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I'm very OCD and I need everything neat and in its own bin . So when I get some aluminum or copper that's too big to fit in my drum I cut it up so it'll fit. Do you guys feel as I'm wasting my time or is it something that you guys do as well ? I also don't cut them up right away I put them to the side with my "breakdown " stuff such as TV and computers to do when I have off time.
If that's how you want to process your scrap, then you're not wasting your time. Everybody has their own way of doing things. For example, I cannot stand to have screws, small pieces of plastic, metal or wire laying around on the floor. I always keep my work area picked up and swept.
Some may think it is a waste of time. I say what ever works for u do it. I have bins that I place stuff in too, mostly large totes, plastic oh and milk crates for some stuff. I do cut up some things to make sure they fit into there prospective tub properly, so that when it is full, I know it is full as it can get.
So I don't think what u do is really a waste of time, as long as it doesn't take away from gathering or production per say.
I had some large alum tubes (about 10ft. long) that I did not feel was worth my time to cut down so I put a bungee cord around them and threw them in with a load of alum. and my yard took it as normal. They would not have payed me more to spend 20 min. cutting it down.
If its aluminum I usually break it over my knee until it fits in the drum. As for steel, unless there's no other way to fit it in with my load I leave as is with the exception of long steel pipes that I will bend in half using my trailer tongue for leverage. Copper is soft so I just stuff it in the barrel and pack it down with my sledge. If I had the time to cut it all up and the money to spend on fuel/blades etc to cut it with I would probably have an easier time fitting more weight in one load.
What do you use to cut? If its a grinder with a cutoff wheel you are literally burning money unless you're using it to cut windings. And for a torch in my opinion the only thing worth cutting is super long pipe and compressors. Save ur used up blades or keep track of ur fuel and u may be suprised at how much u spend on being neat.
A while back I did a clean out of a warehouse/thrift store and they had like dozens of these cheap cutoff wheels so I use them for the thin aluminum and I only cut down what I need to fit in a drum like aluminum and copper all my steel goes as is
On the soft copper pipe you can use the brush loppers and it will slice right thru the tubing.
I'm not familiar with the name mechanic do you have a pic ?
Mech is talking about tree trimmers/stick cutters. I use a medium size wire cutter for cutting pipe up to 1". I like to bend my wire to fit in bins if possible. Always nice to make your loads manageable. OCD can be good at times
I have a 6 foot stepside chevy so its only a 4x6ish bed. I don't cut anything unless I can do so with tin snips. Usually I will just disassemble until I can put stuff inside of it or bend it to take up less space. But I also do the same as gamedayron, and put certain things with Al and Cu into a "breakdown" pile for when I have time. Also, I just like taking things apart to see how they work.
Oh okay yeah I have a few of those laying around , I'll give them a shot next time
I deal with OCD too, everything has to be organized and clean. Drives me crazy when I get odd-shaped stuff that doesn't fit with the others. When it starts getting in my way I go nuts on it with the sawzall, sledge hammer or whatever feels good at the time lol. Being organized saves space and you can haul more to the yard in one trip too. Good thing I don't do this for a living or I'd be broke, the yard doesn't pay me extra for having nice neat stacks of stuff...
There's a sense of satisfaction to it, so if it feels good, do it.
http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/03/53/55...26_500X500.jpgQuote:
Originally Posted by gamedayron
Check out this equation; 2muchtime + on1item = lessprofit. It's common assessment. It's like spending and hour to extract copper from a motor. When it's all said and done if you get all the separation done, the you can make is about $2.50. Is your hour worth that little? Don't waste your time cutting, just get help for your OCDism.
I have one of those harbor freight cutoff saws with an abrasive wheel. I do cut copper tubing to fit in a trash can, lengths of about four feet. The saw is always set up so it's no big deal.