Ok so getting ready to plan some projects, went looking for metal locally (Milan Surplus) and well as with everything prices keep going up. I was just curious to where you guys buy your metal for your projects, including sheet metal and tubing.. If you are local to me DEFINATELY let me know if there are more places to shop!
I buy my metal from Fastenal and they will cut it so you don't have to buy 20 feet of it. There is probably one near you. Check at Fastenal.com
I get all mine from a local fab shop. They sell it to me for less than the supplier they buy it from would charge me. Plus whenever I need some steel bent, like for frame rails etc. they get the job. Another plus is they don't have a minimum charge or cutting fee.
I get all my metal from Shapiro Supply CO in St Louis,MO 888-597-2678 I drive 300 miles to get my metal from them its worth it to me.For more info on Shapiro check the back of National Dragster Mag in there Add.
i like stocking up when i go to auctions that sell it. we also have a place in town that sells alum, brass, copper, steel drop pieces and extras along with some machining tooling. unfortunatly, sometimes i have to pay full price from a supplier. we have several in town.
thanks guys. I guess once I get a list of the pieces i need then i'll just start going to some of the local places, I will be honest I didn't just want to walk in off the street and say Hey can I buy some metal, but I guess I will, cant hurt huh.
In the dumpster behind Better Engineering in White Marsh Maryland. This is what we have done with the 16ga sheet and 4 foot lengths of 1 x 1 tubing so far http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/album.php?albumid=1403
I always check first at the local scrap metal recycler who usually has what I need and sells it by weight.
I've got it pretty easy. I'm a tool maker at a local machine and fab shop. We stock most everything. I just grab some material from work when I need it.
Good Point. As we all know steel is not cheap these days. It's crazy how prices have gone up on the last 5 or 6 six years. re-using steel is is not only easy on the pocket book, it's environmentally friendly. remember things like washers, dryers, stoves, etc. have some nice larger dimmension sheet metal in them. they also come pre primed with a Hard as Hell paint on them! What I'm trying to say is ALWAYS be on the look out for anything that may be able to be used in teh future. That's the fun of this hobby. Although my wife thinks i am obsessed with it all.......maybe i am! good luck
I have found more steel than I have bought. My daily commute to work takes me past a steel mill, and a few scrappers, its amazing how much of their loads end up on the shoulder of the highway. and for the past 7 years they have been working on the 42 mile section of road i take to and from work. So while sitting in traffic i see scraps of steel on the side of the road i get out and throw them in the back of my truck. I also use old hoods, door skins, and scraps my company throws to the side. I cant wait for the boss to say to me.."get rid of that Ol stake truck out back"..both doors and hood will be off in a heart beat and in my scrap pile at home.
That's what I have done. I go to the local body shops and see if I can go through their scrap metal pile. Most don't care because they just have some metal scrap guy pick them up anyway.
Also with alot of companies closing their doors up here, I have seen dumpsters with scrap steel in them, they are just throwing it away! The scrap prices have dropped so much that its not really worth their trouble to deal with it. (or at least thats the way it seems)
i have found out if you dont mind cleaning it up a little there are a few scrap yard and recycling yards in KC. Asners in the bottoms and then a guy out by where i live. the one by me sells it for 30 cents a pound. definitely a steal on plate steel where you can easily take the rust off. i found out most sellers are still selling old stock from when the prices of anything of any metal was sky high. so who knows it may go down.
Tractor supply is alittle pricey. My wife works there and with her discount it still isnt worth it. A sheet of 16 gauge 1'X2' is around 10 bucks. Like 8.50 with discount. I used to pay 10 bucks for a sheet 2'X3' in Geneva, Oh when i lived up there. Now ive been recycling doors and hoods.
Discount Steel in Minneapolis. It's been a couple of years since I've been, but they were always helpful whether you were buying $5 worth or $500.
Since we are talking prices also, I bought some 18 ga 4x6 sheet for $56 and now its $64-$67 in only a couple month span from Milan Surplus.
i have found the hardware places like lowes and home depot are way higher than a metal supply. i am always hording back nice pieces i find used. when i cut up scrap i save all the good stuff. then when i need it go out to a rack and grab it. especially for smaller projects, saves a lot of $$$.
whenever I have to go buy metal at the local metal shops, I always feel like I got screwed. But recently I made it a point to pick through the prices of the steel when I was in lowes and home depot and they get way more for it, and the little Ace hardware they just put in on the other side of the woods is even worse
I like the recycled metal yard (mine sells new stuff too) Kinda like a treasure hunt with the unusual things or ready made brackets you may find. I always come home with extra goodies. They'll come in handy later and will save me work.
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