Aluminum grinder pedestal

[charleskmoore2]

With my small garage, benchtop space is at a premium. I made this pedestal one afternoon to get my grinder off the bench. 1/4 plate and 3" pipe, tigged.

[Bert]

Nice job! Was that scrap you had lying around???

[charleskmoore2]

Got the materials on eBay fairly cheap. You can find some goods deals every now and then. I made it out of aluminum just cause I could and I wanted to polish it and have something different.

[Fishy Jim]

Bert, AL is cheaper than steel in some cases. Sure, it's 3x the price, but only 1/3 the weight. Volumetrically speaking - price per volume should be roughly identical (market factors influence this). You need thicker AL to handle the same job as steel - but often times the stuff we make is way overbuilt to begin with. Steel should be cheaper to use because you technically need less of it.

Using one of my suppliers online catalogs:

1x1x12" of 6061 AL is $8.82
1x1x12" A36 HR steel is $9.40
1x1x12" CR 1018 is $11.27

These prices include a $5 cut charge per.

[Bert]

Bert, AL is cheaper than steel in some cases. Sure, it's 3x the price, but only 1/3 the weight. Volumetrically speaking - price per volume should be roughly identical (market factors influence this). You need thicker AL to handle the same job as steel - but often times the stuff we make is way overbuilt to begin with. Steel should be cheaper to use because you technically need less of it.

Using one of my suppliers online catalogs:

1x1x12" of 6061 AL is $8.82
1x1x12" A36 HR steel is $9.40
1x1x12" CR 1018 is $11.27

These prices include a $5 cut charge per.

yeah Jim, but don't forget...they would KILL me on the shipping!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Fishy Jim]

Bert, the comparisons should translate to your local suppliers. It's cheaper to ship AL as more of it (volume) can be loaded onto a ship for the same weight. Ever notice how a semi is at max load capacity long before the volume of area they have to use is consumed when hauling steel?