- Joined
- Jun 26, 2018
- Messages
- 1,733
So just a setup here, I'm new to working a Lathe/mill...though I have worked in sheet/plate for sometime.
I'm lucky enough to have a Metal Supermarket nearby. I've purchased my metals there for over a decade. I've never bought squared/blocked metal before and holy crap! It is expensive! I am making some velocity stacks and I want to do the lathe test shape (barbell) to check calibration/twist on new lathe. I paid $128 for 4' of 2.25" x 2 .25" aluminum stock! Wow! I always check for remnants when I'm there, but what is a better place for real fabricating materials? Is there a cheaper quality for metals (ie not rolled versus cold roll) I realize we're not dealing with rolled metals here. There are so many kinds of aluminum as there is steel, is there a more affordable quality? I'm not making space shuttle parts...
I'm lucky enough to have a Metal Supermarket nearby. I've purchased my metals there for over a decade. I've never bought squared/blocked metal before and holy crap! It is expensive! I am making some velocity stacks and I want to do the lathe test shape (barbell) to check calibration/twist on new lathe. I paid $128 for 4' of 2.25" x 2 .25" aluminum stock! Wow! I always check for remnants when I'm there, but what is a better place for real fabricating materials? Is there a cheaper quality for metals (ie not rolled versus cold roll) I realize we're not dealing with rolled metals here. There are so many kinds of aluminum as there is steel, is there a more affordable quality? I'm not making space shuttle parts...