Overheard a foreman say fitting gaps under an inch are free, had to walk away

Was on a shutdown job in Gary last month and this old foreman starts going off about how anyone who spends time filing a gap under an inch is stealing time from the company. Said he cuts everything hot and lets the weld pull it together. I always thought that was hack work but he's run crews for 20 years and his X-rays pass more than mine do. Got me thinking about how much time I waste chasing perfect fit-ups on stuff that gets covered in 3 passes anyway. What's your cutoff? Do you guys leave a 3/8 gap or are you still trying to touch everything up to 1/16?

2 comments

2 Comments

zarat374d ago

Worked pipeline in west Texas for 8 years and my cutoff moved from 1/16 up to about 3/8 on root passes once I saw how much time I was burning. The trick for me was learning which gaps actually matter, like on pressure vessels or anything with back purge, versus structural stuff that's getting capped anyway. Still keep a tape handy though, that foreman's right about speed but he's wrong if he thinks zero prep work ever bites you. I've had two cracks come back on me from lazy fit-up and that's a way more expensive lesson than filing a little extra steel.

the_lucas4d agoMost Upvoted

Man, thermal expansion on those hot lines makes all the gap math pointless anyway.