where can I find aluminum angle that is affordable?

Hey guys I want to start doing some frame work in my boat. I saw that a lot of people use aluminum angle because of how lite it is. I'm assuming that 1 1/2" is what I need to go with but Lowes is charging around $37.00 for an 8' stick. I'm hoping y'all know something I don't about a cheaper distributor. I live in charleston, sc so if any one knows of one that is close to here I would love to hear about it. I'm also wondering if my assumption of requiring 1 1/2" is correct or if I may be able to use something smaller. I weigh about 260lbs so I'm going to need something solid.

Couple of choices that I can think of would be 1. A salvage/scrap metal yard where people sell old copper/aluminum/steel to be recycled. You'll have to dig through to find what you can use like an old aluminum ladder, angle stock, etc. 2. Find a bulk sales facility. If you don't know of any, find any machine shop and they can tell you where they buy their bulk stock from.

https://www.allmetalsinc.com/aluminumangle.html

krawler said:

https://www.allmetalsinc.com/aluminumangle.html

Click to expand...

those places are cheaper until you add the shipping costs, scrapyard is a better option for a small budget.....

Scrap yard is the best place to get cheap aluminum. Look for a local scrap yard and plan a couple hours to dig through. It could save you hundreds.

Look in the yellow pages. With a quick look, I found a few possibilities for new aluminum, that will still be cheaper than Lowes.
Ashley Steel
Charleston Aluminum
Charleston Steel and Metal
American Steel Fabricators

Not all of these may sell in small quantities to the general public, but in a place the size of Charleston, it is a sure bet that some will.
You will probably have to buy in full stick quantities (25'), but the price per foot, even if you had to pay them to cut it in half for transport, should still be much cheaper than the home improvement stores.

Scrapyard is great, provided you have one open to the public, and that has what you can use. Fewer and fewer are staying open to the public with liability concerns soaring.

Online Metals is cheaper than Lowes by half, even after shipping. I found a place locally that does fabrication work. They sell me 1 1/2 X 1/8" thick for $1.80/foot, and the 1/4" stuff for $2.60/foot.

I did the same as some of the others.
luckily I found a metal salvage place that sells aluminum by the pound.
I bought all the aluminum sheets there.
angle was a little harder to find. had to turn to some good old redneck fabrication.
found some square stock, and just NICKED the corners with a table saw. got 2 nice angles out of it.
also bought 1 pc of 25' - 1 1/2x1 1/2 x 1/8" angle. the 25' cost was just slightly more than buying two 8' pieces.
I probablly saved $300-400 by scrounging.
Morris B. Glick is where I got the sheets, near Fleetwood PA. outside of Reading. So anyone near this area, that's planning on doing major mods., should check them out. he also had 5'x10' in stock. nice when you're working on a wider hull.
He had very little angle when I was there, keep that in mind if you go there, but he could get it in at any time.
he also has tons of diamond plate.

I used these guys:

www.metalsdepot.com

Thanks everyone. I'll start with all of your suggestions and see what I can come up with

An aluminum ladder from Craigslist might be cheaper for you for the braces. Shop around and be patient.

Most medium sized towns havce a steel supply company that generally has a section for aluminum. In Richmond, VA the big company for steel has an entire building for aluminum only (Richmond is a state capitol).

I am finding the same thing...
Cheaper online until you add in the shipping costs... Then... WHAMO! About the same cost as Home Depot at that point. As a matter of fact, I found HD cheaper than the same piece online PLUS the shipping.

So, it depends on what you are doing and what you need, and WHEN you need it...
Need it right this second (NIRTS) then Home Depot regardless of cost.
Don't need it right away, and you can get it ALL AT ONCE, then you can probably get it from the same place and shipping will be reduced slightly.

Either way its expensive new.

I am searching for sheets that I want for the floor. I saw some guy using 3/16, but I think 1/8 would be fine for what I want and I MIGHT be able to go down to 1/16, but maybe not.

I also may just have to lay them out, end to end. I don't like that. I want them to 'connect' together unless I can get the full sheet for the two floors.

Talons

I just bought my aluminum angle from a place in downtown Charleston called Hughs Lumber. It was $16.99 for and 1"1" by 8ft. I only needed four and I have left overs. It wasnt cheap but it sure beats lowes or home depot. Here is a pic of the aluminum I just put in at my build. https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=27180

I know a lot of times when you have to ship metals it gets really expensive, however if you go through a company that has a store location close to you, you can really get out ahead. I am going to use this place for some stuff and it gets delivered to a place I drive by all the time for free. So you may can go to a company like this and see if they have a location close to you. I didn't even know the building existed till I looked online! Makes me wonder how many great deals have slipped by me in the past! :?

This is what I pay retail locally for new stock (used remnants are $1 per lb) . . . you can use it for reference:
25' Grade 6061 1.25x1.25x.25 $58.00
16' Grade 6063 1.25x1.25x.125 $20.00

. . . yes, HD, ACE and Lowes is the last place to by steel and alum stock, IMHO

I buy my metal from a metal supply shop. The trick is to buy used metal. If I want a new piece I'd pay the price for that specific size and material. Buying used I just pay a per pound price regardless of size or material. Many times its new overstock returned to the supplier from a purchaser. Either way their loss is my gain.