Folks, I am a frequent lurker on GJ but have only posted a few times. I have a question for the braintrust here. I recently purchased a welder and I thought I'd get started with it doing some simple shelving racks made from angle steel. When I started looking around online for 1" angle steel it seem really expensive. Can you offer suggestions on how to most cost effectively buy angle steel for a project like this? If I were making a 8' tall rack I figure I'd need 4 @ 8', 8 @ 4', and 8@ 2'...if I price this out on Amazon for instance I'm well over $150 without the shelves.
Welding question
- Thread starter jhendric
- Start date
Find a steel service center in your area, and buy it from there. Amazon is going to be expensive.
LX-Markham
Well-known member
In my experience, crappy steel not worth bothering with. And even harder for a newb welder to work with....pick up bed frames. Usually a couple bucks or free.
glend123
Well-known member
Hit garage/ yard sales to pick up bed frames. Usually a couple bucks or free.
I was going to do this also, but then I read that the metal is so crappy it is too hard to weld. Anybody confirm this?
glend123
Well-known member
Occasionally I buy from "online metals" they always run specials, at least 10% off
sberry
Banned
I stay away from bed frames. But impossible to drill a hole later, I just don't use it. Call a couple steel yards, find out if they like walk in business. Buy in full length, some will cut in half to haul.
Old Man Roger
Well-known member
If you're welding with a mig, the powder coating needs to be ground off, other than that it welds fine. It's tough on drill bits and band saw blades though, it's really hard metal. High carbon content maybe?
I've heard of people heating a specific area to anneal the metal, to make it easier to drill.
strutaeng
Well-known member
Find a steel supply warehouse. A L1 1/2 x 1 1/2 x 3/16 x 6' long is like $20 at the big box stores. At a steel supply house you can get a "stick" for about the same price. A stick is like 20'. Some come in 22' or 24'.
We have a metals supermarket, but have never been there. My BIL did buy some 3" tube x 14 ga. and I can't remember how much it was, but didn't seem too bad.
My local supply place gives you a free torch cut. After than they charge like $2. The pros. always show up with a trailer or some rack for their trucks and load full sticks. Hobbyists (like me) will usually get it cut in half.
We have a metals supermarket, but have never been there. My BIL did buy some 3" tube x 14 ga. and I can't remember how much it was, but didn't seem too bad.
My local supply place gives you a free torch cut. After than they charge like $2. The pros. always show up with a trailer or some rack for their trucks and load full sticks. Hobbyists (like me) will usually get it cut in half.
I use it all the time, not hard to weld at all. I wouldn't build a race car frame out of it, but for shelves, racks, benches, etc. it's just fine. And yes it's true that it's not so easy to drill through but for the price it is more than adequate for the OP's shelves.
Falcon67
Well-known member
You need to go to a real metal supply place, not HD, Lowes or Tractor Supply. You can buy what you need is 24' joints WAY cheaper than anything retail. Most places will do one cut for free, so if you can't move 24' of steel, they can make it into two 12' pieces. Last time I bought some 1x 14 gauge, I could buy 24' for same or less than a 3' stick at Lowes.
Falcon67
Well-known member
This was maybe $100
Turned into a stand for this
Turned into a stand for this
dr_clyde
Well-known member
This x100.
Bed frames are good for beds, and that's about it. Angle iron is so cheap. Why make it hard for yourself later?
Nothing wrong with bedframes if you prep right...it works.
Metal Supermarket is the easiest way for DIY. My local place will cut to length pretty much whatever you need with an auto-feed bandsaw and they also have a huuuuge press brake for sheet goods.
Metal Supermarket is the easiest way for DIY. My local place will cut to length pretty much whatever you need with an auto-feed bandsaw and they also have a huuuuge press brake for sheet goods.
aka Larry
Well-known member
Not sure why, but the steel in bed frames is harder than a woodpecker's lips!
You can weld it, but cutting and/or drilling it is a PITA.
You can weld it, but cutting and/or drilling it is a PITA.
I would suggest that prior to trying to build something that you pick up some fairly heavy angle and plate and run some wire experimenting with speed, heat, angle, etc so you begin to know what you are looking at. Jumping right into a project may drive you nuts, especially with questionable material. You will not believe how fast thin material can go away
****!
****!HAP
Well-known member
Cool Mill.
I have the same one with the base and power X feed DRO.
R,
HAP
I have the same one with the base and power X feed DRO.
R,
HAP
This was maybe $100
Turned into a stand for this
strutaeng
Well-known member
I did chop up a bed rail frame once when I was learning how to weld. It was probably my first "real" project.
I built an outdoor table for my Dad for cleaning fish/cutting meat from those angles and galvanized fence posts that were laying around for the legs.
I used FCAW and don't recall having issues welding it. After 10 years being outside, it still stands. The cedar top has started to deteriorate.
But yeah, was a pain chopping it up and removing the rivets. Just use angles, much easier!
I built an outdoor table for my Dad for cleaning fish/cutting meat from those angles and galvanized fence posts that were laying around for the legs.
I used FCAW and don't recall having issues welding it. After 10 years being outside, it still stands. The cedar top has started to deteriorate.
But yeah, was a pain chopping it up and removing the rivets. Just use angles, much easier!
bad_idea
Well-known member
This is an instance that having a location in your signature is helpful. I can recommend a yard by me, but that doesn't do you much good if you are in Kansas. Most areas will have a steel yard that sells drop pieces and used stuff. I found a yard near me that will sell material by the foot - much cheaper when you only need 3' or 4' for a project. If you have trouble finding such a yard, stop by a couple local small fab shops and ask where they buy their steel. While you're there, ask them if they have surplus they would like to sell off.
FSrepair&fabrication
Well-known member
Gotta find a local supplier and establish a relationship. I can get 1 1/2 x 1/8 angle for $1.50 per foot, 1” would be even less.
ClappedOutBport
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2016
- Messages
- 998
Strength to weight. If you want the higher yield strength, you pay for it in hardness.
But I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who has wrecked a drill bit trying to make something out of that ****.
YukonXL04
Well-known member
Like others have said, grind the surface to good clean metal and it welds just fine.
I have made many things using free bed frames. Cutting the rivets off does **** indeed. Steel salvage yards might have what your looking for as well.
strutaeng
Well-known member
Yes, scrap yards are an excellent source as well! I went to one nearby a few times. The guys just handed me a hardhat and told me were to go for angles, channels, etc. I recall it was something like $0.40/lb or something like that. This was about 8 years ago.
Just don't go on Friday before they close. Had all the homeless showing up with all sorts of miscellaneous metals, God knows were it came from. They were walking out with $8.98 in their hand like they had hit the jackpot!
YukonXL04
Well-known member
Yes, scrap yards are an excellent source as well! I went to one nearby a few times. The guys just handed me a hardhat and told me were to go for angles, channels, etc. I recall it was something like $0.40/lb or something like that. This was about 8 years ago.
Just don't go on Friday before they close. Had all the homeless showing up with all sorts of miscellaneous metals, God knows were it came from. They were walking out with $8.98 in their hand like they had hit the jackpot!
Hahahaha yea no kidding! Well I was just at our local scrap yard a few days ago. Bought some angle iron for $0.35/lb. Make sure to bring a hard hat and some good gloves
I was recently thinking of building some steel shelves to go in the corner of our kitchen but after I priced the material it ended up being cheaper to just buy some from Amazon, shipped for free to the door. And I do have several local suppliers that give me decent prices on metals but figuring in the time including prep and paint it was a no brainer.
On the subject of steel pricing, holy cow has that gone through the roof lately! I bought two 4' pieces of 1 1/4" x 1/8" square tubing yesterday @ $20 each, which I thought was very high considering I bought it at a place that generally has decent pricing for that kind of stuff. I wanted it right away so I didn't bother trying to find it cheaper elsewhere, but I'd bet that price is competitive now.
HMCFab9
Well-known member
Find a local steel supplier & buy from them
ekimneirbo
Well-known member
Best bet is to monitor Craigslist for awhile and buy shelving or pallet racking. You can buy a readymade shelf cheaper than you can buy the steel to make one. Sams Club sells some lightweight and smaller pallet rack. If you find used pallet rack thats too tall, you can cut it down. If you get 16 ft you can make two 8ft tall shelves. You can even use one of the pallet racks to make a nice workbench. Then you have storage above and below. Auctions at schools and industrial auctions also yield lots of different types of shelving. While welding your own may seem like a nice project for your welder, its usually more expensive than just buying used stuff.
Attachments
Do this^^^^ It will be easier to dismantle, move or reconfigure.
Cheaper than building something that will quite possibly be ugly, and even in the best case scenario have little or no resale value.
Save your dollars to purchase steel for projects other than shelving. JMHO.
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Industrial shelving is prob most suitable for shops. Pallet racking is too deep for for typical small parts storage.
Pallet racking.
Industrial shelving
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