Cutting One Leg of Steel Angle

metalpyro · Mar 30, 2018

I'm looking for (36) pieces of 4" x 2" x 1/4" steel angle x 20'. I haven't had any luck finding the profile from any of my suppliers. Some folks have mentioned cutting one leg down from a 4" x 3" angle. Thinking about it, does anybody have any ideas to accomplish this task? Keeping in mind, I need to weld multiple studs to the point for some embeds in concrete, so keeping the 20' length relatively straight is important. Oxy/Acet, or plasma? Maybe a table saw with a carbide tipped blade? I have faith someone out in the PM world has done this successfully and will have some good tips. Thanks for your help.

Scottl · Mar 30, 2018

IMO a vertical bandsaw would be the most efficient way to accomplish that.

Rob F. · Mar 30, 2018

Metal cutting blade in a skilsaw. Just be sure the rpm of saw and blade are compatable. Better yet find out why a non standard size angle was specced and change to something standard. 2x3 or 3x4 should both be easy to get.

bloomautomatic · Mar 30, 2018

I agree with Rob. Change the design. 4x3, 3x2 and 3.5x2.5 are standard sizes in my steel suppliers book. I'd make one of those work.

If you're embedding it in concrete, will the dimension really matter?

Fabworks · Mar 30, 2018

If you are in Nor Cal, you might check with Gerlinger Steel. They can laser cut long materials.

Gerlinger Steel & Supply Company | Serving West Coast Industry Since 1929

sable · Mar 30, 2018

Chances are that cutting one leg will make kit bow.

cyanidekid · Mar 30, 2018

Sable is right, probably will turn into a banana ( or a corkscrew). It depends on residual stresses, some HR product might be ok, test some first.

Sawing that with carbide sounds terrible. :eek:

CNC Plasma, laser or bandsaw.

Do you need a sharp outside corner? If not I’d have it sheared and bent. If you need lengths in excess of the brake capacity, butt weld.

rbent · Mar 30, 2018

I'd imagine a hand plasma with another angle as the straight edge would be significantly faster than any skill saw. My chart is showing for Powermax 45 on 1/4" is a cut speed of 60 ipm, that is 4 minutes of cutting per angle.

Ries · Mar 30, 2018

It will bow, as previous commenters have said. If you have angle rolls, you can get it straight again, but its a fair amount of fussing.
Get it bent on a big press brake, if it absolutely MUST be that dimension, or, possibly buy 2x2, and weld a flat bar to make one leg 4"?

Designing projects with non-standard size materials can often double total project cost, because so many things are more time consuming and fussy.

cyanidekid · Mar 30, 2018

Ries said:
It will bow, as previous commenters have said. If you have angle rolls, you can get it straight again, but its a fair amount of fussing.
Get it bent on a big press brake, if it absolutely MUST be that dimension, or, possibly buy 2x2, and weld a flat bar to make one leg 4"?

Designing projects with non-standard size materials can often double total project cost, because so many things are more time consuming and fussy.

Welding that on would distort it worse than cutting a leg, aside from being a rediculious linear footage of weld for this. Even if only tack welded it would still get wonky.

Re-spec, use bent, maybe see if they can shear HR angle? That would depend on the hold down fingers fitting on the flat inside the angle, and not Riding up on the radius. depends on the shear. ( or shear a strip, say 1.125 wide, straighten, flip over to level it out? Go leg down on the far side? Just thinking out loud here, someone with more expirrence with shearing chime in here...)

Distant last resort, rip down angle and straighten.

jamscal · Mar 30, 2018

I've been involved in shearing a pc like this...sketchy but it worked.

Welded on some strips to catch the hydraulic hold downs (if necessary ), Fed it in from the back of the shear. As little rake as possible...

Rob F. · Mar 30, 2018

You guys read that he needs 36 pieces that are 20 feet long? Since they get studs welded on I am guessing they are corner edges for a concrete pour?
metalpyro - Just because whoever specced this odd size has his head up his ass does not mean you need to join him there. See about getting it changed to a real piece of metal

cyanidekid · Mar 30, 2018

If you can go leg down on the outside of the shear,( fed it from the back) start with 6 X 4 X 1/4, and shear the 6” leg( obviously). No need to weld on anything, plenty to grab. But still only if you must have the sharp corner.

A lot of folks wouldn’t want HR angle anywhere near their shear tho..

also, you could get (tens of?) thousands of feet per day of formed angle if you had(or access to) a HD roll forming line.. look up local roll formers. ok, I'm done here!

gbent · Mar 30, 2018

I have to agree with the plasma and a straight edge. A half a days work for the lot, much faster than welding the concrete studs. You are going to have to straighten it after welding the studs anyway.

metalpyro · Mar 30, 2018

Rob F. said:
Metal cutting blade in a skilsaw. Just be sure the rpm of saw and blade are compatable. Better yet find out why a non standard size angle was specced and change to something standard. 2x3 or 3x4 should both be easy to get.

bloomautomatic said:
I agree with Rob. Change the design. 4x3, 3x2 and 3.5x2.5 are standard sizes in my steel suppliers book. I'd make one of those work.

If you're embedding it in concrete, will the dimension really matter?

I should mention this job I'm bidding is for a regional electric utility. These angles embedded into the top of the concrete walls of a 30,000 gallon oil containment pit to hold the fiberglass grating in place around some transformers. I have asked the contractor (my customer) if he thinks the engineer/architect might be open to a slight change. His response wasn't at all positive. I have worked on many of his projects and any discrepencies from the drawings have to go back to the engineering/ architects of the designers for their approval, then to the engineers at whichever utility company is paying the bill, for more approvals. The drawings actually note that the angle will have to be cut down, so the "desk jockey" knows he specced a bastard size. I'm being told to deal with it.

metalpyro · Mar 30, 2018

Fabworks said:
If you are in Nor Cal, you might check with Gerlinger Steel. They can laser cut long materials.

Gerlinger Steel & Supply Company | Serving West Coast Industry Since 1929

I had not kept up with Gerlinger and their capabilities. I see they have a 11' x 60' Hi Def plasma table in Woodland. That might be the ticket. I will call them on Monday. Thanks for the tip.

Walter A · Mar 31, 2018

Reading thru your posts it seems that since this is for a bar grating perimeter and the nelson studs are to be welded on the embed side of the long leg so the angle will be mounted SLV. Probably using 2" bar grate on top of the tank.
Take a look at the specs again and see if the requirement is for total footage and not necessarily specified as supplied in 20ft lengths. We get this frequently so quote as supplied in 10ft lengths maximum. Space Nelson studs appropriately.
As for cutting down a leg we also need to do this at times because the designer does not care to spec steel correctly. Unless you have a carbide circular saw or a plasma table, hand plasma is the fastest way. Just tack a piece of flat bar to the angle as a guide. Since the cut edge will probably be exposed you will need to clean it up. You won't get as much movement as some lead you to believe. The flat bar will act as a stiffener until the edge cools. Dealing with 10ft lengths makes it much easier.

Just make sure you specify what you are supplying on the order confirmation and get them to sign it. You can also submit a shop drawing for approval.

Walter

Walter A · Mar 31, 2018

Reading thru your posts it seems that since this is for a bar grating perimeter and the nelson studs are to be welded on the embed side of the long leg so the angle will be mounted SLV. Probably using 2" bar grate on top of the tank.
Take a look at the specs again and see if the requirement is for total footage and not necessarily specified as supplied in 20ft lengths. We get this frequently so quote as supplied in 10ft lengths maximum. Space Nelson studs appropriately.
As for cutting down a leg we also need to do this at times because the designer does not care to spec steel correctly. Unless you have a carbide circular saw or a plasma table, hand plasma is the fastest way. Just tack a piece of flat bar to the angle as a guide. Since the cut edge will probably be exposed you will need to clean it up. You won't get as much movement as some lead you to believe. The flat bar will act as a stiffener until the edge cools. Dealing with 10ft lengths makes it much easier.

Just make sure you specify what you are supplying on the order confirmation and get them to sign it. You can also submit a shop drawing for approval.

Walter

Rob F. · Mar 31, 2018

metalpyro said:
I should mention this job I'm bidding is for a regional electric utility. ... The drawings actually note that the angle will have to be cut down, so the "desk jockey" knows he specced a bastard size. I'm being told to deal with it.

So they WANT to pay extra so you need to make sure to keep them happy by charging accordingly.
I have used PDM steel to use their beam splitting machine to have T bars made from small wide flange beams. You should ask them if that could do 2" leg on you angle.
Bushwick Metals LLC Tee Splitting & Straightening - YouTube
I Beam Splitting by PDM Steel - YouTube

adama · Mar 31, 2018

Take your hypertherm circle cutting guide, remove the middle spike holder bit and make up a fence, so you in effect have a plasma rip saw - plasma marking gauge, its the best accessory i have made for it, shit like this job goes really fast, no clean up needed, but you will have some straightening to do, but if you saw it even on a band saw you will find it bows just the same, its more a case of removing stressed metal as it is any thermal effects from cutting.

My baby 30xp is rated to cut 1/4" at 40" a minute, so allowing for some loss of speed i make that about 7 minutes per angle, 8 say a hour thats the 36 20' lengths done in a morning.

Cutting One Leg of Steel Angle

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