W.B. "Bud" Graham

Contrary to common opinion, a high production rate is not the key to success in making tube. Attempting to low-ball the price — while cutting corners in maintenance and upgrades -- is a poor strategy in this industry. Columnist Bud Graham provides four production scenarios that compare various rates of capacity utilization and line speed and how these affect profitability.

Bud Graham revisits his January/February column on problems that plague tube mills (or nearly any manufacturing company, for that matter) and shares some reader feedback. Also, he provides the runners-up and winner of a caption contest for a photo that also appeared in the January/February issue.

Problematic material? Yes, bad coil is out there. It could be mislabeled; the yield strength could vary from one part of the coil to another; it might have damaged edges; and so on. In the second part of this two-part series, columnist Bud Graham discusses steel coil, how its characteristics can vary, and how these variations can result in substandard tube.

How can we make 2006 better than 2005? One way is to adopt a few work-related new year's resolutions. The author lists five factors that hold the industry back--factors that everyone should resolve to overcome for a successful year.

An overview of the pressures faced by the tube and pipe producing industry in 2005 and the author's views on how 2006 will be similar, but with a greater emphasis on energy costs, conservation, and availability. Ends with a few reminders about tube mill maintenance and efficiency.

Weld bead scarfing (cutting, removing, and disposing) exposes mill operators to numerous hazards, including cuts and burns from the scarf. Part I of this article discusses the reasons scarf is removed from tube and the mill parameters that affect the scarf removal process. Part II discusses a variety of manual and automated removal and disposal methods. Part III discusses strategies for improving ID weld bead removal and disposal.

Do you remember going to the county fair and watching candy makers make taffy? As a child I often would watch the whirling motion of the taffy pull machine as it whipped and pulled and whipped and pulled again and again until the candy was the right consistency, texture, and color. As long as the...

The butler slipped through the pantry area with the warm milk and, after adding some arsenic, served the beverage to his master. The butler had been gradually increasing the amount of arsenic over many months, so the change in the milk's taste wasn't noticeable. Soon the mistress and her nefarious servant would be rid of the one thing stopping their affair.

We always have some confusion at our house concerning desserts. My wife claims that I like only two kinds of pie: hot and cold. Well, she is mostly right. My favorite is cherry, and I love it served either hot or cold. Here's our family recipe—you be the judge. Grandma's Cherry Pie Ingredients:...

Who cares about scarfing tools? There are more important things in life. When the beauty pageant contestant is asked what problem she would like to solve, she's more likely to answer "I'd like to establish world peace" than "I wish I could find ways to help scarfing tools last longer."

Editor's Note: This article is the second part of a two-part series about fin passes. Part I discusses their location, what they do, and how they do it. Part II focuses on troubleshooting.

The fin pass was not the first time your father gave you five bucks for your allowance. The fin passes are those forming passes that immediately follow the breakdown or initial forming stages on a tube mill. Their role is paramount in the successful final presentation of the formed tubular section to the welding process.

It's Monday morning after a long holiday weekend, and the first shift is starting with a bang. The slit coil supplier is late with your delivery, the second-shift maintenance person has called in sick, the mill operator is going to be late to work, and you wish you were still at the beach with the family.

Reducing scrap when converting strip to finished tube is a huge step in bettering your bottom line.