Serious question, why do so many guys still crown the tubes before the drums are squared up?

Mia Cooper · 2026-09-18T07:30:03.502492+00:00

Worked a small package boiler job in Gary last week and the fitter beside me wanted to crown and roll the tubes right after tacking the drums in place, before we ever checked square and level. I pushed back because on a 60 inch drum shell the heat from rolling pulls the whole thing out of plumb, and we had to re-tack two of them on the last job in Toledo for that exact reason. He said he has done it that way for 20 years and never had a callback. My point is a laser and a level take 10 minutes, and re-tacking a drum takes a torch, a grinder, and half a shift. Am I wrong here, or are you guys crowning on the squaring first?

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Serious question, why do so many guys still crown the tubes before the drums are squared up? | Boilermakers - SMM Buzz