.

By Linda M. Erbele History is most often created when individuals combine

their efforts. The resulting synergy can create a legacy that will be recognized by generations to come.

For Finelli Architectural Iron & Stairs, in Solon, OH, the restoration of an historic 1926 gate created by Art Deco master fabricator Edgar Brandt called for collaboration with other NOMMA members.

The cooperation resulted in a 2015 Top Job Gold award in gate restoration for Finelli. Dan Nauman, of Bighorn Forge in Kewaskum, WI, was awarded a duplicate gold medal and certificate for his hand-hammered repoussé

36

Bighorn Forge restored 64 two-piece rosettes that were 51/2 inches square per gate leaf, as well as eight sets of twopiece, 8-inch round rosettes.

O&MM Fabricator n May / June 2015

on the gate. Finelli also won three other Top Job gold awards for other non-restoration work at the home.

Robinson Iron Corp., in Alexander City, AL, and O.K. Foundry Co. Inc. in Richmond, VA, added their casting efforts to the finished product.

“It was a great honor to receive such a high award, especially because our industry leaders are evaluating your work,” said Nick Finelli, marketing director of the company.

There were two sets of gates, for dual entrances to a home built in 1926 for Harvey Firestone Jr., chairman of the board of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. He was the eldest son of the founder, Harvey S. Firestone, Sr. The gates were created by Edgar Brandt in Paris, France, around the time the home was built.

Brandt was a craftsman and designer who pioneered the combination of machine-age technology with conventional methods of blacksmithing. His work was highly sought after in Europe and the United States.

The gates were wrought iron, in a Neo-Classical style, says Joan Kahr, author of Edgar Brandt: Art Deco Ironwork, although Brandt is more known for Art Deco (see article, page 43).

“The project was a referral from another contractor working at this home,” said Jim Korosec, salesman with Finelli Ironworks. “The owner interviewed us, then came and visited our shop to see what our capabilities were.”

Korosec said Finelli had done some restoration work in the past, but nothing of this size or number of manhours of effort it took for this job. But the client believed Finelli could do it.

The client and his wife made several visits to Finelli’s workshop to consult and make decisions about the job as it progressed. The couple was adamant about maintaining as much of the integrity of the original as possible.

“We had him involved in all the steps,” Korosec added. “This home and property is a labor of love for him. He’s gone to great expense to restore what he can back to the original.”

Finelli Architectural developed a friendly relationship with the couple.

Shop foreman Jim Mellott, who did most of the work on the gates, said that is not unusual in their shop.

May / June 2015 n O&MM Fabricator

Angelo Finelli and Jim Thompson along with crane, help guide the first leaf off at the initial removal of the first set of gates, header, and side panels. Each gate leaf weighed between 1,200 and 1,400 pounds.

Design and field measurements Original drawings were different

Because of the nature of the job, they decided that the best way to bill would be for time and materials.

“We gave (the client) a general idea,” Korosec said. “He thought it

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Repousse husks completely gone from the horizontal pin, right. Only small fragments remain.

Damage to the cremone bolt mechanism and guide, far right.

One-inch diameter vertical rods provide idea of gate scale.

Below, top of this husk is missing, due to deterioration over the years.

would take more because he knew what he wanted.”

Mellott and Korosec studied the original drawings proposed by Brandt to Firestone, which the client provided. At the site, however, they discovered that the actual gate had slight differences from the drawings, some of which were due to repairs by other owners over the years.

The individual gate leaves, two at each of the two entrances, are 5 feet, 4 inches wide and 13 feet tall. Including the side panels and the overhead panel, each entrance gate assembly is 15 feet wide by 18 feet tall. The gate leaves alone weighed 1,200 to 1,400 pounds, Mellott said.

They carefully measured every component and photographed them with an Apple iPad. Then they tagged and labeled everything.

“We knew, once we pulled this apart, if we didn’t know how it went back together, we’d be in trouble,” Korosec said.

Given the size, a crane took the

gates down. They were loaded on a flatbed truck and transported to the shop.

The client went to the shop with them to assist in a restoration assessment.

Fabrication No evidence of welding

Finelli first took the entire gate assembly, including the gate leaves,

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header, and side panels to Milestone Services in Akron to remove almost a century of rust and deterioration.

“The cleaning was done by hand, using professional caution,” said Ed Stanley, owner of Milestone Services.

“We don’t actually use sand. The government won’t allow that. We use a product called garnet.”

When the cleaned gate assembly returned, Finelli discovered that Edgar Brandt had stamped his name into the bottom of the gate. Based on their research, Korosec said that was unusual. Moreover, they were surprised to discover no evidence of a weld in the entire structure.

“It was series of mortise and tenon connections, with pins to lock everything together,” Korosec said. “It was like a big puzzle.”

That included 700 fasteners in each set of gates.

“The hinges themselves, which the gates pivot on, were individually fabricated because some of the diameters of the pins were different,” Korosec said. “There were bushings in the hinge leafs that were different sizes. So everything was custom fit, even when it was originally created.”

O&MM Fabricator n May / June 2015

Dismantling of the gate frames, far left, revealed the construction method of a mortis-tenon style with pins. There were no welds in the entire assembly.

Initial sandblasting, left, revealed hidden damage of the components.

Recreated acanthus pattern, below far left.

Five-andone-half inch rosette left, reproduction and original.

“He did all the leaves, husks, and rosettes,” Korosec said. “They were all hand-hammered out.”

Nauman said he received a call from Korosec, who had discovered his blog (www.bighornforge.wordpress. com). He said Korosec told him that

the client had planned a trip to France to find someone who could do that kind of work. Nauman was planning a trip to Maine to teach, so he arranged to stop in Akron to see the job.

“I looked at what had to be done and realized what a monumental

And the client was firm about putting it back together they way it was originally fabricated.

Mellott said the first set of gates took 1,600 hours of fabrication to completely restore. By the time he began the second set, he had became competent with it, so that only took 900 hours.

Those were just shop hours.

Korosec said he didn’t capture the site visits and other hours he spent on the job, including finding someone to do the repoussé and cast iron work.

Recreating repoussé was challenging

For the repoussé, Finelli worked with Dan Nauman at Bighorn Forge.

May / June 2015 n O&MM Fabricator

39

After reviewing archive photos housed in a local university, Finelli discovered inconsistency in repairs completed over the years. The photo above shows some of the new castings in their proper place.

Preliminary shop assembly, right, of the gate’s header and side panels to ensure proper fit in the field.

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job this would be,” Nauman said. Nevertheless, the client accepted Nauman’s estimate of the hours required.

Some deteriorated elements ‘were like lace’ Among the challenges for Nauman was the extent of deterioration on some of the individual elements of the gate.

“A lot of them were so far gone, they were like lace,” he said. “There were remnants of every element I had to create, but there were parts missing.”

Korosec said there was a lot of collaborative research done with the assistance of the client. A nearby university had some archived photographs of the gate, which helped.

In addition, the client had a box of parts stored in a carriage house on the property. It contained pieces that had broken or fallen off over the years, and leftovers from repairs made by other workers.

Korosec said the pictures helped them discover that some of the components had been put back on the gate in the wrong place, something they corrected.

Nauman took some of the original rosettes to create a pattern for making the replacements. To do that, he had to flatten one out.

“Then they get distorted. To begin with, you’ve got a flat pattern, and hammering it stretches it, spreading it out,” Nauman said.

The act of making it flat stretched the original again. Nauman ended up reducing by 7% the pattern he was able to create by flattening, to arrive at a size of steel he could then hammer into the correct size rosettes.

O&MM Fabricator n May / June 2015

Refabricated gate header in progress, left, shows a portion of the 700 fasteners in each set of gates. No welds were in this assembly, but a lot of drilling and tapping was required. Recast bronze cremone bolt guide, right, with mechanism reworked and in operation.

Each gate leaf had 50 three-piece rosettes, in a diameter of 7 inches.

There were 64 two-piece rosettes that were 51/2 inches square per gate leaf, as well as eight sets of two-piece, 8-inch round rosettes and several acanthus leaves, all to be created. Each gate entrance had two gate leaves, so all of those numbers doubled.

Alloy was harder than the hammer face Another challenge surfaced when Nauman discovered pockmarks on the head of his hammer. The heat from the laser cutting hardened the metal. He had sent the patterns to JB Friction & Fab Corp. in Grafton, WI, to be laser cut, but discovered that the particular alloy used for the 7-inch rosettes had been affected by the laser cutting. It had become harder than the hammer face he was using to shape it.

“I had to anneal (soften) every one of those patterns for this specific rosette and there were 64 of them,” he said. “I had to heat them up in bunches and then slow-cool them over a period of four hours.”

The repoussé project easily took more than 1,100 hours. Given that it was entirely hand-hammered, Nauman said, that probably amounted to 40,000 to 60,000 hammer blows a day.

Nauman and his assistant Jeremiah May / June 2015 n O&MM Fabricator

Backhaus worked on the project for months. Nauman said it resulted in two carpal-tunnel surgeries for him.

Nauman makes the tools, including hammers and punches, for his work and uses a Jet band saw to cut some

shapes. He said the band saw was made for woodcutting, but he reduced the RPMs to slow the Simonds blade he used in the band saw for cutting metal.

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Castings based on remnants had to be enlarged

In addition to the rosettes, some elements of the gates had to be cast, such as crown molding and miscellaneous trim, so Korosec turned to O.K. Foundry and Robinson Iron.

Both companies used an original piece of the gate to create patterns for the pieces that were needed.

Steve Rowe at O.K. Foundry explained the process of creating the casting from an original. tri-state-quarter page.qxd 12/19/07 9:44 AM “We make a negative impression from plastic or plaster,” he said. “Then we make a positive, but strategically divided in half, so we can remove the pattern.”

They place the positive, a copy of the original, in a resin-bonded sand mixture to make the casting mold.

The sand mixture hardens to create a mold, and then the mold is filled with molten iron, heated to 2,600° F. OK created crown molds for the top of the gate.

“With pieces that small, it’s about AD

steel bar. They used a 3¾ x ¾-inch 30 minutes before we can open the bar and ground it to fit the opening in mold,” Rowe said. “And then it takes the fence, which had been created to about two hours to cool to room temaccommodate a metric-sized bar. perature.”

Robinson Iron was given other small decorative components of the Finishing Used zinc-metalized coat and gate to recreate.

2-part urethane spray “We were sent remnants of ornamental castings,” said Scotty Howell, When all the deteriorated parts had vice president with Robinson Iron. been recreated, the gates were care“We had to enlarge them to account fully reassembled using the photos for shrinkage in the cooled iron.” and schematic of all the labeled pieces He said that the iron would shrink that they had made. about 1/8 inch per linear foot, so in The only welding that was done was Page 1 order for the new castings they made when part of a component had deterioto fit on the gate and match the existrated to such a degree that Finelli had to ing pieces, their patterns had to be splice in a new part of it. In those cases, fractionally larger. He was satisfied Mellott said he ground and polished with their success on this project. the completed piece using a Milwaukee Back at Finelli, Mellott said they grinder and standard abrasive wheels. had their own challenges with size.

For protection before painting, the Because the entire gate was created entire assembly received a zinc-metwith metric measurements in Europe, alized coat. Many of the smaller comAmerican standard sizes had be ponents that would be bolted on were ground down to fit. painted separately before attaching, so For example, he said the side panthat the paint would get under the curl els that the gates swing from were lips of leaves and rosettes.

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Edgar Brandt, a major figure in Art Deco architectural and interior metalwork design, made production inroads as well, says Michael Bondi, Michael Bondi Metal Design, Oakland, CA. Brandt (1880–1960) fused hand forging with industrial methods and new technology, such as oxyacetylene welding, power hammering, and die stamping. This increased production allowed Brandt to have a large shop.

Brandt’s works include gates, railings, elevator doors, radiator covers, bookends, lamps, screens, and jewelry.

Bondi has a large collection of original Art Deco portfolios and has studied Brandt. He and his brother Stephen won a 1989 Mitch Heitler award for their Edgar Brandt-style rail. Joan Kahr interviewed Bondi for her definitive book, Edgar Brandt: Master of Art Deco Ironwork (see FYI, page 45) Brandt was also an organizer of the Paris L’ Exposition Des Arts Déco-

Image courtesy of Joan Kahr

Brandt brought new aesthetic to metalwork

Edgar Brandt’s L’Oasis, a five-panel, wrought-iron and brass metal screen, 1924.

ratis Et Industriels Modernes in 1925 and an exhibitor there, say Kahr.

“Brandt was well known for his ironwork before the exhibition,” she says, “but he achieved worldwide recognition because of his dazzling display stand.”

His most famous work was L’Oasis, a five-panel screen of silvered

wrought iron and electroplated brass.

Interestingly, Bondi says a Brazilian family purchased much of the contents of his booth, and the pieces disappeared for many years. An L.A. dealer happened on one of the pieces, he says, tracking it to a Buenos Aires home, where the L’Oasis was found.

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3 things Nick Finelli learned from the job

1) Tap into the wisdom of NOMMA members. Everyone is willing to help.

2) Take your responsibility seriously when refurbishing a job, because it’s not just something you tag your name on, it’s a legacy that you become a part of.

3) Even though NOMMA members are in the same industry, think of it more as collaborating than competing.

Repousse components by Dan Nauman of Bighorn Forge awaiting assembly and installation on the gate leaf to the right.

part urethane spray for the final finishing coat.

“The size alone was a big challenge,” Korosec said. “It’s not something you can just pick up and move on your work bench. Even in the spray booth, we had to use a tow motor to put them in place, and lift them to dry.”

44

Installation 6 workers with a crane took all-day

The assembled gate leaves, side panels, and header were brought to the client’s home by flat-bed truck. Finelli used a large crane to lift the gate parts and hold them in place during installation.

The side panels were bolted to the

steel bars that were inset into the stone fence, then the 5-foot-tall header went on. Each gate was fastened to the side panels with no less than five hinges.

It took six Finelli employees all day to install and that was with the assistance of the crane.

They used a Pacific Laser PLS5 laser level to achieve the accuracy they needed for the re-installation.

“We talked about whether the gates and components were shipped here (in the 1920s) and assembled on site,” Korosec said. “Because there was no welding, we don’t know.”

They can only guess that the gate leaves, side panels, and headers were assembled and shipped to the U.S., and then installed at the entrance.

Korosec said one of the biggest surprises was the accuracy in which it was all made.

“Assuming these gates have been hanging since 1926 — they weren’t even 1/8 of an inch out of plum,” he added.

“There was no sagging. Everything was amazingly true.”

“I was really honored to do a project like this,” said Mellott. “I can only imagine the craftsmen who worked on it all those years ago. It was pretty incredible.”

Korosec agreed.

“When you can revitalize a piece of history, especially from someone like [Brandt], who people in our trade revere, it’s a huge blessing to be part of it,” he said.

O&MM Fabricator n May / June 2015

For your information

n

Finelli Architectural Iron & Stairs Nick Finelli 440-248-0050 www.finelliironworks.com Bighorn Forge Dan Nauman 262-626-2208 www.bighornforge.com

Robinson Iron Corp.

Scott Howell 800-824-2157 www.robinsoniron.com Milestone Services Ed Stanley 330-374-9988 www.milestoneservicescorp. com

O.K. Foundry Co. Inc. Steve Rowe 804-233-9674 www.okfoundry.com Installation day of the second set of gates, headers and side panels. A crane, snorkel lift, and five men were necessary. After a full day all is well.

About Edgar Brandt Edgar Brandt: Art Deco Ironwork by Joan Kahr Atgien, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2010. 240 pages. ISBN13: 9780764336669. www.schifferbooks.com

Nick Finelli was enormously proud of the job, as were the craftspeople who worked on it.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Brandt and his crew who fabricated this job,” he said. “I hope in 100 years or so when this gate is refurbished again, the same is thought about Finelli. I’m honored to be part of a legacy that will be here long after I’m gone.”

Edgar Brandt: Master of Art Deco Ironwork by Joan Kahr.

New York: Harry N. Abrams,1999. 240 pages. ISBN: 0-81094003-5. www.abramsbooks.com. Out of print.

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Biz Side

Owners, should you teach your employees to think like you?

■

The concept of ‘ownership thinking’ typically calls for moving your company culture away from entitlement. If that is a concern, here’s a way to fix it.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Construction Business Owner magazine in November 2011. Written by Brad Hams, founder in 1995 of Ownership Thinking LLC, Lakewood, CO, it was recently updated by Carmen Garcia-Hams. Ownership Thinking is “dedicated to unleashing the potential of its client organizations by providing the training and tools required to develop a workforce of ‘ownership thinkers’ who become active participants in their company’s financial success,” according to a statement on its website at www.ownershipthinking.com.

Employees are happiest in a learning and challenging environment where they can be part of a team and easily see their contributions matter — where they have purpose. Abraham Maslow, who gave us Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, once said, “The only happy people I know are the ones who are working well at something they consider important.”

The concept of “ownership thinking” calls for teaching employees to think and act the way an owner would. This might mean a cultural change is necessary so that employees have accountability within their company and any sense of entitlement is lowered.

To create an ownership culture, three elements are required: 1 Teach your employees the fundamentals of business and finance.

2 Focus employees on the leading, activity-based measures that drive your financial performance.

3 Create a broad-based, self-funded incentive plan tied to a guaranteed increased profitability of your company (see article, page 48).

© artenot

1

Teach your employees about business and finance

(They think you take home wheelbarrows of money.)

Before I give you some tips on how to do this, though, here’s why you need to do it: What your

46

O&MM Fabricator n May / June 2015

employees don’t know can hurt you.

Try this To emphasize my point, I’d like you to do a little experiment. Ask some of your employees what percentage of sales in the company is profit. When I ask this question of employees in companies where information has not been shared, 50% is a common answer. My experience working in different industries is that 3% to 7% is generally closer to the truth.

So, why is this a problem?

The problem is that when employees believe the company is making that kind of money, the employee might become wasteful. Sometimes an employee will have a type of bitterness in the back of their minds.

The thought process might be something like this: “So we left that material behind (or, for example, wasted that labor, or damaged that truck, or had to return to a job and perform some rework), we’re rolling in the dough.” And by the way, they really don’t say, “We’re rolling in the dough”; they say “he (or she) is rolling in the dough,” of course pointing to you, the owner.

Therefore, if you want to get your employees to begin thinking like you (and, as we like to say, share the insomnia), teach them the realities of business and finance.

Over the years, I have learned that the most effective way to teach finance to non-financial employees is to associate personal finance to business finance when you do it.

Why? First, this takes the intimidation out of the subject. Second, personal and business finance are similar.

Here are some examples: n An income statement in business comprises three simple components: sales, less expenses, equals profit (or loss). An income statement at home is the same: our paycheck, less our bills, equals our savings (or not). n A cashflow statement in business also comprises three simple components: cash in, less cash out, equals our change in cash. A cashflow at home consists of our cashed paycheck, less May / June 2015 n O&MM Fabricator

equity on the house (the garage door, perhaps).

Teach why we need cash

what our spouse and kids spend, which typically equals nothing! n A balance sheet in business consists of what we own (equipment, materials), less what we owe on what we own (accounts payable and debt), plus what we really own (owner’s equity).

At home, you could use the example of a house. Our house, less what we owe on the house (the mortgage), equals what we really own, or the

The next thing employees should know is why we need cash. Of what use is it? The first thing that employees will think of when asked this question is payroll. Payroll is the largest expense in most organizations, but many other expenses must be paid, e.g. equipment operation, fuel, materials, facilities, and utilities.

We need cash in an organization for other things beyond just expenses, however, particularly if we’d like to grow. To remain competitive and to grow, organizations need cash for equipment or capital improvements, debt retirement, or retained earnings. Thus, that 3% to 7% (as opposed to 50%) is not going into the owner’s pockets. Much of it is reinvested.

Try this n Break your employees into small groups of about five in each group.

47

3 How to make broad-based and self-funded

incentive plans ensure employee excellence An incentive plan must pay for

itself. If it does not, then what you have created is simply a new expense. Moreover, you may have also created a sense of entitlement.

If employees have the oppor­ tunity to participate in an incen­ tive plan, then it should be their obli­gation and responsibility to fund it.

However, the owner’s obligation is to provide employees with the financial education, measures, and tools outlined in this article to ensure employees produce the money to fund the plan.

Many (if not most) business owners consider incentive plans a budgeted expense, which might be why they are not enthusiastic about creating them.

Incentive plans that are selffunded also drive a company’s profitability. An incentive plan is meant to improve a company’s financial performance and shape employee behavior accordingly. If financial performance does not warrant them, incentives should never be paid.

However, most short-term incen­ tive plans are ineffective. In fact, many incentive plans can actually damage a company.

Ineffective incentive plans become entitlements, hurt morale

Due to the lack of training and engagement related to funding the plan, a weak link exists between employee performance and incentive payouts (or lack of payouts).

It is gratifying when employees receive incentives, but their behavior does not change because the link between the incentive and their work is not clear.

Since this link is not established, the incentive simply becomes part of their compensation.

Assuming a quarterly plan, no incentives will be paid in some quarters due to poor business performance. Since the plan has become 48

ol The incentive po uted should be distrib ys: in one of two wa g 1 equally amon all employees, or s.

2 based on wage

an entitlement, employees may think they have been cheated, which damages morale.

Mistakes to avoid

If incentives are tied to individual or departmental performance, one or more of the following may occur: n Questions of fairness will arise, negatively impacting morale

and performance.

n Employees will focus only on their own objectives, and this may

be at the expense of another area.

n Some departments may get pay­outs, yet the company may lose money.

Short-term, cash incentives can be helpful in engaging your employ­ ees toward driving the company’s finan­cial performance. However, the incen­tive plan itself is unlikely to change behavior. You must first teach your staff business and finance fundamentals and focus employees on key performance indicators (KPIs).

Combining all of these techniques creates a culture of employees who think like business owners. They will become active participants in driving the company’s financial performance.

In addition to the financial benefits, employee retention rates will increase.

Steps to build a solid plan

Use these guidelines.

Tie the incentive payout to only one measure — profit before taxes (PBT) — to keep the plan simn

ple and understandable. n

If a second key indicator is

used to fund the plan, I suggest a balance sheet indicator that drives cashflow, such as average

collection days or inventory turns. I generally do not recommend this.

However, if cashflow has been an issue, it might be a good idea. n Ensure the plan is selffunded. To do this, identify those

requirements that must be satisfied before any incentive can be paid. These requirements will include (among other things): n return on investment for ownership, n capital for debt repayment, n capital for improvements or investments (such as equipment).

By analyzing these factors, a minimum acceptable (or threshold) PBT can be identified.

n The plan should be broadbased, meaning everyone should participate. The incentive pool

should be distributed in one of two ways: 1 equally among all employees, or 2 based on wages.

Distributing funds equally among all employees is generally the best choice in small, flat companies. n Pay the incentive quarterly instead of annually. Annual plans

are too far removed from activity.

Keeping the reward frequent can shape behavior.

To protect against a downturn, withhold some of the incentive for each of the first three quarters. We suggest paying 50% of the incentive in the first three quarters and then calculating the final quarter payout based on how the company finishes the year.

Not only will this protect the company’s cashflow, but it will also act as a retention tool. n The plan should allow for roughly 10% of payroll as a payout at a stretch PBT goal, if possible. If your company has

been unprofitable or marginally profitable in the three to five years prior to the incentive plan, this may not be possible. Let the numbers make the decision for you.

— Brad Hams O&MM Fabricator n May / June 2015

Scoreboard and forecasting exercise Take out a short stack 3 Financial statements tell you nothing more of dollar bills, and tell the Employee KPI Plan Forecast Actual than the score at the end group: “Imagine this is our name [examples] of the game. They do not revenue, and this table in

Existing client sales front of me is our business. show what happened during As we go through the month, the game that led to that Existing % we spend this money on all score.

New client sales of our expenses, such as pay- If financial statements roll, materials cost, facilities, are not enough, then what New % and fleet [lay the bills down should you focus on? To

Total sales on the table a few at a time as answer this question, you

Direct labor you do this, and finish with must recognize that your one bill left in your hand]. financial performance is

Gross margin What’s left over here is our based on two things: Overhead profit [waving the bill].

1 your employees and “Now, the majority of 2 the work they do.

Profit before tax this money went toward our Of course, you must still expenses. But there are a focus on the end game, but bunch of cracks in this table, and a lot business owners should actually use to be proactive, first focus on measurof this money is simply falling through ing the most critical activities that will these financial statements to actively the cracks. The cracks include things accomplish this ownership mentality. engage their employees in the compalike scrap, rework, unbilled time, or In baseball, for example, a team ny’s financial performance. But using downtime.” must focus on runs, hits, errors, balls, only financial statements to create an n Give your employees about 10 strikes, walks, and other measurable ownership mentality is problematic minutes to brainstorm the “cracks activities that impact the score. The for three reasons: in their company’s table.” Then go 1 Financial statements are same applies in business. These meahistorical documents. By the time around the room a few times asksurable activities are called key perforing each group each time to give one they are available, it is too late to do mance indicators (KPIs). example of money falling through anything about the results. Given Identifying your KPIs begins with the cracks, lack of communication, this, business owners tend to manage simply picking the critical issues that rework, or overtime. Write them on a their companies reactively — as if have the greatest impact on your business (see sample KPIs in table above). flip chart. they are managing through the rearTo do this, conduct a brainstormn When the page is full, stop, and view mirror. ing session with your leadership team. ask them: “How much money do you 2 Most employees never see detailed financial statements.

Schedule a full day, and begin by think is on this piece of paper?”

And Ad Proof 77035-CB-4829-08 reviewing historical financial and operLead them a little bit by asking: even if they did see these statements, ational data.

A list of common issues “Do you think there is a $100,000 they might not understand them or to address may include the followhere? Two hundred? Three?” use them to make decisions.

Stop when they want to stop. I recently did this with a $16 million construction company, and they stopped at $500,000. And they were Professional Quality Tools for right — there was easily $500k on that the Blacksmith, Metalworker piece of paper.

To emphasize the importance of and Fabricator this, you can then divide this amount See our work at by the profit percent in your company www.customforgedhardware.com to see how much revenue it takes to get that amount to the bottom line. In Anvils this company, profit had averaged 6%, and so $500,000/0.06 = $8 million!

Hammers n

2

Measure performance through the windshield, not the rear-view mirror.

Focus employees on leading factors that drive your financial performance.

Companies primarily use financial statements to keep score. However, May / June 2015 n O&MM Fabricator

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Try this A scoreboard can help you manage the business from a global perspective.

To drill this throughout every layer of your company and engage everyone, attack one KPI at a time in a highly involved manner. This can be accomplished with rapid improvement plans (RIPs).

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Follow these six steps to create an RIP: 1 Identify a KPI that needs improvement.

2 Identify a quantifiable goal and a time frame for the RIP. 3 Quantify the cost savings of reaching the goal.

4 Determine the actions and people required to achieve the goal.

5 Name the RIP, and create a theme (have some fun).

6 Identify a celebration or reaching the goal.

Once you have identified your key issues, translate these into your KPIs and build a scoreboard (see the scoreboard example, page 49).

When you complete the score­board, begin using it in regular fore­casting sessions (brief huddles). This lets you more proactively manage your KPIs, which ultimately help you meet or exceed budget expectations.

These huddles also create account­ ability and a learning opportunity for employees. The huddles should be consistently held the first and third week of the month on the same day of the week and at the same time of day.

The three columns on the righthand side of the scorecard example should be filled in with numbers.

The first column, “Plan,” is for the budget numbers that should be populated before huddling. This information should come from the company’s budget (which should be created at the end of the previous year), and each “line owner” (the person with the greatest influence over each number) should identify these operational budget numbers.

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The second column is for the forecast, which should be populated in real time at the huddle. (Some companies consider the forecast an opinion.)

The line owners will give their forecast — what they believe the number will actually be at month-end.

After the meeting, everyone will know where the company is headed, what issues need to be addressed, and how everyone can support one another to improve problem areas.

The third column is for the actual numbers when they are available (typically midway through the following month).

Remember, the purpose of the fore­ casting session is to identify where the company currently is and where it is headed. These huddles should take no more than 30 minutes and should not be focused on fixing problems, which should be handled in separate meetings.

Keeping score with KPIs, score­ boards, and RIPs will create an ownership culture and substantially increase your company’s profitability.

For your information

n

ing: backlogs, average collection days, estimating accuracy (bid vs. actual), on-time job completion, or safety.

To buy the book Ownership Thinking

By Brad Hams. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. 256 pages. www. ownershipthinking.com/ bradsbook.html About the author Carmen Garcia-Hams, director at Ownership Thinking, is from Mexico City. She holds a CPA from Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico and spent her early career as a CPA; later as an internal auditor for several international companies.

She also was a financial analyst for two of the five largest banks in Mexico.

In the mid-90s, she was on the international operations team for Standard & Poor’s in their TEC Center office.

For the last 20 years, she helped Ownership Thinking Network clients transition to the same alignment as the owners. She started consulting, as well, focusing at first on the Latin population. She learned from the best teacher, Brad Hams.

O&MM Fabricator n May / June 2015

n

NOMMA Nationwide Supplier Members Albina Co. Inc. (866) 252-4628 Allen Architectural Metals Inc. (800) 204-3858 Alloy Casting Co. Inc. (972) 286-2368 American Punch Co. (216) 731-4501 Ameristar Fence Products (918) 835-0898 Architectural Iron Designs Inc. (908) 757-2323 Atlas Metal Sales (800) 662-0143 Banker Wire (800) 523-6772 Big Blu Hammer Mfg. (828) 437-5348 Julius Blum & Co. Inc. (800) 526-6293 Bridgeton Drafting Co. LLC (856) 205-1279 C.R. Laurence Co. Inc. (800) 421-6144 Cable Art Inc. (877) 664-4224 The Cable Connection (800) 851-2961 Carell Corp.

(251) 937-0948 Century Group Inc. (337) 527-5266 Chicago Metal Rolled Products Co. (800) 798-4504 CML USA Inc. Ercolina (563) 391-7700 Colorado Waterjet Co. (866) 532-5404 Custom Mfg. & Polishing Inc. (417) 831-7900 Custom Orn. Iron Works Ltd. (866) 464-4766 D & D Technologies (USA) Inc. (714) 677-1300 D.J.A. Imports Ltd. (718) 324-6871 DAC Industries Inc. (800) 888-9768 DKS, DoorKing Systems (800) 826-7493 Eagle Bending Machines Inc. (251) 937-0947 Eastern Metal Supply (800) 343-8154 Elite Architectural Metal Supply LLC (847) 636-1233

ETemplate Systems (919) 676-2244 FabCAD Inc. (800) 255-9032 The Fabrication Store (866) 79-FAB-4-U FabSuite LLC (757) 645-0842 Farris Fab & Machine Co. (704) 629-6879 Feeney Inc. (Feeney Architectural Products) (800) 888-2418 The G-S Co. (410) 284-9549 Geo. Bezdan Sales Ltd. (604) 299-5264 Hartford Standard Co. Inc. (270) 298-3227 Hayn Enterprises LLC (800) 346-4296 Hebo/Stratford Gate Systems Inc. (503) 722-7700 Heritage Cast Iron USA (918) 592-1700 Illinois Engineered Products Inc. (312) 850-3710 Indiana Gratings Inc. (800) 634-1988 Industrial Coverage Corp.

(800) 242-9872 Interstate Mfg. Associates Inc. (800) 667-9101 The Iron Shop (800) 523-7427 King Architectural Metals (800) 542-2379 King Architectural Metals - CA (714) 670-8980 King Architectural Metals - MD (410) 644-5932 Krando Metal Products (610) 543-4311 L.E. Sauer Machine Co. (636) 225-5358 Lavi Industries (800) 624-6225 Lawler Foundry Corp.

(800) 624-9512 Lewis Brass & Copper Co. Inc. (718) 894-1442 Locinox USA (708) 579-0286 Mac Metals Inc. (800) 631-9510 McNichols Co. (847) 635-5100

May / June 2015 n O&MM Fabricator

2015 Ernest Wiemann Top Job Contest Winners Mittler Bros. Machine & Tool (800) 467-2464 Multi Sales Inc. (800) 421-3575 Nationwide Industries (813) 988-2628 NC Tool Co. (336) 674-5654 O.K. Foundry Co. Inc. (888) 592-2240 Ohio Gratings Inc. (330) 477-6707 Orleans Orn. Iron & Casting Dist. Inc. (800) 824-3608 Praxair Mid-Atlantic (609) 882-1300 Precision Glass Bending Corp.

(800) 543-8796 ProCounsel (214) 741-3014 Ransburg (419) 470-2000 Regency Railings Inc. (214) 742-9408 Robinson Iron Corp.

(800) 824-2157 Rockite, Div. of Hartline Products Co. Inc. (216) 291-2303 Rogers Mfg. Inc. (940) 325-7806 Sculpt Nouveau (800) 728-5787 SECO South (888) 535-SECO Sharpe Products (800) 879-4418 South Camden Iron Works Inc. (856) 423-1107 Stairways Inc. (713) 680-3110 Suhner Industrial Products Inc. (800) 323-6886 Sumter Coatings Inc. (888) 471-3400 Transpacific Industrial Supply Inc. (909) 581-3058 Tri-State Shearing & Bending (718) 485-2200 TS Distributors Inc. (832) 467-5400 Vogel Tool & Die LLC (630) 562-1400 The Wagner Companies (888) 243-6914 West Tennessee Ornamental Door (901) 346-0662

1=Gold, 2=Silver, 3=Bronze The following awards were presented during METALfab on March 14.

A. Gates, Driveway – Nonforged: 1 Compass Ironworks, 2 Atlas Custom Metalwork, 3 BenFab Inc. B. Gates, Driveway - Forged: 1 Sergey Sakirkin Blacksmith, 2 Klahm & Sons Inc., 3 Art's Work Unlimited C. Interior Railings - Ferrous, Nonforged: 1 Finelli Architectural Iron & Stairs, 2 Groll Ornamental Iron Works, 3 L & L Ornamental Iron D. Interior Railings - Nonferrous, Nonforged: 1 Big D Metalworks, 2 Living Design Studios, 3 Rod Iron Rod E. Interior Railings - Ferrous, Forged: 1 Maynard Studios Inc., 2 Medwedeff Forge & Design, 3 Loyal Wrought Iron Co. Ltd.2 F. Exterior Railings & Fences – Nonforged: 1 Finelli Architectural Iron & Stairs, 2 A2 Fabrication Inc., 3 Living Design Studios G. Exterior Railings & Fences – Forged: 1 Klahm & Sons Inc., 2 Metcalfe Roush Forge & Design, 3 Custom Metals Inc. H. Furniture & Accessory Fabrication – Nonforged: 1 The Heirloom Companies, 2 C.T. and S. Metalworks, 3 Allen Architectural Metals Inc. I. Furniture & Accessory Fabrication – Forged: 1 Sergey Sakirkin Blacksmith, 2 Heirloom Stair & Iron Inc., 3 Steel Welding J. Gates/Doors - Nonforged: 1 Finelli Architectural Iron & Stairs, 2 Metal Head Inc., 3 Lightning Forge K. Gates/Doors – Forged: 1 Atrium Homes, 2 Wiemann Metalcraft, 3 Loyal Wrought Iron Co. Ltd.2 L. Stairs Complete - Commercial: 1 Heirloom Stair & Iron Inc., 2 Couturier Iron Craft Inc., 3 Custom Metals Inc. M. Stairs Complete - Residential: 1 Vasquez Custom Metals Inc., 2 M. Cohen & Sons Inc., 3 Flaherty Iron Works Inc. N. Structures: 1 Migala Metal Designs, 2 MDO Welding & Fab., 3 Big D Metalworks O. Unusual Ornamental Fabrication: 1 Artistic Iron Works Inc., 2 C.T. and S. Metalworks, 3 Flaherty Iron Works Inc. P. Restoration: 1 Finelli Architectural Iron & Stairs, 2 Allen Architectural Metals Inc., 3 Majka Railing Co. Inc. Q. Art/Sculpture: 1 Couturier Iron Craft Inc., 2 Medwedeff Forge & Design, 3 Compass Ironworks Mitch Heitler Award for Excellence: Big D Metalworks

51

n

New NOMMA Members Meet our members

NOMMA is proud of its 550+ members. As members, fabricators and suppliers show support for both the association and entire industry.

To get contact information on a member, please see our Member Locator at www.nomma.org.

New members as of April 22, 2015. * Asterisk: Returning member.

ADB Designs Inc. Fernando Lievano Hollywood, FL Fabricator American Precision Powder Coating LLC* Jim Verostek Aliquippa, PA Fabricator BlacksmitHER Victoria Patti Arvada, CO Fabricator Burlington Miscellaneous Metals LLC Michael Workman Mebane, NC Fabricator

Custom Mfg. & Polishing Inc.* Tom Hughes Springfield, MO Nationwide Supplier Custom Welding Inc. Cezary Sosidko Frenchtown, NJ Fabricator Florida Metal Craft Inc.* Thomas Burnett Winter Garden, FL Fabricator

Nichols Welding Travis Nichols Rocky Mount, VA Fabricator Princeton Welding Inc.* Michelle Velarde Half Moon Bay, CA Fabricator Zepsa David Dillenbeck Charlotte, NC Fabricator

Lone Star Ironworks Noah Smith Waco, TX Fabricator

We are proud of our members!

Congratulations To Our 2015 Service Award Winners The following awards were presented during METALfab week, March 11-14, in King of Prussia, PA. We thank the individuals and organizations below for their contributions to NOMMA and the industry.

Julius Blum Award for outstanding contributions the industry Upper Midwest Chapter of NOMMA Frank A. Kozik Award for outstanding volunteerism Terry Barrett, Pinpoint Solutions Clifford H. Brown Award for outstanding contributions to education Dave Filippi, FabCAD Inc. President’s Silver Star Award for outstanding contributions to membership development Dave White Jr., Locinox USA

52

NOMMA 2015 Gold Members NOMMA is pleased to welcome our newest Gold Members — companies who have been a member for 20 years or more.

These companies show a strong loyalty to both their industry and trade association.

We thank them for their support. n Capitol City Iron Works Inc., Indianapolis, IN n Carfaro Inc., Hamilton, NJ n Custom Ornamental Iron Inc., Glen Allen, VA n Eagle Bending Machines Inc., Stapleton, AL n Gates That Open LLC (GTO), Tallahassee, FL n Gator Welding Inc., Jupiter, FL n Iron-Works International Inc., Atlanta GA n Majka Railing Co. Inc., Paterson, NJ n Moore & Morford Inc., Greensburg, PA n R & F Metals Inc., Clinton, MD n Raysteel Inc., Albuquerque, NM n Sippel Co. Inc., Sewickley, PA We greatly thank these companies for their two decades of loyalty and support.

Membership Campaign Member sponsorships and lead referrals are the most effective ways to ensure that NOMMA grows and remains strong. Special thank you to our members below!

Iron Club Firms that have sponsored a member for the 2014–15 membership year, which began July 1. n Accent

Ornamental Iron & Powder Coating Co., Cambridge, MN n Alloy Casting Co. Inc., Mesquite, TX n Arc Angel Inc., Dunedin, FL n Artistic Railings Inc., Garfield, NJ n Julius Blum & Co. Inc., Carlstadt, NJ n Bridgeton Drafting Co. LLC, Vineland, NJ n The Heirloom Companies, Campobello, SC n Keeler Iron Works, Memphis, TN n Locinox USA, Countryside, IL n O’Malley Welding & Fabricating, Yorkville, IL Rust-Free Club Firms that sent a prospective lead to the NOMMA office. n Greg

Bailey, Bailey Metal Fabricators Inc., Mitchell, SD Bracken, Wiemann Metalcraft, Tulsa, OK n Chet Dinkins, Sumter Coatings Inc., Sumter, SC n Jonathan Falk, Living Design Studios, Lafayette, CO n Dave Filippi, FabCAD Inc., White Stone, VA n Francis Flaherty, Flaherty Iron Works Inc., Alexandria, VA n Amos Glick, Compass Ironworks, Gap, PA n Carl Grainger (2), Grainger Metal Works, Nichols, SC n Mason Hains, MoFab Inc., Anderson, IN n Chris Holt (2), Steel Welding, Freedom, PA n Maciej Jankowski, Artistic Iron Works LLC, Norwalk, CT n Will Keeler (3), Keeler Iron Works, Memphis, TN n Gary Kervin, Kervin Brothers Ornamental Iron Inc., Portland, OR n Allyn Moseley (2), The Heirloom Companies, Campobello, SC n Mark O’Malley, O’Malley Welding & Fabricating, Yorkville, IL n Dan Nibblelink, Red Hawk Forge, Berthoud, CO n Lynn Parquette, Elite Architectural Metal Supply LLC, Elk Grove Village, IL n Jay Shah (2), Architectural Iron Designs Inc., Plainfield, NJ n Mark Sisson, Mac Metals, Kearny, NJ n Jan Allen Smith, Allen Iron Works & Supply Inc., Birmingham, AL n John Steel, Steel Welding, Freedom, PA n Dave White Jr. (2), Locinox USA, Countryside, IL n Doug

O&MM Fabricator n May / June 2015

What’s Hot? n

Industry News

News Brief Feeney wins 2015 Houzz customer satisfacton honor Feeney Inc. has won a 2015 Customer Satisfaction Award from Houzz (www.houzz.com), an online platform for home remodelers and designers.

The Houzz community, which has more than 25 million monthly unique users, selected Feeney Inc. from among more than 500,000 home building, remodeling, and design professionals on the site.

“While the Feeney reputation for customer service has provided years of competitive advantage for our channel partnerships, the ‘Best of Houzz 2015’ award lends much appreciated industry recognition and credibility for our brand,” said Andy Penny, vice president, marketing and advertising for Feeney Inc. “Coincidently, when industry influencers were recently surveyed

by Qualified Remodeler in its January 2015 Special Research Report on Supplier Relationships, the leading response relative to concerns about new products was: ‘Company or Sales Rep Credibility’. Feeney is very pleased to receive the Customer Service Award.”

Customer Service honors are determined by factors including the number and quality of client reviews a business received in 2014.

Winners receive a “Best of Houzz 2015” badge on their Houzz profiles.

Colors in the “Express Yourself

by Feeney” line of DesignRail aluminum railing.

May / June 2015 n O&MM Fabricator

FabCAD 2015 has new AutoRail features FabCAD 2015’s new features include more functionality for its automated program AutoRail, in addition to new AutoCAD features: n The design library has expanded to 15,000 casting, forging and hardware items, from the following 10 companies: Alloy Casting, Architectural Designs, DJA Imports, House of Forgings, Indital, King Architectural Metals, Lawler Foundry, RIK-FER, Texas Metal Industries, and Triebenbacher. n File compatibility with the latest AutoCAD releases. n Previews items like colors, line type, offset results, line weight and paper space scales. n Enhanced layout tools and editing options. n Action Recorder (Automatic macro maker for your repeated routines). n New PDF and Hatch features. n Improved group command. n New array routines. n Preview fillets and chamfers. n New grip options.

New automation features

n The ability to define different secondary top and bottom rails. n A more user-friendly material selection process. n Define posts to accept pipe overlaps to produce pre-coped cut lengths. n Define posts to stop horizontals at

a certain gap to allow for lug assemblies. n New bill of material options: You can stay with the current option, list all of the pieces of all the assemblies together, or list pieces under individual assembly headings in a unified list. n Automatic labeling of assemblies and cut lists when no label is furnished. n New template styles that can be added to your existing templates. Items like hoop-top fences with spears, fences with spears and circles, glass rail systems, chain link, and mesh panel rails. n Draws grab bars for stair railings and wall mount rails. n An automatic wipeout command that will visually place grab bars in front of pickets and posts, plus hide vertical members of fences through punched channels, both curved and straight. n Draws railings with just post and top bars. n Precision for angle cuts can be increased and displayed through the “units” command. n For multi-seat customers with servers, you can now specify the drive location of templates and rail settings so all users have access to the latest assembly styles.

New purchasers get three hours of live online training. Upgraders get an online review of all the new features.

Contact 800-255-9032 www.fabcad.com 53

What’s Hot? n The event also includes July 2-5, 2015 day trips, visits and lessons Canada’s national with native and other local blacksmithing artisans, nature walks, and conference live music.

CanIRON X will be held Contact 902-756-4766 in Baddeck, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, hosted http://canironx.ca by the Cape Breton BlackAugust–September 2015 smiths Association. The Blacksmithing classes event will feature leading The John C. Campbell international blacksmiths, including Albert Paley, Mark Folk School in Brasstown, NC, offers an ongoing selecAspery, Uri Hofi, Zeevik tion of classes, workshops Gottlieb, Lorelei Sims, and and events in blacksmithing.

Ian Hope-Simpson.

Upcoming classes: Events include lectures, Aug. 2–8, demonstrations, gallery, and Blacksmithing for Home vendor market. and Hearth “You do not have to be a blacksmith to participate Aug. 9–15, Forging Your in CanIRON X,” says event Ideas into Reality organizer and local black-9:06 AM Page 1 Project3_Layout 1 1/13/15 Aug. 16–21, Forging Pipe, smith Grant Haverstock.

54

Events

Tubing, Angles and Channels Aug. 21–23, Build a Gas Forge Aug. 23–29, Beginning Blacksmithing Techniques Aug. 30–Sept. 5, Celtic Iron Sept. 6–11, A Handful of Skills Sept. 11–13, Forge Welding Sept. 13–19, Fundamentals for Beginners Sept. 20–26, Forging Nonferrous Metals Contact 800-365-5724 www.folkschool.org

Aug. 9-12 Basics of engraving with Jay Close This class will teach the basics of tool design and sharpening, methods of work-holding, layout and design.

The emphasis is on traditional hand and hammer powered tools.

Included is forging and heat treating engraving chisels and sharpening them, setting up and sharpening chisels and palm tools using graver blanks and wooden handles.

Tuition: $450; materials: $30. Skill level: Seasoned beginner and up.

Contact 888-753-7502 www.newengland schoolofmetalwork.com

O&MM Fabricator n May / June 2015

What’s Hot? n

Products

Glass railing system The Wagner Companies Wagner’s PanelGrip 2 feaures a new streamlined design.

The company says it has enhanced durability and a lighter weight single aluminum base shoe moulding, which reduces shipping, labor, and inventory costs without sacrificing quality.

The extruded aluminum shoe qualifies for LEED credits as a Green building material.

A durable and American-made locking mechanism simplifies installation and provides code compliance and safety when properly specified and installed.

It accommodates tem-

pered, laminated glass that is required by the 2015 International Building Code.

PanelGrip 2 exceeds market-level performance for the quick assembly of structural glass railing; it does not require messy fillers or other glass preparation and provides the broadest glass grip range of any dry glaze system, says Wagner. The intuitive, non-weld installation can be performed on one side of the glass by a single person using a standard Allen

wrench, making it ideal for balcony applications.

Perfect for guard, stair and ramp applications, the full line of fittings and accessories comes in a range of options. Exacting specs also make it easy to ensure contractors get the right system for their specific project needs. The ability to paint or clad the base shoe to match area décor, along with its no-post, glass infill design, gives PanelGrip 2 aesthetic appeal with outstanding sight lines.

Request a sample at www.

PanelGrip.com.

Contact 888-243-6914 www.wagnercompanies. com

Welding helmet Lincoln Electric The Viking PAPR 3350 welding helmet has a powered system that draws air from the environment through a HEPA filter located on the belt. Filtered air is then delivered in the breathing zone, within an auto-darkening welding helmet.

This model, which offers dual airflow speed, is powered by a battery that can last for a full 8-hour shift without interruption, says the company.

A patent-pending adjustable baffling system inside the helmet directs airflow away from the eyes to avoid dryness.

TUBING BENDERS TUBING BENDERS Hand TubeTUBING BenderBENDERS Rolls: TUBING BENDERS  1Hand 1/2” Square Tubing Tube Bender Rolls: $499.95 Magnum Hand Bender Rolls: Hand Tube Bender Square Tubing  1 x1 Tube 11/2” 1/2” Rectangular Tubing Rolls: $499.95 TUBING 1BENDERS 1/2” Square Tubing $499.95$499.95 1(1/2 1/2”  1 xBar 11/2” Rectangular Tubing Hand  Flat x 1Square 1/2” & Tubing smaller)  1xPipe 1/2” Tubing Rectangular 1 x(1/2 1 1/2” Rectangular 1Flat x 1 1/2” & smaller)Tubing &Bar Tubing Hand Tube Bender Rolls: Tube  Flat Bar (1/2 x 1 Bar 1/2” (1/2 & smaller) &Flat x 1 1/2” & smaller) $699.95 Pipe Tubing  1 1/2” Square Tubing $499.95 Tube Bender Rolls: Magnum Pipe & Tubing  Hand Pipe & Tubing Bender  1 x 1 1/2” Rectangular Tubing Magnum Hand Tube Bender Rolls:

$649.95 Square Tubing  2”Rolls:  Flat Bar (1/2 x 1 1/2” & smaller) Magnum Hand Tube Bender Magnum Hand Tube Bender Rolls: $649.95 2” TubingTubing 1 x 2”Square  Pipe & Tubing Rectangular $649.95$649.95 2” Square Tubing 2” Square Tubing   1 xBar 2” Rectangular Tubing Flat (1/2 x 2” & smaller) Magnum Hand Tube Bender Rolls: : 1 x 2” Rectangular Tubing s 1 x 2” Rectangular Tubing l Rol Flat&Bar (1/2 x 2” & smaller)  Pipe Tubing $649.95 Flat Bar (1/2Flat x 2”Bar & smaller)  2” Square Tubing (1/2 x 2” & smaller)  Pipe & Tubing  Pipe & Tubing  1 x 2” Rectangular Tubing Pipe &Available Tubing Additional Rollers Flat Bar (1/2 x 2” & smaller) Additional Rollers Available Additional Additional Rollers Available Rollers Available  Pipe & Tubing

1-800-200-4685 1-800-200-4685 UNIQUE1-800-200-4685 ROLLING SYSTEM 1-800-200-4685 Works with both hand tubing benders

UNIQUE ROLLING SYSTEM Additional Rollers Available Cap Rails Works with both hand tubing benders UNIQUE ROLLING SYSTEM $599.95 UNIQUE ROLLING SYSTEM Works with both handwith tubing benders Works both hand tubing benders Cap Rails Channels $599.95 Cap Rails Rails Channels $599.95  Flat Bar Cap (on edge hard way)$599.95 UNIQUE ROLLING SYSTEM Channels Channels  Flat Bar (on edge hard way)

1-800-200-4685

R&benders D Hydraulics, Mfg. and Machine Co. Works with both hand tubing Bar (on edge Bar hard way) 1431 West 5th St. Chico, CAFlat 95928 www.rdhs.com  Flat (on edge hard way)

Cap Rails R&D Hydraulics, Mfg. and Machine Co. $599.95

May / June 2015 n O&MM Fabricator

1431 5th Chico, CAMachine 95928 www.rdhs.com R&D West Hydraulics, Mfg. and Co.Machine Co. R&St. D Hydraulics, Mfg. and Channels 201307-404-A 55 1431 West 5th St. Chico, CA 95928 www.rdhs.com 1431 West 5th St. Chico, CA 95928 www.rdhs.com  Flat Bar (on edge hard way)

What’s Hot? n

The lightweight design of the helmet and belt pack is designed to allow for unrestricted movement.

The Viking PAPR is equipped with a 3350 Series Welding Helmet that has a perfect 1/1/1/1 optical clarity rating (EN379).

Contact 888-935-3877 www.lincolnelectric.com

Industry News

Small batch CNC tube bender Unison The Evbend 1000 reduces the entry costs to precision rotary draw tube bending by using manual operations to feed and rotate tubing and apply the bending force, with smart CNC-controlled braking on the carriage feed, rotation, and bend arm axes to ensure part shapes are formed with the highest accuracy, Unison says.

The 1000, re-engineered from an existing machine called Evbend, has a programming and operational control user interface. Unison believes the 1000 is the simplest, high precision CNC tube bending solution for small-diameter tubing

abana.org ABANA

Association of North America, Inc.

second bending head.

The machine has a new “state of the art” Windows HMI. The 1000 has a better graphics, touch-screen control, simple integration into factory networks, and access to Unison’s powerful CAD tools and interfaces for the automated creation of tube bending programs.

The new HMI is also available as a retrofit for Evbend’s existing user base.

Contact +44 (0) 7921 408 276 www.unisonltd.com

Restoring the Past. Building the Future.

259 Muddy Fork Road Jonesborough, TN 37659 423/913-1022

Artist-Blacksmith’s

up to 22 mm.

The machine is ideal for producing high-precision tubular parts in a low volume production environment, Unison says.

Manual operation makes Evbend versatile, simple, and safe, Unison says, with almost no limit to the multi-bend complexity of tubular shapes that can be formed. Typically, users quickly grasp how the machine works, Unison says.

The machine is supplied with a right-hand bending head, but can perform lefthand bending by adding a

www.period-homes.com www.traditional-building.com www.traditionalbuildingshow.com www.traditionalbuildingportfolio.com www.tradwebdirectory.com www.traditionalproductgalleries.com www.buildingport.com Questions? Call Peter H. Miller, President: 202.339.0744 x 104.

Or email pmiller@restoremedia.com

O&MM Fabricator n May / June 2015

56 Fabricator RM house ad.indd 1

10/12/2010 1:14:13 PM

n

Advertiser’s Index A thanks to the following advertisers for their support of O&MM Fabricator magazine.

Pg Company Website 30 Albina Co. Inc.................................................www.albinaco.com

Pg Company Website 43 Hougen Mfg. Inc............................................. www.hougen.com

21 Architectural Iron Designs Inc.......www.archirondesign.com

3 House of Forgings............................ www.houseofforgings.net

56 Artist-Blacksmith’s Assoc. of North America Inc..........................................www.abana.org

44 International Gate Devices...........................www.intlgate.com

14 Big Blu Hammer Mfg. Co. / Oak Hill Iron Works..........................www.bigbluhammer.com

20 Jesco Industries Inc., WIPCO div......... www.jescoonline.com 60 King Architectural Metals....................... www.kingmetals.com

49 Blacksmiths Depot / Kayne & Son Custom Hardware Inc............... www.blacksmithsdepot.com

37 Lapeyre Stair............................................. www.lapeyrestair.com

34 Julius Blum & Co. Inc...............................www.juliusblum.com

2 Lewis Brass & Copper Co. Inc............... www.lewisbrass.com

17 The Cable Connection........... www.thecableconnection.com

22 Marks U.S.A...................................................www.marksusa.com

45 John C. Campbell Folk School.................www.folkschool.org

43 NC Tool Co......................................................www.nctoolco.com

16 Carell Corporation..................................... www.carellcorp.com

55 R & D Hydraulics Mfg. & Machine Co..............www.rdhs.com

25 Chicago Metal Rolled Products Co................ www.cmrp.com

55 Ramset Automatic Gate Systems.......... www.ramsetinc.com

50 Colorado Waterjet Co..................www.coloradowaterjet.com

26 Regency Railings...............................www.regencyrailings.com

27 D & D Technologies (USA) Inc......... www.ddtechglobal.com

39 Rogers Mfg. Inc.................................. www.rogers-mfg-inc.com

31 D & D Technologies (USA) Inc......... www.ddtechglobal.com

35 Scotchman Industries............................. www.scotchman.com

40 DAC Industries Inc...............................www.dacindustries.com

29 Sharpe Products.............................. www.sharpeproducts.com

16 Eagle Bending Machines Inc..................... www.eaglebendingmachines.com

23 Spiral Stairs of America LLC........................www.spiralstairsofamerica.com

47 Eberl Iron Works Inc....................................www.eberliron.com

11 Stairways Inc............................................www.stairwaysinc.com

15 FabCAD Inc........................................................ www.fabcad.com

54 Sumter Coatings Inc........................www.sumtercoatings.com

6 Feeney Inc.....................................................www.feeneyinc.com

56 Traditional Building................. www.traditional-building.com

50 Goddard Manufacturing Co.........www.spiral-staircases.com

42 Tri-State Shearing & Bending.............................. 718-485-2200

38 Hawke Industries................http://www.hawkeindustries.net

45 Vogel Tool & Die LLC.................................. www.vogeltool.com

19 Hebo Stratford Gate Systems Inc..............www.drivewaygates.com

4 The Wagner Companies...........www.wagnercompanies.com

Your advertising contact for O&MM Fabricator NOMMA Buyer’s Guide NOMMA website CO NTAC T

Sherry Theien Advertising Director 8392 Leesburg Ct. Rockford, IL 61114 815-282-6000 815-282-8002 fax stheien@att.net May / June 2015 n O&MM Fabricator

9 Lawler Foundry Corp.........................www.lawlerfoundry.com

41 Weaver’s Iron Works................. www.weaversironworks.com

Advertise in the 2016 NOMMA Buyer’s Guide Your one-stop resource for shop and office personnel The Buyer’s Guide is available in 3 versions: 1) print, 2) online, and 3) database.

Closing date November 27, 2015 Contact Sherry Theien, 815-282-6000; 815-282-8002 fax; stheien@att.net 57

n

Metal Moment

Pull­out truck bed suits Scott Colson like a solid weld Fabricator How many trucks like this do you have?

Colson Two.

Scott Colson knows a good

thing when he see it.

This time, it was a truck bed that pulls out like a drawer. This keeps fabricators from having to reach over the tool lockers to reach their gear.

A man of few words, we still asked Colson to tell us more.

Fabricator Under what

situations do you deploy them since you only have two?

Colson Both trucks are gate automation trucks.

O&MM Fabricator How

Fabricator Does it allow you to have any equipment on a site that you otherwise would not be able to carry in your truck?

Colson No, but it does make it easier to get to.

did you come up with this idea?

Scott Colson I was in the horseshoeing industry and there was something like this.

Fabricator Who designed the truck?

Colson I did. We designed and built the roll-out bed.

Fabricator What equipment do you keep in the truck bed that pulls out?

Colson Welders, wire boxes, equipment in weatherproof boxes, and gate jacks.

Fabricator Did it require any special measurements or CAD work?

Colson No.

Fabricator What equipment do you keep inside the compartments on the side of the truck?

Colson Electronics, pipe fittings, gate chain, spray paint, operator batteries, tools, electrical connects.

Fabricator Did your company build it?

Colson Yes. Fabricator Beyond the pull-out idea, what metals did you use? What type of finishing?

Colson Rails are steel and bed is powder- coated gray.

Fabricator What problem does this truck solve

for you?

Scott Colson Iron Innovations Inc. Clinton, MS

Colson Not having to crawl under and through pipe rack to get to things.

Fabricator How does this solve the problem?

Colson Roll your welder and equipment out so you can

Fabricator What did it cost to have a truck bed that pulls out?

Colson Approximately $950 for a 1/8-tread plate aluminum bed. The rollers are gate V-groove rollers, and I used 10.

Fabricator Anything to add?

Colson I will always have this configuration on any ser-

vice truck I own. Cuts down on the cuts and bumps on my old head.

reach things.

TA LK TO US

Something on your mind? Got something to say? Got an idea? Got a tip? Got a gripe? Do you have a story to tell?

Contact nomma.editor@att.net.

58

O&MM Fabricator n May / June 2015

NOMMA-approved Partner SHOPPING FOR AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE Health care costs have increased more than twice the cost of inflation in recent years.

The key to finding affordable group and individual health insurance is to know exactly what you need and what you can afford. By knowing what you need, you can choose the right insurance plan that suits you and your employees best without costing too much.

However, researching health insurance is very time consuming and can be very frustrating unless you are extremely savvy in the healthcare arena. Therefore, NOMMA has partnered with Mass Marketing Insurance Consultants, Inc. (MMIC) to help you design a health care program to fit your needs, your employee’s needs and your budget.

NOMMA members can obtain a free no obligation quote through Mass Marketing Insurance Consultants, Inc. (MMIC).

METALfab 2015 A thanks to our sponsors The sponsors for 2015 are a very special group of suppliers. In challenging economic times they are going the extra mile to contribute to the success of METALfab2015. Their support is greatly appreciated.

Pla tin um

Industrial Coverage Corporation 62 South Ocean Ave. Patchogue, NY 11772 Tel: (631) 736-7500 Toll Free: (800) 242-9872 Web: www. industrialcoverage.com

S il v e r

ndry Corp.

Lawler Fou 069 P.O. Box 320 , AL 35232 am h g Birmin -0596 5 Tel: (205) 59 -624-9512 0 0 8 Toll Free: Web: oundry.com www.lawlerf

Complete a proposal request form by going on line to:

Pl at in um

ies The Wagner Compan P.O. Box 423 Butler, WI 53007 Tel: (414) 214-0444 914 Toll Free: (888) 243-6 Web: ies.com www.wagnercompan

S il v e r

M. Cohen & Sons In c./ The Iron S hop 400 Reed Rd. Broomall, PA 19008 Tel: (610) 5 44-7100 Toll Free: (8 00 Web: www ) 523-7427 .theironsh op.com

www.mmicinsurance.com/NOMMA Within 48 hours, MMIC evaluates and negotiates with two companies to tailor a plan that best fits your needs and sends you the proposal with the rates and benefit comparisons.

NOMMA members should explore this opportunity and take advantage of healthcare options and savings MMIC can provide. Working with MMIC will be a very positive experience.

This program is only available to NOMMA members. To join, visit www.nomma.org.

May / June 2015 n O&MM Fabricator

Co n tr ib u to r

Sculpt Nouveau 625 West 10th Ave. Escondido, CA 92 025 Tel: (800) 728-5787 Web: www.sculptn ouveau.com

Join us next year for METALfab 2016 Our next annual conference takes place March 16-19, 2016, Greenville, South Carolina. Theme for next year is “Paying it Forward.”

59

Integrity was instilled in me at an early age. And it's part of every project I create.

It's who I am...it's in my blood.

There are standards for living your life and doing honest business.

My integrity isn't negotiable.

Neither are my standards.

I'm an American

welder.

800.542.2379

60

/ KINGMETALS.COM / FACEBOOK / PINTEREST / YOUTUBE

O&MM Fabricator n May / June 2015