Metals4u we’d be looking at $496 to do the entire machine including cutting everything to length for us; it’s 20 foot sticks, and we can get 4 out of a stick. $20 of that is the cut charge. If we get the order in today or first thing in the morning we’d be looking at tomorrow afternoon availability.
If someone would like to call and check with anywhere else first it’d be appreciated.
How much mill scale compared to the origional ones? Is it going to affect the ohmic sensor?
Wylie steel wants $28.50 /20’ 4X.125 hot rolled. We need 14 ea. Will MFY be delivered? If so I would say to process and deliver is well worth $100.
I’d check the cutouts, too close to tell by eye.
metals4u is about 10-15 minutes from the makerspace depending on traffic. They can deliver, often for free, but I didn’t ask because we usually just go pick it up (and snag free cutoff pieces of other stuff whilst at it for teaching)
How much would wylie want to cut it all? It’s 55 cuts required. Also will they deliver, as that’s 70 miles round trip and if purchasing the sticks at full length rather than cut we need something that can bring all 14x 20’ sections
the slats, quite literally, arrived as nothing but precut pieces of mild steel. There is nothing special about them.
They can not process.
We’d probably stick with the metals4u then, unless one of the other quotes I’ve requested comes back better with cuts.
Given the time consumed cutting, liability for mistakes, wear on the machines, et al better just to have it done by their fancy-smancy auto-feeding band saws 
EDIT: I’m still waiting on the quote replies from supermarket and online metals.
Sound wisdom
Either way we go it’s a wash. About the same price. 4x10 sheet is 205 at discount steel. 36$ for flat bar. So it will be about 400-500$.
Also remember that we have a functional cold saw that will make short work of it.
yeah so we’d need two of those since we could only fit 12 in one (maybe a 13th at an angle)
True, but for $20 why wear/risk the blade and the time that could be servicing the machine? (that’s the cost at metals4u at least).
I’m not opposed to cutting it, but we have to get it to the building regardless and it would be 20’ long sticks.
Keep on mind that even plasma will distort a long cut with stress to the edge, processing a 4X8 may make our problem worse as to a level table. As cool as it sounds to make the slats with the machine the slats are for I think we would be better off to deal with flat stock. And don’t forget that we are not real well equipped to move around a 4X10 on the road or in the metal shop.