Rant: I passed 300 tube ends rolled in a single turnaround and nobody warned me about my hands

Simon Black · 2026-10-14T08:25:06.610106+00:00

Just wrapped a 6 week turnaround at a paper mill outside Green Bay and my log book says I rolled 312 tube ends on the boiler alone. I honestly did not think the number was that high until the night shift lead made me add it up for the handover report. What got me was not the count, it was that by week three my right forearm would lock up halfway through a pass and I would have to shake it out like a wet dog. I have been doing this 11 years and I never tracked totals before, I just went off feel. Turns out feel lies to you when you are running the same size tube over and over and your body just goes on autopilot. The torque wrench did not lie though, and I caught two ends in the last stretch that were short of spec because I was rushing to beat the crane window. Anyone else keep a running count on long jobs, or do most of you just roll until the rack is full and call it good?

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Rant: I passed 300 tube ends rolled in a single turnaround and nobody warned me about my hands | Boilermakers - The Design Community Hub