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.

"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

You probably will want more than one kind of steel for this project.
12L14 won't harden, as far as I know, and, since it contains Lead ("L")
it won't weld all that well either.


You don't say much about the project, but I can't imagine where you'd
use 4" round steel bars. If you need something that big around, consider
steel tubing or pipe. If I were you, I'd take my plans to a local steel
yard and ask them for some ideas.


In general, I'd go with mild steel (A36) for most of the stucture. If
you have cutting blades, A2 might work for wood. But the tool steels
cost a lot.

Many steel yards have an area out back where they have off-sizes,
overruns, and unlabeled stock. If you can use any of that, you can save
money.

Another approach would be to go to a used farm implement dealer and look
around for an implement which is similar to what you want and modify it
from there.

Pete Stanaitis
---------

Matthew wrote:

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.

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

1018 hot rolled or cold finished steel is the best and easyest to weld and also
the least expensive.