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Thread: Custom Power Rack Material?

  1. #1
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    Default Custom Power Rack Material?

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    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.

  2. #2
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    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)

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    It should also be made with cold rolled steel, not hot rolled. Which will increase the cost, but also the strength.

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    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".

  5. #5
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    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.

  6. #6
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    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.

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    I think he was talking about the pins...

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    Quote Originally Posted by Roy View Post
    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.

  9. #9
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    what would this custom power rack typically run you to have someone buy materials, and build rack? $500?

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    Quote Originally Posted by wbsgn12 View Post
    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.

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