edge prep

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I am not a metals fabricator. I am a woodworker taking an intro welding class and want to build a small welding table for projects around my shop.If I go to a metals supply company that sells retail, which also has a fabrication and welding shop, and ask them for six (6) pieces of 48" x 4" x 1/2" steel with  edges/corners slightly radiused/ eased / chamfered, just to eliminate the sharp edge, is that edge prep a very time-consuming and costly operation with steel? Is there the metal-working equivalent of a router that could do this lickety-split?  What is a reasonable amount of time for that prep, give or take?I know rents and expenses vary by location, and a shop in one place might have higher expenses than another, so I'm not asking about price, just about the time it would take an average competent fabricator to ease the edges.Thanks
Reply:For a production shop, this is what's used-http://www.gullco.com/portable-beveller.htmlYou have such a small job that your best bet would be to do it yourself and use a side grinder with the proper disc and finish it with a flapper type finishing disc.On small jobs a "job shop" is going to charge you a minimum set up time (2 hours, 4 hours, etc).You have a do it yourself situation.Lincoln SA200's... at least 15 - 20. They come and go. Growing partial to the "Short Hoods" in my old age. Last count on Short Hoods was 13 in possession.
Reply:You need to go to a supplier and take a quick look 1st. If you were to look at their 4" by 1/2" flat strap the edge of the strap might already smooth enough for what you want. Then all you would have to do would be the cut ends."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:You can probably grind and finish them in the time it would take you to deliver and pick them up from a shop.  Might take a couple of grinding disks and flap wheels, but your $$ would be cheaper.
Reply:Originally Posted by hobohiltonFor a production shop, this is what's used-http://www.gullco.com/portable-beveller.htmlYou have such a small job that your best bet would be to do it yourself and use a side grinder with the proper disc and finish it with a flapper type finishing disc.On small jobs a "job shop" is going to charge you a minimum set up time (2 hours, 4 hours, etc).You have a do it yourself situation.
Reply:Originally Posted by SandyYou need to go to a supplier and take a quick look 1st. If you were to look at their 4" by 1/2" flat strap the edge of the strap might already smooth enough for what you want. Then all you would have to do would be the cut ends.
Reply:$70 for a grinding wheel?  You can get a  4 1/2" angle grinder from harborfreight.com for less than 20 bucks and grinding wheels for steel are $1.99 ea.  Add a wire wheel available at most any hardware store or home improvement center and you can buff off the burrs in a snap.  If you want it real smooth get a [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Norton-Non-Woven-Depressed-Center-Diameter/dp/B00755XY2Y"]Norton RapidStrip wheel[/ame] and you can polish the steel to an almost mirror finish.- MondoMember, AWSLincoln ProMIG 140Lincoln AC TombstoneCraftsman Lathe 12 x 24 c1935Atlas MFC Horizontal MillCraftsman Commercial Lathe 12 x 36 c1970- - - I'll just keep on keepin' on.
Reply:Flap disc -http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/DEW...121025140444:sLincoln SA200's... at least 15 - 20. They come and go. Growing partial to the "Short Hoods" in my old age. Last count on Short Hoods was 13 in possession.
Reply:Originally Posted by hobohiltonFlap disc -http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/DEW...121025140444:s
Reply:Originally Posted by Mondo$70 for a grinding wheel?  You can get a  4 1/2" angle grinder from harborfreight.com for less than 20 bucks and grinding wheels for steel are $1.99 ea.  Add a wire wheel available at most any hardware store or home improvement center and you can buff off the burrs in a snap.  If you want it real smooth get a Norton RapidStrip wheel and you can polish the steel to an almost mirror finish.- Mondo
Reply:The $2 Harbor Freight wheels will work, but realize that they may not be all that cost effective. Check out Lehigh Valley Abrasize on the Internet or head down to your local welding supply...sooner you get a rapport going with them the better...and pick up some Sait brand wheels or other quality brands. As with woodworking abrasives, sometimes it pays to spend a bit more for a product that lasts longer, but is cheaper once the economics of use life is factored in.As for the $70 carbide wheel, they can serve two purposes. One, they'll give fast stock removal on difficult to abrade steel alloys. Two, they'll keep the guys that have to have the 'last word' in equipment coming back for more. For most work, and probably all work you'll be doing, the $70 wheels are overkill and far less cost effective than the $2 Harbor Freight wheels.Lincoln PrecisionTig 275Miller 251Miller DialArc 250Bridgeport millHossfeld bender & diesLogan shaperJet 14 X 40 latheSouth Bend 9" 'C'Hypertherm 900Ellis 3000 band saw21"Royersford ExcelsiorTwo shops, still too many tools.
Reply:Originally Posted by tr888The flap discs I've found -- but you said to make a final finishing pass with them.  What I'm not sure of is the proper disk to make the first more aggressive pass, to put a slight chamfer on the edge.