where to get parts/materials

em14 · Oct 17, 2002

Check with the Structual Steel suppliers ... and one of the very best is to find a local welding shop that retails metal ...

budman72 · Oct 17, 2002

Interesting that sometimes the "mom & pop" stores have a better selection, but less quantity than the orange and blue box stores. Lots of times I'm looking for an odd bolt for my old British car, I can find it in an Ace hardware or someplace like that, HD never heard of it. HD & Lowes only stock things they can move on volume.

bgott · Oct 17, 2002

I go to Fastenal. I have their "Blue Book" which has 1616 pages of neat stuff. They have a website, www.fastenal.com. Unfortunately I didn't see any acme threaded rod in there. I think your best bet for acme rod would be a machine shop supply.

Anonymous Poster · Oct 18, 2002

My first stop is usually the index in my local yellow pages. In this case, nothing under "Threaded Rod" but "Fasteners, Industrial" led me to several possibilities, including one that lists "TH ROD" in a liner ad. ( And hey, there's "Farm Equipment" on the same page! /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif )

Remember, HD, Orchard Supply, Lowes, etc. are "Home Improvement" stores, not "hardware" stores. As a matter of fact, of all the competing chains locally, only 3 branches of two of the chains bothered to list themselves under "hardware" in the yellow pages.

Taylortractornut · Oct 18, 2002

Theres a chain of stores here in mississippi called Lewis Tool Supply there good on industrial stuff. Dixie Bearing is another good one. But my favotrite is Motion Industries. They deal with pumps, bearings, hoses,cylinders slides fasteners, pneumatics, hydraulic motors. and anything industrial. THey are very helpful. I just ordered 3 double sprocketsd and a big double roller chain and bearings for 75 dollars to make a rotary ditcher

wroughtn_harv · Oct 18, 2002

Acme thread, you are a man after my own heart.

Here in norte tejas, Dallas area I have two great sources for such. One is a big building just full of fasteners of all types. They have acme in all sizes in five foot lengths.

But the other day I was at a scrap yard. There in a corner I noticed some various pieces of different sizes and lengths.

Look for industrial supply houses.

I noticed a link to fastenall. I've taken the tour of their distribution center north of Dallas. I was sweating blood the wants was so serious.

Their downside is they have different prices for different folks on different days with different pairs of jeans off or on. I really have a problem with folks getting a better price than I can for the same product based entirely upon the attitude of the salesperson. I know that's life in the city and the way business is done. But I don't like it. So I only shop fastenal for deals and with the fangs exposed.

Anonymous Poster · Oct 18, 2002

Enco (www.use-enco.com) has 3/4-6 in 6' lengths for $17.81 (item number 408-0226)

Hoeman00 · Oct 19, 2002

All else fails make your own, best to carbide tools already ground.
I got a set of real nice threading and parting tools, change inserts and
cut any thread style plus left or right hand.

gmason · Oct 25, 2002

My next thing I was looking for was a 1 5/8" x 1 5/8" strut(channel) w/o the holes in the back of it and I found several in the phone book but they were all electrical companies and they had them with hole on the back. Nobody had the 12ga w/o the holes.

I tried the Unistrut people located 100mi away and they had it, but wanted $55 just for shipping. I tried the Grainger web site and found it. YEA! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Just went and picked it up at the store here.
Now on to other parts....thanks to all for the suggestions...keep them coming...

gary