Purchasing Factory Equipment Tips

Three Simple Tips for Purchasing Factory Equipment

As the manager of a factory, it's understandable that you'd want to find the best deals possible for your machinery. No one wants to invest an unnecessary amount of money into their business, especially if there are already issues with productivity. In order to help prospective managers separate themselves from their competition though, this guide will take a look at a few ways in which purchasing factory equipment can be less of a hassle. Of course, this guide can't speak to a specific manufacturer's needs, but it can tackle some of the general points nonetheless.

Finding Replacements

When you're shopping for new equipment, it can actually be worthwhile to see how expensive a minor replacement is instead. It may not be the shiniest or newest equipment, but replacements are typically just as effective, even if they're not as flashy. With that in mind, even minor components of larger machines can be replaced for substantially reduced costs. For instance, if your industrial-grade air compressor starts having problems, instead of purchasing an entirely new one, it might be worthwhile to instead get aftermarket air compressor parts from a dealer like Industrial Air Suppliers.

Embrace Innovation

In cases where you can't readily find replacements to existing machinery, considering ditching it altogether. In these circumstances, embracing innovation may be the way to go. Alternative technologies are constantly being developed, and these can have a profound impact on the long-term viability of your manufacturing processes. If you're someone who has struggled in the past with improving efficiency, then new technologies may hold the answer.

Plan Accordingly

Before committing to any new purchases, make sure you've fully outlined your company's needs ahead of time. By taking an honest look at your company's needs, you can more accurately determine what you need and what you want. The difference can be small, but it can also keep you from spending unnecessary amounts of money on purchases that ultimately do little to impact your business. By taking realistic stock of where your business stands, you can ensure that each step you make is deliberate and, perhaps more important, necessary.

While these tips can't protect you from a poor purchase, they should hopefully steer you in the right direction. As with most business decisions, it's a good idea to enlist the aid of qualified specialists before going forward with anything. While these tips can give you a solid foundation to build from, you'll still need to make decisions based on the nature of your specific business.

Buck Knife from Canadian Tire

By Charles Moffat - December 2014.

I have been meaning for several months now to post a review about this small but very handy knife I purchased at Canadian Tire.

If I recall correctly it was $14.99 + HST, but I don't recall precisely.

What I do know however is that I haven't any problems with this knife's usability, sharpness or any problems with it breaking.

My previous knife, which I lost back in the summer, was a Gerber. The problems I encountered with the Gerber were two fold:

1. The Gerber blade dulled pretty easily. Although I admit I sometimes used it to draw lines in the dirt, which is a bad thing to do to a knife because it dulls the blade pretty quickly. Once dulled however I found it was difficult to sharpen and never held an edge that well. I also determined that the Gerber blade got scratched up pretty easily, which leads to my belief that the quality of the steel wasn't the greatest at holding its edge if it could get scratched so easily.

2. The Gerber had a belt clip on the side of it that got caught on a guard rail and got bent out to the side. When I tried to bend it back it would just spring back to its new position sticking out in annoying fashion. The bent clip meant it didn't hold into jeans pocket that well and would fall out easily - hence how it eventually got lost.

After the clip got bent I started looking for a replacement knife for the Gerber because I knew it was just a matter of time before I lost it.

When I purchased the Buck pocket knife I really just wanted a replacement for the Gerber that would work well for my purposes. I wasn't expecting it to last forever and I was secretly expecting it to dull quickly like the Gerber did.

But it hasn't. It holds the edge very well, I haven't had any sharpness problems with it. It is just a small and handy knife.

I also routinely carry a Swiss army knife, but I must say that I am now in the market for a new Swiss army knife so if there are manufacturers out there looking for a review of their product contact me (charlesmoffat at charlesmoffat dot com) and I shall review a sample of your product(s).

Band Saws and Band Saw Blades

Back in the Winter of 2013/14 the band saw blade on the band saw I have been using for years finally broke, so I decided to try and find a replacement blade for it.

After all band saws are extremely useful for cutting any kind of wood for DIY projects (using a thin blade band saws can even be used like a jig saw, making intricate curving cuts in the wood).

But when it came to finding a replacement blade I discovered that my lowly "hobby band saw" was so small that many stores did not sell band saw replacement blades in that size.

So instead I ended up buying a brand new band saw, and purchased one that had a more standard size blade (62 inches), which meant that if the new one ever breaks I just have to go buy new replacement blades and never have to worry about whether they have them in the correct size, because they are a standard size that are really popular.

The brand I purchased last winter was Ryobi (specifically a Ryobi 9" Band Saw - the 9 inches measures something else on the band saw, not the blade itself). Here is a photo of what it looks like on the right.

Asides from the noise (it is fine cutting through softwood but it screams like a dying cat when you cut hardwood) I am quite happy with this band saw.

As a tool, it does everything I expect it to do for my needs. Easy to use, operate, clean, etc. It is even easy to replace the blades.

Today, the band saw blade that came with it finally broke. I should note in broke because I was rushing through the cut too fast, possibly combined with normal wear and tear. So I need to go purchase replacement blades.

So I check Home Depot (where I purchase the Ryobi last winter) for the prices of band saw blades. I see a variety of blades, different sizes and widths. I double check the length of the blade I need: 62 inches, and I see right at the top two blades that suit my needs by a company called AvantiPro, available in 62 x 3/16ths and 62 x 1/4.

So I think I will buy 1 of each. That way the next time a band saw blade breaks I will be able to just open the packaging for the other one - or I can swap for the thinner blade when doing detailed cuts, or use the thicker blade when cutting through harder/thicker wood.

So now I am patting myself on the back for my wise purchase last winter, wondering why I didn't buy replacement blades at the time, and also fuming at myself for rushing through the cut that broke it in the first place. So reasons to be both happy for the product I purchased, but unhappy about my lack of foresight. That is my fault however, not the band saw's fault.

If you are looking to get someone a gift this xmas, consider getting them a band saw if they don't have one already. Also buy replacement blades while you are at it.

Titebond Wood Glues

If you are woodworking eventually you are going to want to use wood glues.

In which case you then have to ask, which one is best for your woodworking project.

Well you could just buy the cheapest glue you can find that provides a reasonable quality. Elmer's wood glue for example.

But the glue I am going to recommend instead is Titebond wood glues, which comes in three main varieties:

Titebond Original (aka Titebond I) which is for indoor use only, and is not meant to get wet. It will work great on all of your woodworking projects that are for outdoors.

Titebond II is water resistant - which means it can be used outdoors.

Titebond III is labelled "waterproof" but in reality it is extra water resistant. It can be used outdoors regularly, but it is not meant for being submerged in water for long periods of time.

Prices for the three different types are:

$8.59 for Titebond Original, $10.49 for Titebond II, and $13.99 for Titebond III.

Another difference is that Titebond III has a longer "Open Time", which is basically the amount of time you can work with the glue before it starts to set. That means you can work on your project longer, making sure the glue is perfect before squeezing your woodworking pieces together and later clamping them.

 There is also differences between the glue strength of each. Titebond III is easily the strongest, but it only a difference of 10% when compared to Titebond I.

So my recommendation is Titebond III for both indoor and outdoor use. No need to buy all three types. Yes, it is more expensive. But one bottle of Titebond III can do the job regardless of what you need it for.

HOWEVER I will point out these glues are not meant for space filler. For that you need an epoxy.

I recently emailed a local bowyer in Toronto, Mike Meusel (who made me a bow in 2013) and asked him what wood glues he uses when making bows. Here is what he had to say:

I get a lot of my glues at Lee Valley –

For gluing of laminatons, risers and tip overlays – Titebond III.

Works great and is waterproof.   Keep in mind Titebond is not a gap-filling glue, so your pieces should be well mated so you get really thin glue lines.  Titebond 3 is what I used on your bow for pretty much all of it I think.  

For best results – Wipe surfaces to be glued with acetone or give a fresh sanding to remove oil/grease/dirt.   Spread a thin layer of glue on both surfaces (sizing coat) – wait 10 minutes, some spots will have soaked up more glue than others which will lead to dry spots in the glue up. Re-apply another layer of glue to both surfaces and clamp. 

G2 epoxies from Lee valley work great as well, but I use them on smaller thing, epoxies are gap-filling glues, so there is a bit more leeway in terms of your mating surfaces.  

- Mike Meusel

Minwax Wood Finish - Red Mahogany

I recently purchased red mahogany polyurethane wood finish (the brand on the label is MINWAX) for a DIY woodworking I have been doing for the last month.

Note - I followed all the instructions on the can. I then put it in the hallway to dry because it smells so bad.

However I have been waiting for 2 days for the first coat of the red mahogany stain to dry. I start to wonder "Sheesh, how long does this take to dry???"

I know I followed all the instructions on the can, so I struggle to determine what I might have done wrong.

So I go online and do a google search.

I did find some information stating that if it is exposed to the outdoors and UV light that it will slow the drying process and cause it to yellow and flake off. But my woodworking project is not outside. It is in the hallway with no windows. So this is not an UV issue.

The MINWAX website claims the drying time should be 12 hours. But it has been 2 days and it is still leaving a stain on my hands when I touch it.

The can says to wipe off excess stain after brushing on the stain with a brush. I did all that. There is no excess stain.

According to a forum I found ventilation might be an issue (the hallway has doors at both ends and this might slow ventilation). At present that is my most plausible culprit. So my goal now is to stick a fan in the hallway for 8 hours and see if that makes a difference.

How I fixed the leaky tiles in my bathroom with a $5 bottle of silicone

General Electric Silicone Glue

Or perhaps the title should be "Glory be to General Electric's Premium Waterproof Silicone Glue"...?

Whatever you want to call the title, here is the story.

For over a year now I have been bugging my landlords to fix the tiles in my bathroom.

They have tried to fix it twice, but both times they botched it and the silicone just breaks the next time I use the bathtub or shower. Note: I always waited at least 24 hours before using it again, but it breaks anyway.

Anywho, I think the reason why it keeps breaking has nothing to do with water usage in the bathtub or shower - it is afterall, waterproof silicone. What I think is happening is that the when the bathtub fills with water it WEIGHS more and this is an old building... when the bathtub weighs too much and the bottom tiles are literally glued to the bathtub using silicone, for whatever reason the bathtub sinks into ground a little further - only by a millimeter or so.

This causes the tiles to pull apart at the weakest point because it can't handle the extra weight. It is only a millimeter, but it is enough to break the silicone.

Now my landlords (bless them) have been fixing the tiles each time with the bathtub empty... so no extra weight in it. But they haven't heard my whole theory about the bathtub sinks an extra millimeter lower when its part way full of water (or even just has someone standing in it).

Thus every time they fixed it was fine up until the point where the bathtub had someone step into it or filled it with water.

So how did I manage to fix it myself???

I bought a $5 stick of General Electric Silicone Glue (roughly the size of a tube of toothpaste) from Canadian Tire, I filled the bathtub with water (for the weight) and then I fixed the cracks in the silicone myself.

Done. The next time I have a shower or a bath it shouldn't sink at all because now the bathtub is being held down instead of held up. That is my theory at least. We shall see if it works.

My Xmas Wishlist 2013

Now you might wonder I am working on My Xmas Wishlist 2013 in August.

August 6th no less.

It is 4 months and 19 days until Christmas Day.

Well let me explain.

My mother likes to start xmas shopping in September so that she can avoid the lineups during xmas time and capitalize on the back-to-school sales, thanksgiving and halloween sales instead on the lead up towards the Christmas shopping season.

Thus she starts asking her three children for xmas lists around the end of August / early September.

And now you understand why I am working on my xmas list now. In August.

Now to be fair it is often just a rehashed list from the year before wherein I try to mesh together things that I "need" and things that I "want". And I frequently re-use this same list whenever my mother starts asking about ideas for my birthday.

Thus if I don't get a particular item for xmas or my birthday during the previous year I either... buy it myself or it gets held over to the following year.

And now the list...

My Xmas Wishlist 2013

Tools

Asking for tools for xmas is a no-brainer. It is implied that they are a need as opposed to a want and thus you are more likely to get what you asked for.

Leather toolbelt - To be fair I am thinking about getting this myself so I can get the exact type of belt I am looking for. Or I could be more specific by telling my mother the exact model type, price, where to buy, etc.

I found one on Canadian Tire that I like. http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/6/Tools/ToolStorage/ToolHoldersBelts/PRD~0570082P/Mastercraft+Suede+Leather+Tool+Apron.jsp?locale=en

Wheel Truing Stand for Bicycle Wheels - If you are not a bicycle mechanic then you wouldn't really know what this is. The company I like is Park Tools.

Spoke Tension Gauge for Bicycle Spokes - Honestly most bicycle mechanics don't even use a tension gauge because they're too cheap and not that picky about how perfectly circular their wheels are. Myself however, I can true a wheel to within 0.2 of a mm margin of error (which is what professionals bicycle mechanics do in competitive bicycle racing because the more circular the wheel is the better the wheel can rotate slightly faster). But I can only do that when I have a tension gauge, spoke wrench and a wheel truing stand.

Clothes

Again clothes is often a need rather than a want. However I don't actually NEED socks. I have tonnes of socks. Three drawers filled with them. I have reached the point where when they go holey (Is that spelled right? I know it isn't holy, because that would be sacrilegious) I use them as rags for my bicycles.

Blue Socks (not navy or sky blue, just plain blue) - During the past 3 - 4 years I have kept asking for red socks. I knew I was going to get socks anyway, because I ALWAYS get socks for xmas, but in recent years I find it is more interesting to ask for a specific colour so my mother has a challenge finding them. (She enjoys a shopping challenge.)

Black Dress Shirts - Honestly, black dress shirts just looking better than white ones. Look great with black dress pants, black tie and black suspenders.

Grey Suspenders - Because suspenders rock. I still use belts regularly, but any chance to look extra spiffy calls for suspenders. Having a grey pair of suspenders will allow me the opportunity to change it up once in awhile.

Plaid shirts with snaps instead of buttons - Honestly, I just like ripping the shirt open quickly instead of having to unbutton them slowly. Takes less time. Shirts with snaps (in my experience) typically cost about $5 more than shirts with buttons because snaps are more expensive and difficult to install in the factory. But they're well worth it. A good place to buy such shirts is Mark's Work Warehouse.

Archery Winter Gloves - Recommended place to shop "The Bow Shop" in Waterloo. Size medium or large will likely fit me.

Leather Quiver, Brown - Preferably a nice long back quiver so that the arrows don't rattle around so much (or fall out easily).

Kitchen and Bath Items

A frying pan with a good sturdy lid - Some things break too easily so I want to make sure it is one that doesn't break.

A giant navy blue bath towel - The bigger the better.

Entertainment / Books

I have been putting things on the entertainment / books part of my xmas list for years now. Often the same things year after year. Instead I keep getting clothes, tools and kitchen things. Proof that my mother favours need over want.

The Saint (TV Series starring Roger Moore) - Because Roger Moore is awesome and I have been wanting this DVD set for years now.

Matt Helm movies (starring Dean Martin) - Like James Bond, but he can sing.

Any film with Audrey Hepburn, Kirk Douglas or Burt Lancaster. Because they're all amazing.

2nd Edition AD&D Monster Manual - Because it is from a retro 80s nostalgia roleplaying game and quite amusing to me.

"And their memory was a bitter tree..." by Robert E. Howard. A selection of Conan stories by the man who created Conan in 1932.

Quadra Bike School

So you like to fix bicycles eh?

Do you live in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan or the North Western United States?

Well then the BEST bicycle mechanic school in the region is the Quadra Bike School located on Quadra Island in British Columbia.

I know because I also know the guy who runs the place. An old bicycle mechanic by the name of Smokey Dymny. His name even suits him, due to his "smoke grey" handlebar mustaches.

He's been fixing bicycles for 40 or so years. The exact number, I can't tell you. I can only tell you that he is really good at teaching how to fix bicycles of all shapes and sizes.

Really knows his stuff.

You might own lots of tools, you might even have some experience fixing bicycles. But chances are likely you haven't been trained in the proper ways to fix a bicycle - how to fix it faster, more efficiently, with less hassle along the way.

And lets face it. When you are looking to get hired by someone to work in a bicycle shop, they are looking for someone who doesn't just know how to fix the bicycle - they want to hire someone who can fix it quickly and properly so that they are getting the most out of you on an hourly basis.

And the more experience and training you have on your resume the more likely you are to get hired.

Safety Vests and Hard Hats

Ooo I should also do a review of kevlar flak vests / bulletproof vests... That would be fun!

Although to be fair I have no idea where to buy bullet proof vests... Online I guess. Anywho, that is off topic.

But I do know where to buy safety vests and hard hats... Both good when working around heavy machinery or operating industrial tools where visibility and head protection are a factor. (I once hit my head on an industrial sheer when I was digging pieces of metal out of the back - ogawd I wish I had been wearing a hard hat at the time.)

For those that don't know a safety vest (aka, a high visibility vest or jacket) is typically orange and sometimes has yellow reflective strips on them to make them more easy to spot. Like the image below.

 There really is nothing special about such vests. They have pockets... ooo... pocketses! My precious!

And they're designed to go over top of your other clothing.

The same thing goes with hard hats - if they are SA Approved that is all you really need to know.

All of my steel-toed boots that I've been buying since the age of 18 have been SA Approved (although to be fair I have yet to find a pair of safety boots that are NOT SA Approved - possibly because the places I shop at make sure that all the safety boots they sell are approved).

The real issue with hard hats is finding one that fits you properly.

HOW TO MAKE SURE YOUR HARD HAT FITS PROPERLY

Suspensions

The inside of a hard hat has a harness of suspensions into which your head fits (OR should fit, if its the correct size). The suspensions create a gap between the head and the top of the hat where an impact can occur. Hard hats utilize either a four-or six-point suspension system and are usually adjustable. To adjust a hard hat so it properly fits you, adjust the suspensions. Pull on the suspensions to make them tighter if you have a smaller head, or loosen the suspensions to make more room if you need it. You want the hat to fit snugly so it doesn't fall off, but you also don't want to make it so tight that it causes discomfort and headaches.

Chin Straps

Some hard hats also come with chinstraps connected to the inner sides of the hat. You can adjust the chin straps so they are the proper length to fit snugly around your chin. This type of additional support provides extra security for your head when you are working in unusual conditions, such as windy environments, extreme heights or underground tunnels.

Things to Buy at the Dollar Store

Watch batteries: At Sears, replacing a watch battery will cost you $10.50. When you consider that a package of five Sunbeam watch batteries costs only $1 at Dollarama $10.50 seems a high price to pay, even with the year-long warranty thrown in.

The Sunbeam batteries come in two different sizes, 357 and 377. I’ve been replacing my own watch batteries for years. It’s not hard. I use a mini flat screwdriver like the kind found in eye glass repair kits (also sold at dollar stores) and carefully pry the back of the watch off by sticking the screwdriver in the opening by the watch stem and working it around the edges of the backing. Then just replace the battery and snap the backing back into place. It’s easy and takes practically no time at all.

I’ve had the occasional dud in a package of these batteries but mostly they perform just as well as the ones you’d get from a jeweller.

Slide Seal freezer bags: I’ve always been very happy with the Slide Seal brand freezer bags. Besides protecting food in the freezer, I also use them to store craft supplies or other small items I want to keep from getting lost. I like the easy way they open and close using a zipper pull and there’s enough plastic in them to prevent them from tearing easily. They come in two sizes, small and medium and cost $1 for each box of 10 and eight bags, respectively. They form an air-tight seal and are microwave safe. If the bags are being reused over and over for non-food items, the plastic zipper pull may come off but you’ll still be able to seal the bag.

I priced Ziploc freezer bags at Walmart and found that they cost $3.27 for a box of 15 medium or 10 large bags, giving you two more large bags and five more small bags per box. However, the dollar store bags cost just 10 cents a bag for the small ones and about 13 cents a bag for the larger ones, as opposed to about 22 cents and 33 cents, respectively for the Ziploc freezer bags.

The name brand freezer bags boast expandable bottoms but the dollar store bags are a bit larger over all. For example, a medium Slide Seal bag is 20.5cm square, while a medium Ziploc bag is 20.3cm by 14.9cm.

Kitchen utensils: It’s hard to beat dollar store cooking and serving utensils for price. My soup ladle is made of black nylon and has a thick, rubberized handle with an attractive silver-coloured insert in it. It’s dishwasher safe and heat-resistant to 210 degrees Celsius. I paid $1 for it. At the Loblaw’s Super Store, I saw an Oxo brand soup ladle very much like mine that cost $6.99.

The selection of kitchen utensils at the dollar store will change from time to time but you can always find matching spatulas, large spoons and soup ladles.

Tools: Dollar store tools have improved immeasurably since the first flimsy pair of pliers was sold for a buck. I have a selection of dollar store tools that I’ve bought over the years for doing odd jobs around the house. They are solidly made of metal and other quality materials and look and feel every bit as good as some of the tools at Canadian Tire.

My 25 foot tape measure cost $2 at Dollarama and is similar to the Mastercraft easy grip tape measure with rubberized jacket, nylon-clad blade and lifetime warranty costing $9.99. The only thing my dollar store tape measure lacks is the warranty but for two bucks, I’m not worried and it works great.

A Jobmate 8oz claw hammer costs $3.99. I bought a small all metal claw hammer at Dollarama a few years ago for only $1 and have found nothing wrong with it. Mine has a similar faux leather grip on it.

A Jobmate eight inch adjustable wrench costs $7.99. I paid a buck for my seven and a half inch wrench with a rubber-wrapped handle.

The assortment of tools at a dollar store will vary from time to time and most of the ones at Dollarama are priced at two bucks but they’re still a darn good deal for something so well made.

Glassware: You can always find good quality glassware at the dollar store and I’ve bought my share of it. Most of the glasses are $1 each, including martini glasses and tumblers. At Walmart, a set of two martini glasses costs 8.97 however, you can get a set of six plain tumblers there for $6. That’s comparable to dollar store prices but at the dollar store you can have your pick of different styles and sizes.

As with most things at the dollar store, the stock available may be different from one month to the next and, occasionally, you’ll even find glasses from manufactures like Libby or Anchor Hocking on the shelves of a dollar store, a very good buy indeed.