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Old 12-09-2009, 15:29   #1
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Custom Cut Stainless

This may sound like a real newbie kind of a question, but where on Earth do you get custom cut stainless for backing plates and such?

Seems most people just get it from someone who knows someone with a metal shop. But what if you don't know anyone, or if those people can't get specifically what your looking for?

Is there an online source that will do custom cuts?

I need a small plate for something, but it's going to be visible inside the cabin, so I really want it to be polished, rounded corners, etc.
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Old 12-09-2009, 15:36   #2
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Grunzter,

I've got inside my cabin backing plated made of aluminum. You can cut and shape alum. with regular shop tools and looks good for what I needed it for.
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Old 12-09-2009, 15:58   #3
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Any of the fabricators of stanchions, boarding ladders, that sort of thing,would be a good place to start. Try schaeffer, tops-in -quality, garhaeur, etc. I may not have spelt the names right. It's Corona time
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Old 12-09-2009, 16:11   #4
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Guillotine...

I found a "small" engineering shop that had "large" guillotines. They also did bending and drilling for me and to appreciate my business.

Sheet stainless is used in many, many industrial applications. A look in the yellow pages and a few phone calls should do the trick.

Don't forget to get good directions as they seem to love locating in places that are really tricky to find.
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Old 12-09-2009, 17:21   #5
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We also found a mfg company in the yellow pages where we are located now that is very helpful and has done many things for us in stainless. Even made my husband a trolling motor bracket for our dinghy. But planks of teak are good for backing plates if they are going to be seen also
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Old 12-09-2009, 18:36   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Boracay View Post
......
Don't forget to get good directions as they seem to love locating in places that are really tricky to find.
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Old 12-09-2009, 19:19   #7
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I have a lot of Al Mag alloy backing plates. They work quite well and may be cheaper to make. I would also agree with others. Look for the smaller machine shops. Sometimes a job that is small and interesting can get done quickly for a fair price. Being nice matters. You might be amazed at what some of these places can eaily do.
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Old 12-09-2009, 19:24   #8
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I have used http://www.umpquasheetmetal.com/ for some of my stainless steel work.
I was pleased with both price and quality. A plus is that they were (for me) local.
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Old 12-09-2009, 19:31   #9
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If you are making backing plates, buy 1/4" aluminum plate. Plenty stiff enough and way easier to drill and cut to size. A Marine fabricating shop will have scrap/remnant pieces that they may give you a deal on. If you know the widths that you will need, they can cut them on a shear for a price that is too cheap to do it yourself. You can cut aluminum with a coarse woodcutting blade. Don't even try a metal blade as cutting heats the aluminum and melts it into the teeth metal cutting blades. It's a good idea to paint the aluminum with zinc chromate to kill any corrosion before it has a chance to start.
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Old 12-09-2009, 20:46   #10
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grunzster, there are often small local machine shops or shops that specialize in stainless fab work hidden away in the seedy part of your town.

Or, you can check out CNC Machine Shop | Custom Waterjet, Plasma, Laser Cutting | eMachineShop.com which allows you to download free CAD/CAM software, design your own parts, spec the materials, send the file out on the internet and get your custom parts back in a week or so.

(I have no relation to them other than having used the software.)

There's also a company called smallparts.com which probably can sell you bits of plates and such, and a number of shops will sell you metal plate, bar stock, etc. over the web that you can cut yourself with a conventional jigsaw and drill if that's all you need.
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Old 12-09-2009, 20:54   #11
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I just did a google check of Machine Shops Highland NJ got 11 results.

Check and see if there is a Metal or Metals Xpress near you. I have one near me and they have cut many pieces of al, steel, stainless for me. I have used a grinder to round off the edges.
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Old 12-09-2009, 20:55   #12
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Also try commercial kitchen fabricators.
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Old 12-09-2009, 21:12   #13
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Try any small metal fab shop. It's that easy.
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