Ok, thank you for the information. I don't have a complete list of the
pieces I need so far, but once I have a list of all the pieces I will post a
few more question. With the information on the grades I can now do a little
better rough estimating.

Also for some reason when I post I never see my original post on the messahe
board just replies...
"Harold & Susan Vordos" wrote in message
...

"Matthew" wrote in message
.com...
I have a project I want to build and I been looking on the internet for
just
rough prices on steel. Though I see on many websites there is a bunch of
different grades and I am not sure what they all mean. I have gone to
www.mcmaster.com and under the raw materials metals section they give a
brief description on the many grades which is helpfull. But I am not
sure
what kind I should look for to do my project. I am planning on making a
implement that fits on a 3pnt hitch on the back of a tractor to chip or
grind wood. I was looking at some 4" round steel bars on ebay and found
out
that is 12L14. Does this has to be hardened before you use it? What
grade
should I look for that I can buy then just weld it together and be done.

If you plan to either harden or weld on your project, do not buy 12L14,
which is a leaded material that does not lend itself well to either
process.
It might be more helpful to get the right advice if you were somewhat more
specific in what you intend to build, and supply a general list of
materials.

It isn't common for all components to be heat treated, especially in a
fabricated item. Often critical components will be hardened, but the
assembly otherwise fabricated and used as is. There are steels on the
market that can be machined in the "as is" condition that perform at a
heat
treated level, all depending on the particular application. Stressproof
is a good example, but it is not available in flat bar, only round stock
so
far as I know. One would also not choose to weld on this material
because
of its high carbon content.

Harold