Custom Galvanized Sheet Metal Ash Box

The benefit of our fabrication shop is the ability to fabricate small numbers of custom projects for a range of products. Our main focus being HVAC custom ductwork and fittings, but we fabricate a lot of specialty items for many of our customers.

Last week I received a request through our website for a custom 15" x 15" x 15" ash box with a sliding top cover. For some reason my immediate thought was urn or something like it. However, I was completely wrong, the customer was only looking for a box to rake old ash and embers from an outdoor grilling station. 

I had a tiny idea of what he might be talking about, growing up in a house with a wood stove and many family members with the same. Nevertheless, asking for any documentation or drawings is always worth asking. I emailed a request for a picture or something he could draw to give me a starting point. Surprising to me, he had a picture of exactly what he needed.

Receiving a quality photo of what the customer needs is rare, with me usually coming up with something on the fly or deciphering a crude drawing on a scrap sheet of paper.  This is a rare and extremely beneficial occasion. 

The customer requested I do my best to keep it as waterproof as possible because the box would reside outside most of the time. My goal was to keep the simplicity of the box he had sent me thereby keeping the cost down.  Needless to say this was not the most difficult of fabrications, but that doesn't mean I don't keep all customer requests in mind and do my best with each order.

I got to work and basically made the same box with a few minor adjustments to the original design with the biggest one being to the sliding cover. The extended handle was unnecessary, so I simply rolled a hem flange up with a 1/2" extension down to help keep any water from running down inside the box.  You can see this depicted in one of the photos below.

The finished box is not completely waterproof mind you, but any chance to keep water out is a good thing and something I kept in mind. Hence the cross break on the cover, helping runoff of any water, keeping it from pooling on the top. There is also a 1/4" extension at the opposite end of the cover to help with water drainage.

My goal with any customer is to make sure they get what they're paying for no matter how simple the request may be. It's always fun to fabricate the more intricate items, but the simple pieces are the ones people remember because they usually solve a simple problem. Every customer is important.

Plus, they're the first ones to promote you when things come up in conversation.

How I Rid My Desk of Paper Mountains

I am a note taker, heartbreaker, dream maker.....you know the rest.

I scribble everything on whatever I can find. Fabrication orders, notes, thoughts, you name it for work and life. The office at the fabrication shop littered with scraps of paper listed with measurements, stuffed in folders or drawers for reference and invoicing ect. I would have notes from previous months just stacked up for no reason.

The whole disorganized situation and process became a metaphor for my brain in general. I needed something to get rid of the clutter and still keep me on task. My file system was stupid and broken.

Then I downloaded Evernote.

Wow! What a product and I am now kicking myself for not heeding the warning of others I had read or heard about who praised the service months before. Paper? What paper?

My desk and mind have been transformed into a cornucopia of organization. I can transfer from email, my iPad notebook app, take pictures of paper notes and drawings. Yes I still take good old fashion notes, difference being I immediately recycle the paper after. Nothing is stored in a folder, cluttering a cabinet.

The bottom line being, Evernote has made my daily life simpler in regards to organizing and getting things done at the fabrication shop. Errands are easier to remember and get done. Believe me, I have tried many calenders, task apps, the whole lot of them are mostly terrible. Evernote and a Chrome app I use, Workflowy, are the creme de la creme and have helped me get and stay organized.

Then today I read an interesting little tid bit. Evernote has made a deal with 3m company's Post-it note where you can take a picture of your post-its and Evernote's software can recognize and organize your sticky notes. No more sea of Post-it notes littering your desk and office.

From Wall Street Journal Digits Blog

Evernote’s software will be able to recognize the sticky notes’ distinctive colors and help organize them within the app. In other words, Evernote’s 75 million users may soon say goodbye to the legions of Post-its hanging from bathroom mirrors, car dashboards and computer screens in favor of thumbnail photos of their scribbling.

3M says the app partnership is a natural evolution for people who prefer to jot things down — but are looking for more efficient ways to organize all those ideas. “Paper really is still the easiest way to write a thought down and remember it,” said Jesse Singh, vice president of 3M’s stationery and office supplies division. “This partnership seemed an obvious choice for us for the brand.”

I had read Evernote and Moleskine notebooks had struck a deal as well, which I use and love, with this same technology. I have not yet tried either the Moleskine or the Post-its, but it won't be long until I do.

If you're a note taker like me, run a small business where jotting things down is a must, then Evernote will be your best friend.

I love when technology and the real world make nice and come up with great and innovative things. People will always take notes with paper and pen. Evernote just helps to organize those musings in a simple and easy to use web based service.