We put together a bank vault Thursday. Not much to it but I thought somebody might find it interesting. I did 95% of the welding so I had a few minutes between each panel being set to snap a picture or two.
This is Kevin our official welder and fabricator. We traded because he’s very particular with the layout and setting of the panels. He does everything in thirty seconds, whereas I do everything in eghths or sixteenths. Way too sloppy for him. LOL Besides he welds all day everyday and I rarely get the chance. So whenever we work together we switch.He’s drilling holes for anchors to hold the steel base plate to the slab.
The crane sets the first panel into place. We tack weld it to the plate.
Then the second panel. Joe helps Kevin line it up and level everything. Then we tack them together. You can see in each corner that there are metal tabs embedded that’s where they are welded at.
“Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously.” G.K. Chesterton
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Just before we started the first panel Kevin and I were discussing our game plan. I leaned forward a little to hear what he was saying. At the same time the guys framing the wall behind us lost control of a 12' 2x6. It fell over behind me. It worked out so it just scraped the back off both of my calves. I was wearing heavy blue jeans so it didn't even scrape me. I just felt it. Had I not leaned forward a little it would have killed me or broken my neck. It was a real close call. Real close. Everyone was a little shook up. I laughed it off by cracking a joke about God loving me because I do his dirty work (Like marrying the people in the middle of the big mosh pit they call the Derby infield) I keep the other priests from getting dirty, and he has to keep me around. So we got a big laugh out of it.
I had to tell you all that to explain the next pic. I forgot to trade out my polyester gloves for leather welding gloves. I was in a hurry and totally forgot about it. Well when I was tacking the second panel up a spark got on my glove and burnt the polyester right into my thumb. I deserved it. Joe observed that I needed to stop making jokes about God cause he just gave me a God smack. SO no more God jokes the rest of the day.
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"Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously." G.K. Chesterton
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
OK back to work. I was still bouncing around and crying about my thumb while they set the next panel in place. I snapped this pic from a distance. Usually they don't have the walls framed up yet. It makes it a little harder but not a real big deal. You can also see the vault door sitting off to the right. It goes in last.
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After one side is set I can start welding it up. It gets pretty busy then becasue they are still settng panels while I'm welding. When they have one where they want it I have to break off what I'm doing and tack that one up. Less time for pictures.
This pic shows the walls built. Next is the header for the door. And the roof.
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Joe and Kevin set the header in place. Kevin is giving signals to another guy who is relaying them to the crane operator. I'm just picking my nose.
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Kevin welds in the header.
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"Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously." G.K. Chesterton
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
When they got back I had the walls done. I went to lunch while they set the roof.
Here's a shot from my truck of the roof going on.
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Justin and Joe caulked every seam while Kevin started welding the roof down. When I got finished eating I went back to welding while Keving built a box out of plywood to protect the vault door from the elements until the building is dried in.
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"Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously." G.K. Chesterton
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
Edited 5/19/2007 9:47 am ET by Gunner
After I got the roof welded up we got to work setting the vault door. We had set it with the crane a few feet away. This way we could move it into place with crow bars.
I stayed inside the vault to shim while they worked it into the opening.
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This is where the man in the box jokes really get going.
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After Kevin is happy with level and plumb I let out the jack legs from the side of the door. This holds it against the wall and helps to fine tune the swing. Remember this guy works in 32nds. You usualy have to throw somethng at him to get him to say he's happy. LOL But he's really good.
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Then the tension builds as the door is opened. This is always preceded by about five minutes of jokes about losing the combo, the lock is broke, your going to have to spend the night. Blah , blah, blah. Joe promised to take a straw and blow brown rice to me through a crack until I could be rescued. He's a pal.
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"Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously." G.K. Chesterton
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
The contractor will grout the door in after we are satisfied with the door not having any run in it. We couldn't guarantee it because it was too windy. You can't adjust it once it's grouted. After the building is dried in we'll check it again to make sure before we let him grout it.
The final touches. Wrapping the door in plastic and covering it with a plywood box. Then we rolled up and went home. Joe and Justin spent the night. They had some safe deposit boxes to install down the road the next day. Kevin and I rolled in about ten o'clock that night. We had taken down and moved a big steel ATM canopy and reinstalled it the day before and had already spent one night out.
This is Kevin screwing the top on. And Joe doing what he does best. Waiting on someone to remind him what he's supposed to do. He's a great guy. But a crappy helper.
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The final touches before saying kiss my Azz.
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"Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously." G.K. Chesterton
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
Thanks - Never seen anything quite like that going on.
And the day came when the risk to remain closed in a bud became more painful than the risk to blossom [Anais Nin]
I get involved in a lot of that LOL. Stuff you never quite seen before.
"Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously." G.K. Chesterton
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
Now I have a better idea of what I'm looking at in these pics.
[edit to add]
You hear about bank vaults surviving tornadoes. Do you think the vault you pictured would survive an F5? And if so, wonder why no one markets variations as tornado rooms for houses. Just crane it into the basement prior to the first floor going on.
jt8
"One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency." -- Arnold H. Glasgow
Edited 5/21/2007 11:47 am by JohnT8
"wonder why no one markets variations as tornado rooms for houses. Just crane it into the basement prior to the first floor going on."
It's fairly common to use a porch as a storm shelter. They pour full height foundation walls around it, and pour a concrete floor over the top. The house we live in has one like that.
I think that would be cheaper than buying a drop in precast one.
I Do Whatever My Rice Krispies Tell Me To
Accessed via the basement or through a trap door on the porch?
If I had turned my front porch into an entryway, I would have done something similar. Access door would have been in a coat closet.jt8
"One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency." -- Arnold H. Glasgow
They leave a door opening in the basement wall for access to the storm shelter. Looks like a regular RO for a door - It's just made of concrete.In my case, the concrete guy said it added $1,000 for the 8X8 area. (Back in 2001) Pretty cheap square footage.
Q: What's the difference between a poodle humping your leg and a pitbull humping your leg?
A: You let the pitbull finish.
Pretty cheap peace of mind when the sirens start their banshee wail.
jt8
"One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency." -- Arnold H. Glasgow
why no one markets variations as tornado rooms for houses.
Probably as A, has not been thought of yet, and B, those panels are between 8'-6" & 9'-0" tall, typically, and C, they are not going to "float" so good on those 2-3" basement slabs like they will on a turned-down foundation beam.
But, that's clean guessing on my part.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
After Katrina we were talking to some guys that were picking up SD boxes from vaults like we were. They had one bank in South Beach Mississippi I think it was that only had a vault left standing. If I remember correctly that was also close to where the center of the hurricane came ashore. If they are done correctly then it can take more then enough.
I have to go with Rons post about pouring under the porch. Way cheaper then buying a vault.
"Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously." G.K. Chesterton
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
" I have to go with Rons post about pouring under the porch. Way cheaper then buying a vault."
Wow.
I actually said something you AGREE with ???
Give it to me straight doctor, I can take it [Jonny Fever, WKRP in Cincinatti]
Well if we are going to be cowering under the porch together, hiding from the big one, we don't need any ill feelings. :)
"Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously." G.K. Chesterton
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
George Clooney viewed this thread, and I am sorry to report, that that bank's vault will be cracked.
You haven't seen my welding. It will probably fall over when he slams his car door out in the parking lot.
"Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously." G.K. Chesterton
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
Thanx for the post. Interesting work. Wiil the grout also make it fire proof?Chuck Slive, work, build, ...better with wood
It will help. The main thing it to hold the door in place. One thing I learned down in Louisiana after Katrina is they definitely aren't water proof.
"Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously." G.K. Chesterton
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
I was gonna crack a joke about whether, in addition to welding the panels you also caulked them. I guess you do !
cool stuff.
There are 4" square tabs in each corner. When you set a panel beside another you weld the tabs together. The roof Has a continuos metal piece all the way around that hits every tab. That's the only places that they are physically joined together. We caulk every joint to close it up all the way.
If I had been thinking I would have taken a picture of a panel close up. Taking the pictures was kind of a spur of the moment thing I did with my camera phone while I was waiting on another panel. It gets kind of rushed so I didn't take the time to narrow down each part. We are going to do another one in June. If I go on it I might try to take a different set of pics.
"Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously." G.K. Chesterton
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
Can you describe the construction (material, size, weight, etc.) of the panels?
Jon Blakemore
RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
They are concrete with rebar reinforcment. There is plenty of Rebar. You never have to move the ground clamp when welding there is so much rebar. The ground goes right through the concrete. As far as weight they are frigging heavy is all I know LOL. I'll have to look in my spec. book Monday to see for sure.
The atack time rating is something like 3 hours. And the concrete is somethng like 35,000 psi whatever that means.
"Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously." G.K. Chesterton
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
Gunner
Do you always install the vaults with panels?
30 plus years ago I worked for a company that was building a bank. I remember tying rerod in grids (3 layers of grids) with about 6" squares, all offseting each other so you couldnt even get your hand through the grid.
Then all that was formed and concrete poured to make a vault.
Maybe this is an outdated practice - time thing and all that.
I imagine panels made in a shop somewhere would be cheaper then tying rerod, forming walls and pouring ther concrete all on site. Not real sure.
Doug
It's still pretty common to pour vaults. It's just a matter of preference. There's also some tax loop hole that lets you write a modular vault down as a write off for a number of years because it is technicaly portable.
And yes we have taken them apart and moved them so it isn't just BS.
"Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously." G.K. Chesterton
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
George Clooney here. How about a detailed description of the slab directly underneath the vault?
ThanksLive in the solution, not the problem.
Regular old slab on this one George.:) Some of them come with reinforced panels for the floor.
You bank equipment guys are all the same. It's not quite "regular old slab" for the floor. Mine have a 1'-6" thick slab with 4 layers of #5 bar 4" oc each way. We embed the base plate when the slab is poured.
I don't have any current pictures taken from the owners perspective, but I have a vault going in the first week of June so I'll try to get some. Our panels are 2 ft wide and made of a lightweight concrete with some type of heat resisting additive. Lightweight is a relative term, they are still dang heavy. Supposedly the additive helps to dissipate the heat of a cutting torch to make it harder to break in.
On the door ... one problem is that, once it gets moving, it's hard to stop. You really have to impress on the newer bank employees that when it starts to open or close, don't get in the way. if it looks like the door is going to slam shut, let it go. And we use a pretty stout floor stop to save the wall.
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
It's poured when we get there. LOL This one was an after thought so it didn't get the metal strips like normal.
Who did you buy your vault from?
We buy from a local bank equipment company, Security Corporation. They are not as Diebold rep.
Actually, safe dposit boxes are not a profit center, but they are a valuable part of a whole banking package.
One reason for not keeping the teller drawers in the SD vault is that the vault is usually out in the lobby, so anytinme the teller has to carry her drawer to the vault, or go buy money from the vault, there is exposure and risk. We use a large safe behind the teller line.
We are going to a self-service vault with a palm reader. Once the account is set up, tthe customer can access their SD box with no assisatnce from bank employees."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
It's actually rare anymore to put up a vault. With electronic security being what it is now days They are really not needed. And like you pointed out. It's not safe to have all that money out in the lobby. Big safes behind closed doors are pretty normal. Same with self serve boxes in the lobby.
We converted a vault to self service boxes with the palm reader a few years ago. Pretty slick. They had several hi use customers like travel agents that visited every day. It made it much smoother for everyone. Someday when I'm having a few beers and dreaming big ask me about my plans for my very own Safe Deposit box.
Do you guys use any Diebold equipment?
"Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously." G.K. Chesterton
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
Every region in the bank except ours uses Diebold. I don't know if it's the local rep or what, but my boss drew a line in the sand and said we refuse to use diebold."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
LOL One bad salesman can kill a good thing. I was just curious because I went to school with the Job site coordinator for Virginia last year. Great guy. I just wanted to know if you knew him.
"Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously." G.K. Chesterton
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
You bank equipment guys are all the same. It's not quite "regular old slab" for the floor. Mine have a 1'-6" thick slab with 4 layers of #5 bar 4" oc each way. We embed the base plate when the slab is poured
That sounds more reasonable. About what I expected.
Thanks Eddie,
GeorgeLive in the solution, not the problem.
Geting ready to pour a branch bank slab next week, here is the rebar under the vault. 4 layers #5 at 5" (i think) each way, slab here is 18" thick.
The plates you see are the embedded weld plates that the vault panels are welded to. I think they are 12" x 1/2" with a bunch of j-bolts on the bottom."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
That's a vault slab.
Years ago I was involved with installing a Nuclear accelator for a Hospital's Oncology Department. The walls, floors and ceiling were done with # 6 bar, 24" thick lead lined. A 48" square pier went to bedrock to support the lead lined door for the radiation therapy suite. The original contractor put in a hinged door. He replaced/ repaired that door three times. We were called in and converted the door to a pivot door. No call backs.
Chuck Slive, work, build, ...better with wood
I imagine panels made in a shop somewhere would be cheaper
Yeah, Diebold offers a nice package deal, with the safe deposit boxes and door and all; so the precast panels make a lot of design sense.
Except, sometimes, in TI work--but, that gets to whether it's a branch bank or the like, and the various state banking rules. I know our various bank clients love renting safe deposit boxes, as it's real steady income for what is not a huge up-front investment.
Funniest part is that such vaults are almost never used to hold teller tills anymore (that would take up space that could be rented out in boxes).Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Cool pics. I helped with a job real similar to that a few years ago. Remodeled a building from a flower shop into a small branch bank. We didn't have the luxury of no roof on tho. Brought everything in with a skidloader through an opening we made in the side of the building, eventually that opening became the drive-up window.
What I thought was cool was the tolerances on that vault door. Amazing how something that heavy could open & close so easy.
Mike
Yea we've installed them like that. Kevin was telling me the other day that they did one in a basement one time. They had to lower the panels down an elevator shaft. He's done some pretty cool stuff.
They have to make them real easy to open and close. They don't want some little hundred pound old lady having to strain to open or close the door. That' salso why you don't want any travel.
"Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously." G.K. Chesterton
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
Sure is a lot of superfluous questions here.
Someone has to ask the important one...
What's the combo to that door ?
;o)
They come set on 50. Simple as that. When we turn everything over to the customer we set them at whatever they want. Then it's four sets of numbers. And for the life of me I can't remember the combo a minute after I set it.
In addition, most of them have timed locks that will not let you in even if you know the combination. IE, the bank closes at 5, it is set on a 14 hour timer to not let anyone in until 7 the next morning when the bank opens.
Wow, is that Diebold?
I'm still mentally adjusting to a wood-framed bank (all of ours are galvanized framing).
Yep it's a Diebold. They have Lindsay concrete build them for them.
Yep it's a Diebold
Thought I recognized that door jamb from having stuck that detail on plans oh so many times . . .
Having the GC grout the door "cures" many of the "problems" created by letting a Diebold sub do that ahead of the people putting drywall on furring on the panels (or so I'm told <g>).Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
That and we charge too much to dob mud in a crack. :)
"Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously." G.K. Chesterton
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
i don't want to rain on your parade here cause this is a cool thread,
but...
where the hell were your hard-hats ?
a ton of overhead work with a crane setting steel panels ?
and you almost got killed and still no helmets in the pictures.
come on guys.
work safe.
carpenter in transition
We are too cool for safety.
Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese. G.K Chesterton
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
Gunner - I just saw this thread so didn't really read all the replys, so I hope this hasn't been covered:
How are the exterior walls of the building to be insulated?
The building itself? Whatever the contractor decides on. We are only erecting the vault. It has no insulation.
Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese. G.K Chesterton
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
How are HVAC (if any) or electrial penetrations handled?
No HVAC There are four or five electrical and alarm penetrations already in the header. Usualy that's more then enough.
Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese. G.K Chesterton
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
I thought those things were supposed to have positive air flow ???
Fight fire with water.
Not that one. There is a ventilator built into the door in case you get locked in.
Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese. G.K Chesterton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPONTneuaF4
They do make precast concrete storm shelters. They are much smaller than a vault so they are cast in only one or two pieces, kind of like a septic tank. I've seen them dropped into basements a couple of times around here in tornado alley. Kind of a 8x8x7 box thing with an in-swing steel door. Although steel boxes set into a garage floor are becoming more popular around here. They can fairly easily be retrofitted into an existing house and run $3000 to $5000 installed IIRC. Steel Boxes
http://www.smartsafeshelters.com/index.htmlConcrete boxes
http://www.hausners.com/index.cfm?id=14Day
I jokingly told friends that I was going to replace the 3" ABS with culvert and convert the old septic tank into a tornado shelter. Just drop into the crawlspace and wriggle down the culvert to the 'shelter' :)
jt8
"One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency." -- Arnold H. Glasgow
Looks like it will be extremely difficult to insulate some areas of the building's exterior walls with the vault in the way.
Well we aint moving it. LOL. I'm assuming the exterior walls are sheeted by now. They probably insulated before they sheeted.
Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese. G.K Chesterton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPONTneuaF4
I will get some pics of the exterior construction. We do not normally put hvac inside the vault. Gunner is right that there is a ventilator incase you get locked in, and we install a phone in the vault too. The temp inside the vault is almost never a problem. One or two fluorescent fixtures, no windows, and the door stays open all day, so it assumes the ambient room temp. Only real problem is if someone goes into the vault and breaks wind."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
"Only real problem is if someone goes into the vault and breaks wind."
I have been that guy. :) About five years ago we were getting ready to do a box move. Friday afternoon the branch was packed. We were a little early. We went inside to survey everything and decided to go ahead and break the boxes loose.
I let out a fart that was spectacular. From my point of view, that is. Right after the release and just before everyone in the vault caught a whiff of it. It was decided that myself and another guy should go get the bars and the rollers. Keep in mind that the bank was PACKED. I turned around as I was getting ready to walk out the door and looked at the guys in the vault. They had tears in their eyes and a helpless looking plea. I smiled and waved at them, then whispered to the other guy telling him what I had done.
We still laugh about it today. That one was a legend. Not many of those happen.
Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese. G.K Chesterton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPONTneuaF4
Edited 6/1/2007 11:08 pm ET by Gunner
Edited 6/1/2007 11:10 pm ET by Gunner
Sorry. My Q was off topic. What I was was wondering was how the building's exterior walls were to be insulated with a un-movable object (the vault) within a foot or less of some of the exterior walls. It looked like once the walls sheathed that access would be extremely difficult. Maybe they were to install the sheathing after insulation was put on, but it would seem like the insulation might likely get wet in a building that isn't dried in. Plus, normally, some kind of interior wall finish is applied to cover over the insulation and help hold it in place. Who knows... maybe they will fill the entire cavity between the ext wall sheathing and the vault with loose fill insulation. Or, maybe they will use 4" of rigid foam on the exterior... Again, just wondering.
Nothing to do with HVAC or insulation or anything like that for the vault itself. I guess I was kinda looking at the big picture. Looking at the big picture - that's your job too... Isn't it?
BTW - after looking at that rebar "mat" that is going under your vault, I'd hate to be the guy who has to demo that in a hundred years or whatever...
Off hand I forget how we insulate the wall adjacent to the vault ... I'll look next week. But as far as finishing the wall, usually the sheetrock just dies into the side of the vault, so there's nothing but studs behind the vault. I'll post a picture in about 2 weeks. The slab is supposed to pour Monday and the vault goes in the following Monday."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
When they pour the concrete around that rebar mat, I'd be curious to know if they vibrate it and what ad-mixtures are in the concrete. It would list the admixes on the concrete ticket. Also, did they tie that rod on site or was it assembled someplace else and then bought to site and set into place with heavy equipment? I'm guessing off-site assembly...
The mats were tied adjacent to the final locsation and lifted into place one at a time with this mini-excavator. I'll get a copy of the concrete test and post the results. I sure hope they use a vibrator.
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"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Here is a picture after the slab has been poured. You can see the top of the embedded weld plate. The vault is supposed to start next Wed.
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"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
So the panels are getting welded straight to the embedded plate? We did one in Evansville Monday. They had an embedded plate for just the vault door. I don''t know why other then it's the heaviest piece.
I'm Huge In Japan!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPONTneuaF4
How do you secure the vault walls to the slab if there is not an embedded plate?"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
The panels come with steel plates that we anchor to the slab.
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I'm Huge In Japan!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPONTneuaF4
I remember that now. "Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
I like your system better. Cuts at least an hour out of laying the plates out and anchoring them.
I'm Huge In Japan!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPONTneuaF4
But my way is harder to get the slab finished, and there's always the chance the plate is off."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
True. OK In a perfect world I like yours better. LOL
I'm Huge In Japan!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPONTneuaF4
You build that vault yet?
I'm Huge in Japan!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPONTneuaF4
Started yesterday.
(I uploaded duplicate pictures, there's only three for this post.)
Here are some of the panels just off the truck. We use 9" thick panels, which weigh about 2700 pounds each. There is a sheetmetal form, basically a 5-sided box, that is filled with concrete. Then the edges of the sheetmetal are welded together. The panels are numbered sequentially, and they are kept in that order.
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A rough terrain fork lift takes it to the building slab and sets it down balanced on a 4x4, and then the crew rotates it so the small forklift can get to the lifting bolt. By balancing it on the 4x4, actually with a thick shim on top of the 4x4, it spins pretty easily. They use a variety of 2" square shims in this business to get safes to sit level on the floor. They vary from 1/16" to maybe 3/8" thick.
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There is one lifting point. They had to flip the forks upside down because of headroom clearance. There is a magnetic stabila stuck to this one. If it is setting solid, it is pretty stable.
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"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Edited 6/14/2007 7:44 am ET by FastEddie
Edited 6/14/2007 7:47 am ET by FastEddie
More of yesterday's install. I could not stay all day and did not go back today, so all I have is the first several panels. I will get some pics f how the exterior wall ties into the vault.
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This is from a ladder looking down on the top of the panel being lifted into place. They use a pipe clamp to help align the panels. You can see the lifting eye where it is hooked to the chain.
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Pushing the panel into position. You can see the embedded plate in the slab. This is the lead guy for the crew, been doing it for a long time. He showed me his index finger where a panel dropped on it one time, mashed the last inch flatter than a shim. The doctors were able to get it back into shape pretty well, and he has pretty good use of it.
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Here he is using the fine adjusting tool to get the panel right on the line. When it's right he will weld about 3" every foot. I was a litle surprised that they don't do a full-length weld.
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This is where I had to go back to the office."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Looks nice. My boss has one in his barn like that one. He took it out of a bank somewhere and then put it up in his private barn/shop.Too bad they didn't get to build it before that second floor was put up. I'd rather use the crane..
I'm Huge in Japan!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPONTneuaF4
I missed this thread, quite cool.
I thought you were a banker, not a bank builder. LOL
I'm a man of many talents.