There’s Nothing Better Than Being Orbital
The number of times orbital welding has saved my career is embarrassing. Having worked in construction for the past decade, I’m all too aware that every project has its unforeseen problems. It can be something as trivial as accidentally welding a door shut to a disaster like forgetting to build a bathroom on the second floor. Most of the time, though, the issues are a matter of not having the right equipment around to get things done on schedule.
If I need to run a gas line through a load-bearing wall, the odds are that I’m not going to have the means to do it simply because it wasn’t in the original planning. Even the smaller considerations of that task probably aren’t accounted for. Orbital is on my speed-dial simply because I know they’ll have the stuff I need for a reasonable price and a timely delivery.
Rental is generally looked down upon in the construction industry. Unions and suppliers always have a problem with outsourcing something as basic as welding equipment. The reality of the situation is that I can never completely map out the variables a project, and I have to go to most cost-effective solution.
There’s definitely something to be said about the value of the rental industry. If I’m paying a tradesman, I want to make sure he’s doing his job instead of waiting around for the right tools to appear. The axiom that ‘time is money’ is absolutely true and I’d rather spend the money than waste the time.
