C stands for channel and the number stands for pounds per foot. It should be enough for them. Typically most channel is a36 at a minimum (36 ksi yield strength)
Emailed Ripp's custom rack plans to a local weld fab shop that was recommended to me by a friend who is a welder. When I called beforehand he was asking what it was made out of, and I wasn't quite sure from looking at the plans themselves. Is C4 or 5.4# supposed to indicate to a welder what material to use? Does anyone who had one built know what kind of metal it's built from?
Last edited by Schwiggity; 12-14-2011 at 01:13 PM.
C stands for channel and the number stands for pounds per foot. It should be enough for them. Typically most channel is a36 at a minimum (36 ksi yield strength)
It should also be made with cold rolled steel, not hot rolled. Which will increase the cost, but also the strength.
Almost all cold rolled steel channel, that I know of, is U-channel. Rip's design calls for hot rolled C-channel. The only thing for the power rack, that you may want cold rolled on, is the pins which are 1-1/4"dia. x 30".
C4-5.4 is A36 C channel, 4" in depth x 1.58" width x .18" thickness at 5.4 lbs/ft. It is hot rolled. This is what you want to use. There are other steel grades and sizes, like C4 - 7.25, but this is excessive. Cold rolled c channel is generally only light gauge metal and not suitable for a rack.
I swear he said something about cold rolled in that thread in the Q&A, but my memory is not to be trusted at the moment. He probably was just talking about the pins. So my bad.
I think he was talking about the pins...
Which would make sense; round stock is highly available in cold roll. Plus, as mentioned, it will be stronger and seeing as how it will be subject to shear stress it makes more sense. I haven't seen the plan, but I assume the channel is for the uprights? Hot roll should be sufficient for that purpose.
what would this custom power rack typically run you to have someone buy materials, and build rack? $500?
If you are clever, you should go find spare/excess/recycled materials for the rack and modify the design to accomodate whatever materials you have. I have visited various of steel suppliers in my city and they always have a big skip full of off cuts/excess which is sent for melting. They let you have some for small donation.
Vehicle/metal Scrapyards will also only charge you raw cost of metal (for melting).
Last edited by Dastardly; 12-20-2011 at 08:02 PM.