My 'REAL' world by neiwil
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Description
One of the reasons 3D has been thin on the ground in my Gallery of late is the intrussion of that awfull four letter word 'work'...
For the last 17yrs on and off I've been a lane tech in a ten pin bowling alley (or 2 ).It's very interesting though the better the tech's the less there is to do, so it can be boreing at times.
The images above are of the business end of an AMF 90 XLi Pinsetter.The main parts in image 1 are the 'pin elevator wheel',hidden behind the black surround.The 'distributor' visible at the top.'The tubular frame, tail plank and curtain', the plank of wood running through the middle.And the 'carpet' at the bottom which loops around the 'bounce plates'.
Part of a Tech's job is to keep all this clean and running smoothly, this is ongoing all year round.However once a year we have the 'BIG JOB', and all of this has to come out for inspection, lubrication and a little T.L.C...
First job is to remove the Light Ball Sensor (L.B.S)(image 2) this is a swinging arm with a paddle on the end and sits between each pair of pinsetters.It controls the return of bowling balls by only allowing one ball to leave the machine at a time, a bit like traffic control.
Next we remove the distributor, image 3 shows it on the workbench in the process of overhaul.
Now the fun bit, out comes the tubular frame assembly (awkward and bloody heavy) you can see it in the centre of image 4, were we also have the L.B.S at right and the next bit of the puzzle,the front roller.After this comes the rear roller which appears in image 5.
Finaly the carpet and bounce plates, my least favourite part.For this you have to be in the machine, and it's a dead lift of the whole 40kg onto the pindeck.For this you are bent double and straddling the thing! it's such fun..The carpet and bounce plates are then slid out the front of the machine onto the lane.Here they are checked for wear and tear and nuts and bolts are tightened.
Image 5 shows everything out, and the reason the back end is called 'the pits'.Before the advent of automated pinsetters it was just this 'a pit' with a low wall around it.Youngsters were employed to sit on the wall and after you'd bowled they would jump down and throw your ball back along the gutter and re-set the pins.
Well, I hope that's of some little interest, now if you'll excuse me I have to put all this back together again.Total time for everything out and back in 3hrs, my personal best 2hrs 35mins.A manager once pointed out that as a 'shift' is 8hrs, surely you could do 2 a day....I think the manager was offended by the reply.....
Remember next time you go bowling, ask to speak to the Tech,shake his hand and tell him what a fine job he does.......no, nobody ever does!
Comments (11)
android65mar
So that's what the back of a bowling alley looks like! Funny that as I only went ten-pin bowling as a part of a 'team-building' day on Tuesday. Kind of rich considering we won't be a team for much longer and only a small fraction of us will continue working it seems. Wouldn't like to get caught up in any of this, do you find skeletons of 19th Century children lurking at the back sometime where they got stuck?
debbielove
Good luck with all that! lol ;-) Experience counts on this job by the look of it mate.. I don't envy you the 40(oddly weighted item...I don't do foreign.. A weight system we had forced on us, no one asked, I do pounds and ounces.. Still ask for it a markets and stores.. And, if they won't, can't sell it to me in that way.. I walk off..) I digress, I don't envy you the heavy bit! LOL Good luck.. Rob
kjer_99
Oh come on, Neil! You can't fool us. That's no bowling alley. Obviously, you're just taking photos around your aircraft factory! Heh! Nice to learn a bit more about you and your life. Like your models and histories--interesting.
bmac62
Ah ha, reading Rob's comment I see another bit of the attraction of the US...we still do pounds and ounces. The only place metrics has worked its way in is in manufacturing where the builder wants to sell to countries "overseas"...automobiles, trucks, airplanes and now I guess pin setters...or have we allowed the manufacturing of pin setters to slide off to Mexico or China? Very interesting to see what you do for a living and to see what goes on in the real world of bowling alleys! I have bowled for years and never seen what goes on behind the curtains. Yesterday, Tara and I got a whole new bowling experience. Have you seen/tried bowling using Xbox 360 Kinect? It is really quite amazing...but I am sure it won't be putting you out of work anytime soon. There is still a lot of magic in laying down a 16 pound ball on polished hardwood and watching the pins splash assuming you can hit the headpin somewhere in the process:)
warder348
Seems to be quite a bit of work, a lot more than meets the eye when your standing on the other side with a bowling ball in your hand. Your a jack of all trades Neiwil, quite adept at everything you do. A master modeler and a bowling alley guru!
pat40
Very interesting
blinkings
Ha that's amazing. And here is me thinking the fairies did it! And even though we have the metric system. I still use feet and inches as well. A 'foot' is such a nice easy unit of measure if you ask me! I worked for my Dad for years as a student. He had a building and plumbing company, and they still used the old measurements years after they were supposed to have switched to metric. I'm not a qualified builder or plumber though..........I just dug their ditches for them and was a general 'dogs body'!!!! There was something very satisfying about manual labor for me. I would go home physically tired but not stressed out if that makes sense. Hmmmmmm, they were the days!
UVDan
On my 13th birthday, I dropped a bowling ball on my face. I feel we are connected somehow.
auntietk
I bowled a 139 today, beating our 3-1/2-year-old grandson. Go, Grandma Tara! LOL!
jac204
Thanks for sharing, I can't help but think you had my destroyed bowling picture in mind when you sent this, lol. You made my back sore just reading about how you have to lift the assembly out.
Osper
And you took the pictures just to make sure that you got all the parts back together right.........Right?. No one ever thinks about the back parts that make the front work!