Pbandcra
MemberGot rid of the matchlight.
Funny post here and I have some strong input because my younger brother showed me this post a month or so ago just after we had purchased a pit from this same outfit you mention. So, I made a account for myself, not to blemish his reputation on this forum as member of the BBQ community. However, I decided against responding and let it go, until tonight.
We saw a similar attack on Instagram over the weekend by Texas pit builder Mill Scale on JD's (owner of Workhorse Pits ) Primitive Pits account. He brought Moberg into the classless drama and they both seemingly attacked Primitive Pits. No, the attack was not about "Ebay welders" or tack welds, but it bothered me to my core and I decided it was time to respond to this post.
I, sir am a master welder. I have mastered every type of welding process and position there is and at the highest certified level. I was trained in the Navy and welded 10 years on vessels that float and fly. I've spent almost 10 years as a civilian welding for a major airline. I am one of a handful of humans welding on airplanes in the repair status. I count my hood time by years, not hours. My welds come under scrutiny and are X-rayed weekly.
You have attacked a weld you have no proof is actually a tack weld, even though I can see where you take the puddling and assume tacks. However, not sure if you thought through ANY logic as to how long it takes to weld one piece of trim with tacks, but you still went there with no hesitation. You did however pile on a bunch of assumptions including the Ebay welders, novice fabricators and essentially you must be one of the guys from Moberg or Mill Scale. You seem to be really loyal.
My brother and I began shopping for a pit two years ago to add to our growing catering operation. We thought about building a pit, but I was not able to dedicate the time and we both felt there was some tricky science that went beyond fabrication.
He did most of the legwork, as his job allows time for such. He searched and found some reputable builders. He got pricing and lead times. He also looked at who the builder built pits for. We chose Primitive Pits (same owner as Workhorse) for three reasons. 1. Referral from a very popular Austin, Tx BBQ joint who owns both Moberg and Primitive. 2. Price (45% LESS than Mill Scale and Moberg) 3. my brother was impressed with the BBQ knowledge and the dedication to start up BBQ joints after talking to the owner on the phone.
This past summer we went to pick up our pit together. We visited the shop the day the pit was ready and just a week before Workhorse launched. We got a grand tour from the lady (Ashly) who runs the office. We saw a few guys working on pits at Primitive's (using Miller machines by the way) and then went next door to Workhorse where we saw another six to eight guys working (using Miller machines by the way).
The owner (JD) was at Workhorse and we were able to have a visit and ask some questions. I asked him about the build of our pit and then he toured us around the Workhorse shop and showed us these EXACT welds you described as tacks.
I personally lifted the door and inspected. The penetration was textbook on both the door and the end caps. We even met one of the fabricators responsible for the weld. He was laying a tight bead down on a piece for a fire pit. Again, textbook. So textbook, I took a photo of it. Nothing at all like the trim. We talked 20 minutes and he said they had worked hard at giving the smoker a nice character and still provide penetration.
We watched for another 30 minutes and then hooked up our pit and left. Our pit cooks outstanding. Best move we've made so far and in the end, that is what we continually hear about the pits coming from Primitive. They cook outstanding.
Funny how the perspective of someone behind a keyboard who knows so much about welding would be able to see the penetration of a weld. It is also interesting to me the effort you went through with photos showing the face of these welds, but not the backside penetration.
You sir, are probably responsible for Workhorse losing one or more customers over such uneducated assumption. Shame on you! Last, years of skill on display at Mill Scale?? Moberg, yes. Mill Scale, no welds available on IG. Not sure how you get this view of their welds but we cannot?
However, I would bet Workhorse has 120 years of skill on display. I'd seriously encourage you to go visit before spreading such BS. You'd see those guys aren't what you have painted them to be in your poor attempt to discredit them. If by chance you are their jealous competitor, shame on you for the trash comment on Saturday. We that saw it, see jealous bullies, not BBQ pit builders.
We saw a similar attack on Instagram over the weekend by Texas pit builder Mill Scale on JD's (owner of Workhorse Pits ) Primitive Pits account. He brought Moberg into the classless drama and they both seemingly attacked Primitive Pits. No, the attack was not about "Ebay welders" or tack welds, but it bothered me to my core and I decided it was time to respond to this post.
I, sir am a master welder. I have mastered every type of welding process and position there is and at the highest certified level. I was trained in the Navy and welded 10 years on vessels that float and fly. I've spent almost 10 years as a civilian welding for a major airline. I am one of a handful of humans welding on airplanes in the repair status. I count my hood time by years, not hours. My welds come under scrutiny and are X-rayed weekly.
You have attacked a weld you have no proof is actually a tack weld, even though I can see where you take the puddling and assume tacks. However, not sure if you thought through ANY logic as to how long it takes to weld one piece of trim with tacks, but you still went there with no hesitation. You did however pile on a bunch of assumptions including the Ebay welders, novice fabricators and essentially you must be one of the guys from Moberg or Mill Scale. You seem to be really loyal.
My brother and I began shopping for a pit two years ago to add to our growing catering operation. We thought about building a pit, but I was not able to dedicate the time and we both felt there was some tricky science that went beyond fabrication.
He did most of the legwork, as his job allows time for such. He searched and found some reputable builders. He got pricing and lead times. He also looked at who the builder built pits for. We chose Primitive Pits (same owner as Workhorse) for three reasons. 1. Referral from a very popular Austin, Tx BBQ joint who owns both Moberg and Primitive. 2. Price (45% LESS than Mill Scale and Moberg) 3. my brother was impressed with the BBQ knowledge and the dedication to start up BBQ joints after talking to the owner on the phone.
This past summer we went to pick up our pit together. We visited the shop the day the pit was ready and just a week before Workhorse launched. We got a grand tour from the lady (Ashly) who runs the office. We saw a few guys working on pits at Primitive's (using Miller machines by the way) and then went next door to Workhorse where we saw another six to eight guys working (using Miller machines by the way).
The owner (JD) was at Workhorse and we were able to have a visit and ask some questions. I asked him about the build of our pit and then he toured us around the Workhorse shop and showed us these EXACT welds you described as tacks.
I personally lifted the door and inspected. The penetration was textbook on both the door and the end caps. We even met one of the fabricators responsible for the weld. He was laying a tight bead down on a piece for a fire pit. Again, textbook. So textbook, I took a photo of it. Nothing at all like the trim. We talked 20 minutes and he said they had worked hard at giving the smoker a nice character and still provide penetration.
We watched for another 30 minutes and then hooked up our pit and left. Our pit cooks outstanding. Best move we've made so far and in the end, that is what we continually hear about the pits coming from Primitive. They cook outstanding.
Funny how the perspective of someone behind a keyboard who knows so much about welding would be able to see the penetration of a weld. It is also interesting to me the effort you went through with photos showing the face of these welds, but not the backside penetration.
You sir, are probably responsible for Workhorse losing one or more customers over such uneducated assumption. Shame on you! Last, years of skill on display at Mill Scale?? Moberg, yes. Mill Scale, no welds available on IG. Not sure how you get this view of their welds but we cannot?
However, I would bet Workhorse has 120 years of skill on display. I'd seriously encourage you to go visit before spreading such BS. You'd see those guys aren't what you have painted them to be in your poor attempt to discredit them. If by chance you are their jealous competitor, shame on you for the trash comment on Saturday. We that saw it, see jealous bullies, not BBQ pit builders.
My opinion...
Workhorse Pits "tack-tac-tack" welds. Not acceptable at all in any way, shape or form. I never in my life seen any pit builder resort to this. You can see each weld theres a "blob" with a dimple in the middle. That's because it's not a weld bead, just a bunch of overlaying tacks. They just strung together a bunch of temporary tacks in a line in attempt to make it look pretty. There's not going to be any proper fusion at all. This is what you do when you first buy a welder off Ebay and keep blowing holes in everything because you don't know what you're doing, but want the "stack of dimes" look. You will resort to doing this "tack tack tack" method. In the bottom picture it's an outside corner joint, and the tacks don't even fill up the bevel. I'm totally stunned to see a "pit builder" doing this in a commercial setting. The "tack tack tack" is what you do on body panel sheet metal. Not 3/8ths thick steel.
The entire pits are done using this horrible "tack" method. You can see each weld blob has a dimple in it.
Here's a Moberg. That's a proper weld and solid bead. No dimples. That will hold up to any test and last a million years.
Here's a Millscale Metal Works weld. This is years of skill on full display. Pure art. This is what the Workhorse guy is trying to emulate, but he can't do it because he can't weld. So he does the "tack-tack-tack" method to get close as possible and it just results in blob mess all over the smoker.