Where are most you buying your metal tubing from?

[ironman]

Looking for local places to buy tubing from located in Kentucky?
What are most you all paying per foot for 7/8 tubing


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[Poboy kartman]

Just Google metal dealers near (your hometown) Kentucky.

 

[Bwdeaton]

My local metal yard was $1.24 per foot of 1x1- 1/8 square tube that was used in a drift trike build.

 

[machinist@large]

Google Metal Supermarkets; they are a good size chain of retail outlets that specialize in smaller quantities/ order's specifically for the smaller customer.

 

[Jfive]

I buy it by the whole stick. I'd rather have some left over then pay by the foot. usually 20ft piece cut in half. Or I buy a left over piece from one that was cut.

 

[chancer]

About a buck a foot.

 

[KartFab]

a lot of places have a remnant bin (including metal supermarkets) I got all my diamond plate there and a lot of my smaller pieces of bar stock.

 

[chancer]

My place does not have a bargain bin!
But they are so cool, they do not care if you are a hobbyist or a business buying hundreds of feet per week. They treat you good. Even when you do not know Exactly what you want.
I have been to other places where they "sigh" and make you feel bumb, and act annoyed that they actually HAVE to help you.

 

[Functional Artist]

Home Depot.

I have used 1/2 in. schedule 40 water pipe to build Go Kart's for years.

I don't know why it's called that because it's actually 5/8 in. ID x 7/8 in. OD with a 1/8 in. wall.

Some will say AKKKK you can't use that. That's pipe not tubing.

I guess I didn't get the memo.

I had some, I tried it, it worked.

It's strong, it cuts good, bends good & it welds good.

I have never had a problem. (6 kart's so far)

I have tried "real" DOM (Drawn Over Mandrel) tube.

It cost like 3 times more & it kinks easily when bending

I built a frame with DOM tube. I was not impressed!

I never used it. It's still sitting on shelf. If anyone's interested.
see pic below.

First 2 pics are with Home Depot pipe.

Last pic is frame built with DOM tube.

 

[chancer]

I used that "pipe" It is really heavy, and I found buying Tubing was Cheaper, not DOM or Chromemoly

 

[bob58o]

I have been to other places where they "sigh" and make you feel bumb, and act annoyed that they actually HAVE to help you.

So you have been to my bar then?

 

[Jfive]

I've been switching to conduit. 3.86 for 10 ft of 3/4 or 6.60 for 10ft of 1" emt conduit. 1" is thicker and seams about perfect for frame material plus perfect for a 110 welder.

 

[KartFab]

Ok so before we go praising the PIPE gods for cheap strong stuff, I just want to point out something.

You mentioned that you hate DOM tubing because its expensive and kinks blah blah blah, and you love pipe because it bends right......

I dont want to sound condescending, but you have right there in your picture a PIPE bender that is used to bend PIPE.

I can only imagine you tried to bend tubing in a cheap pipe bender and kinked it. Wrong tool for the job. DOM tubing is structurally superior to schedule 40 pipe. It bends just fine on a TUBING bender (not a pipe bender).

Tubing is measured by its outer diameter, and pipe is measured by its inner diameter + some wiggle room.

 

[Functional Artist]

I love Go Karts!

I never praised anything or mentioned love (pipe) or hate (DOM)

*Thank you for pointing out my ignorance.

I was simply sharing my personal experience with this material & making a suggestion for a LOW cost, accessible material for the average DYIer.

Not everyone can afford a material that costs 3 times more for a backyard project or has access to the fancy bender that goes with it.

Everybody CAN get their hands on simple water pipe & (a cheap as you say) HF pipe bender.

If YOU have the money & YOUR building for competition YOU are right.

To Jfive: Be careful if it's coated. Some coatings are toxic when welded.
(EMT is generally made of coated steel, though it may be aluminum. Aluminum conduit, similar to galvanized steel conduit, is a rigid tube, generally used in commercial and industrial applications where a higher resistance to corrosion is needed.)

 

[ironman]

Lot good points.
Functional artist good them of using Home Depot.
Also any ever buy their metal from local scrap yard.
Different sizes but super money saver.
We buy all our project bicycle from scrap yard 3 bucks a bike


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[Jfive]

Good note for others that don't already know that. I'm aware. It's around 800f that zinc puts off poisons gas, so when welding or maybe even cutting. Shouldn't stop ya from using it though, I have used it for a few projects already. Flux core and holding my breath and welding outside has been my solution so far. And sand flapper on grinder to remove coating if need be. Gas pipe has a coating too and usally some oil residue so although not galvanized it can put off bad smoke. Heck all welding smoke is bad. I have 3m p100 air filters to keep my lungs clean as possible. I'd suggest every get some as they are cheaper than cancer.

 

[chancer]

On the rare occasion I use a piece of Galvanized Steel I always Grind off the galv.
It helps get a better, cleaner weld anyway.

 

[FreeRunner15]

i've personally been through Trac tor Supp ly.
The metal is only as good as the welder.

 

[Poboy kartman]

The metal is only as good as the welder.

Yet another useless, pointless, arrogant, irrelevant statement.

And Tractor Supply sucks...short steel at inflated prices.

 

[machinist@large]

...And Tractor Supply sucks...short steel at inflated prices.

If you're talking about the laughable raw material stock they cary, you're right. Their welding supplies are actually decent. When it comes to welding rod, I personally prefer Lincoln's range as #1; Hobart is a good second (don't get me started on the no name brand they buy at work).

I've had excellent results with Hobart MIG wire, and my local store also carries tanked oxygen, acetylene, and 75/25 argon/co2 for mig welding. Kind of nice, being able to swap out an empty tank on a Sunday afternoon. And the #10 gold filter lense for my welding helmet is one of the best things I've ever bought there (WORKS AWESOME!!!!!!!!).