As residential construction continues to struggle on the back of cash-strapped Aussies opting out of new home builds following nine consecutive interest rate rises, sector tradies may be thinking, what do I do now?
The story is all too familiar for Queensland carpenter Karl Back who nearly a decade ago made the gigantic leap from residential construction in Dalby to civil construction with Australian manufacturers Wagners Composite Fibre Technologies (CFT) near Wellcamp.
Fast forward nine years, Karl Back is now applying his extensive carpentry experience as Team Lead of Custom Build; pre-fabricating boardwalks and bridges (and everything else our inhouse design team come up with) using Wagners’ Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) profiles.
He reckons for a chippy there’s not a huge difference in working with FRP and the skills he honed on traditional materials like timber and steel during his residential construction days are highly transferable to the new modern building material.
“I didn’t know what to expect when I came to Wagners CFT after things slowed down in the housing industry 9 years or so ago,” Karl Back said.
“There’s definitely skills that you learn in trade that help you when working with FRP including measuring and cutting, general craftsmanship and fitting, grouting, concreting…it all helps,” Mr Back said.
“The work is very varied and sometimes we even get weird jobs like at the moment I am cutting aluminium angles that are going on some decking, but it’s all very varied and that keeps it interesting,” he said.
Guy Hargreaves from Wagners CFT Custom Build putting the finishing touches on an FRP bridge.
Wagners CFT pultrude one of the world’s strongest FRP profiles which are used extensively throughout the world for pedestrian, traffic, street and park, marine and electrical infrastructure.
“It’s a lot straighter than timber, there’s no knots in the tree and it doesn’t come bowed or warped like you get with timber; but it is similar in as much as once you cut it, you can’t add to it,” Karl Back said.
“It’s lighter than working with steel so it really saves you physically; no back injuries or aching knees from the weight. We can lift a lot of the members just with a forklift, so there’s less accidents too; you’ve still got to be wary, but you’re not using big machines, so the risk is significantly reduced to workers on the ground,” Mr Back said.
“Some of these bridges are as big as houses and you can lift them with a forklift…it’s crazy!” he said.
The Custom Build team are pictured assembling a bridge using form and combi lifts.
One of the things Karl likes best about working with FRP is its durability.
“I’m very particular so composite suits my personality because I want to do something once, do it well and get it right the first time…I don’t want to go back to re-do it or maintain it or fix it and I get a great deal of satisfaction out of getting it perfect the first time and knowing that it is going to be there for a very long time,” Karl Back said.
“There’s just much more pride in something that you know is not a temporary structure, it’s going to be there for a hundred years; long after I’m gone,” Mr Back said.
The tools required to work with FRP are similar to the tools required for traditional materials.
Taking on projects using FRP does not require a business to invest in a whole heap of new tools and equipment; it is simply fitting out the same tools like drills and circular saws with diamond bits that are all available from your local hardware store.
“There’s not a great difference between working with traditional materials, you pretty much use the same equipment but you do have to be accurate with your measurements and drilling your holes because everything works off the centre of the member, so measurements need to be accurate and knowing your tolerances can help too,” Karl Back said.
“One of the main questions I get asked is around drilling and the hole has to be drilled accurately so the holes all line up, but the Installation Guide covers it really well,” Mr Back said.
Click here to download Wagners CFT Installation Guide.
“In addition to the information there, my other tips are to drill both faces from the one side, so drill all the way through because this ensures you have a really accurate hole; and as you cut through each face remove the drill and get rid of the section of hole you have just cut out because it saves you from clogging up your drill,” he said.
Watch the video showing ‘How to drill Wagners CFT Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) profiles using a jig’.
Wagners can provide specialist jigs and equipment (as seen in the video) for sale or hire to make the job even easier and quicker. If you’re interested in finding out more about availability and pricing Contact Us.
Mr Back is pictured pointing to the centre mark on the jig.
Mr Back’s favourite part of being a chippy with Wagners CFT is traveling to help customers kick start their projects.
“One of the things I enjoy the most is traveling to help and train people to get their projects up and going; I’ve been all over the place but probably my favourite place has been Abu Dhabi to help install the mangrove boardwalk in the Jubail Mangrove Park,” Mr Back said.
Click here for more on the Abu Dhabi Jubail Mangrove Park.
“Having that support from the chippies here or us going out to site really just gives people a level of confidence in their ability to accurately deliver the project,” Mr Back said.
“I remember one project we got sent out to help on where we got more done in a week than what the contractor had done in the previous month because we were able to show them tricks and tips and lend them some jigs to increase capacity and speed the process up a bit,” he said.
“What we are currently using this product for is just the start; it’s just so versatile and there are many, many useful applications for it, especially outdoors because it just doesn’t rot, rust or corrode.”
Wagners CFT Installation Partners enjoy a host of benefits including advice and guidance from our inhouse carpenters during project kick-offs. For more information on becoming a Wagners CFT Installation Partner click here.
If you’re a carpenter looking for an opportunity in the Toowoomba area and would like to explore your opportunities with Wagners CFT, reach out to People and Culture Officer, Harshani Fonseka via LinkedIn or email at harshani.fonseka@wagner.com.au.
