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OT maybee: Where to buy steel bar stock in the Milwaukee / Waukesha area?

Spud

Diamond
Joined
Jan 12, 2006
Location
Brookfield, Wisconsin
1" steel bar stock, for inserting through lifting holes in machine base, to receive a sling , for lifting machine.
What non-wholesale places do you all recommend for tiny orders? Only looking to get about 6 or 7 feet , just 1 piece.
 
1" steel bar stock, for inserting through lifting holes in machine base, to receive a sling , for lifting machine.
What non-wholesale places do you all recommend for tiny orders? Only looking to get about 6 or 7 feet , just 1 piece.

If its long enough lots of people just use there long pry bar, saves having to have both on site and being heat treated alloy steel its a fair bit stronger.
 
I like Alro for several items-- they have price breaks at different weights like 250, 500, 1000 etc set up by an account manager. To get were I need to be for my items I order typically over 1,000 to get the price down. They also have cut-offs that sometimes can be less expensive.

Once you have an account with them-- they have a nice website that you can get pricing on all that they carry-- I often quote at after hours-- so having access to material pricing is helpful.
 
Alro is big outfit, overkill really for a single piece. The obvious choice is Speedy Metals. Straight south of you by only a few miles located in New Berlin.
 
If its long enough lots of people just use there long pry bar, saves having to have both on site and being heat treated alloy steel its a fair bit stronger.

The bar is passing through 2 holes in the casting of a Cinnci T&C grinder as described below, to receive lifting slings.

Lifting-bars.png
 
Best bet is going to be McMaster or Alro.
Alro will let you come retrieve it in person if it is local. ( and they're right by you )
McMaster will make it to your door the next day. ( warehouse is in Chicago )

Speedy Metals has become a plain, flat joke. They are anything BUT "speedy". In fact, they don't even allow spot purchases and pick-ups, any more. The best you can hope for is to phone or email in an order, and they might, possibly have it available for pick-up in TWO DAYS. WTF is that????

Add to this that they have decided to take advantage of people and price gouge, citing "tariffs". However, even the most cursory of research will illustrate that they are way out of line.

And then, ( if that isn't enough to discourage one ) you find out that they are selling chinese shite materials.

No thank you.

There is also Central Steel & Wire and a few others, around.
 
^ Depends how far out form the sides of the machine you want the slings! Close in and even alu will work just fine.
 
Best bet is going to be McMaster or Alro.
Alro will let you come retrieve it in person if it is local. ( and they're right by you )
McMaster will make it to your door the next day. ( warehouse is in Chicago )

Speedy Metals has become a plain, flat joke. They are anything BUT "speedy". In fact, they don't even allow spot purchases and pick-ups, any more. The best you can hope for is to phone or email in an order, and they might, possibly have it available for pick-up in TWO DAYS. WTF is that????

Add to this that they have decided to take advantage of people and price gouge, citing "tariffs". However, even the most cursory of research will illustrate that they are way out of line.

And then, ( if that isn't enough to discourage one ) you find out that they are selling chinese shite materials.

No thank you.

There is also Central Steel & Wire and a few others, around.

Speedy Metals is very high on shipping, too.
 
Speedy Metals is very high on shipping, too.

We used to buy a lot of material from them, actually. In the beginning, they were great. Decent pricing, good stock levels, counter sales for emergencies. It was great, actually. It seemed like as soon as they established themselves, things started going to shite. And then right after, they started screwing around with pricing, citing "the tariffs". Oddly enough, NOT ONE of the other vendors we use reacted similarly. Sure, there was some price change, but not anywhere near like NotSoSpeedyMetals. Then, within a few weeks, they stopped providing the counter sales/immediate pick ups. And then the pricing went positively stupid...

Thank you, no thank you. NotSoSpeedy Metals can go pound sand as far as we're concerned.

You know there is an issue when you can order 12 feet of 2.0" diameter 4140 from McMaster-Carr, and have it delivered the next day for 15% - 20% less than NotSoSpeedy Metals will deliver it a week later. :skep: :rolleyes5: :nutter:
 
Why not just buy some real lifting slings, there cheap enough and have a real world lifting not hopeful pulling capacity. If the machine is nice enough to make it worth buying some bars to lift, would be a shame to drop it because a sling broke!
 
Why not just buy some real lifting slings, there cheap enough and have a real world lifting not hopeful pulling capacity. If the machine is nice enough to make it worth buying some bars to lift, would be a shame to drop it because a sling broke!

I will if I can find ones with a cap over 3000lbs and about 6 feet in length, at local big box store. Tow strap is just backup plan if I can find the lifting slings.
 
You have the internet, can you not just order them? Lifting stuff based on whats available at local retail stores is realy not the way to do it. Towing stuff is really not the greatest quality, load capacities are often based on pulled mass not actual safe working loads. lifting stuff WORKS every time within well defined limits and is sized such that there's sizable head room. 3000lbs seams a lot of head room on what would be a 4 legged sling lift of a tool and cutter grinder? Would have thought a pair of 1 ton slings would have been plenty?

If you can not find lifting slings, if you have any sports places that do climbing gear you may find some good slings there, they won't be costly and will have the kinda strength you need for the safe lift of a load of that kinda weight. Most climbing slings out side the specialist stuff will have a nats over 2 ton of breaking strain.
 








 
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