X

Rensselaer Falls metal shop building NYC subway doors

Posted 2/13/16

By MATT LINDSEY RENSSELAER FALLS -- A welder from St. Lawrence County recently landed a contact to make over 50 stainless steel doors for subway tunnels in New York City. Hebel Welding and Machine …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Rensselaer Falls metal shop building NYC subway doors

Posted

By MATT LINDSEY

RENSSELAER FALLS -- A welder from St. Lawrence County recently landed a contact to make over 50 stainless steel doors for subway tunnels in New York City.

Hebel Welding and Machine owner Mark Hebel says he could be fixing a horse harness for the Amish in the morning and putting finishing touches on stainless steel doors destined for subway tunnels in New York City in the afternoon.

So far, Hebel has been asked to make 55 subway tunnel doors, but more are expected. “They are pretty fancy looking…shiny and polished,” he said.

It takes a little less than one day’s work to complete a door, Hebel said.

Hebel has taken on a wide variety of projects, including creating 11 1,000 gallon tanks for brewing beer.

“We can work with a lot of metals and we do some plastic work too…whatever comes through the door basically,” he said.

Hebel said his company spent nearly a year-and-a-half building 11 stainless steel tanks for St. Lawrence Brewing Company in Canton. Each is about 10- to 15-feet tall and are capable of holding about 1,000 gallons of beer for different stages of production.

“Most of them had a heating or cooling jacket and insulation to regulate the temperature of its contents,” he said.

Hebel Welding and Machine, located at 350 Old State Rd., does work with various metals including steel, stainless, aluminum, cast iron and even titanium. They can create something new or fix something broken, even something as simple as repairing alternator brackets on personal vehicles, Hebel said.

Staying local, Hebel built the framework for a prototype robot for Agbotic’s green houses in Potsdam, which could potentially be used to reduce manual labor for greenhouse work and improve efficiency. Hebel says there are plans for more, but the full scale prototype is just entering the testing stage.

Growing up on a farm helped acclimate Hebel to the North Country. His interest and love for the outdoors -- hiking, camping and kayaking -- were contributing factors in his decision to stay in the area.

In fact, his love for the outdoors and welding skills lead to Hebel create clear polycarbonate kayaks. Although they may be for sale someday, for now they are just recreational pieces for him, his family and friends to enjoy.

He has created a few prototypes and says more testing and improvements are needed but that it is something he would like to do in the future.

“They are neat, beautiful and lightweight,” he said.

A 16-foot model weighed about 30 pounds and has stood up to hits from rocks at full speed while cruising down waterways.

“I’d like to evaluate my options…I currently don't have immediate plans to sell them but it’s on the table,” Hebel said. “I’ve had plenty to keep my busy.”

Hebel, who grew up in Pennsylvania, came to the North Country in 1997 to attend Clarkson University in Potsdam, where he studied mechanical engineering.

He then worked for the previous owner, Clay Trombley, for a few years doing welding work and purchased his business in 2005. “The business had the capabilities for what I was looking to do,” Hebel said.

Trombley was retiring and it was through that connection that Hebel acquired his own company to put his creativity and skills to work.