Aluminum selection questions

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Years ago when I was 16, I worked in a boat plant building aluminum fishing boats.  Before long I ended up in the welding department mig welding aluminum sheet and extrusion, but I never knew what grade or types they were.   I am going to be doing some projects this summer with aluminum, like a roof rack.   What should I be looking for in square tubing? Also, what kind of sheet is good for welding, and also for bending? I'll be welding a tubing structure and using sheet for making brackets and other small parts. All input is appreciated!
Reply:When I order aluminum square tubing it's all a 6xxx series, I'll have to check when I get to my shop in about half hour on the exact number. I always order 3003 series plate due to its ablity to being bent and formed. I would stay away from the 6xxx, series some of them really don't like being bent.Just my $.02 from my experience.-DoogieMiller 350PMiller Trailblazer 325 EFI w/ Excel PowerLincoln LN25 suitcase welderXMT 304/22a feederMiller Syncrowave 350LXMiller EconotigHobart Handler 140(2) Uni-Hydro 42-14Hypertherm 65 plasmaWEBB Gap bed lathe
Reply:6063-T52 is what I've been getting.-DoogieMiller 350PMiller Trailblazer 325 EFI w/ Excel PowerLincoln LN25 suitcase welderXMT 304/22a feederMiller Syncrowave 350LXMiller EconotigHobart Handler 140(2) Uni-Hydro 42-14Hypertherm 65 plasmaWEBB Gap bed lathe
Reply:6061 is the most common square tube that is used for structural applications, it's more rigid than 6063 and about the same price. 2000 or 7000 series is actually stronger, but it's 4x or more the cost and hard to find, and can't be welded so rivets and bolts hold it to gether.
Reply:6061 t5 tubeing i consider bendible 6061 t6 isnt  for plate go with either 5052 or 5086High Octane Welding
Reply:Thank you guys! Exactly the info I was looking for.   So 6061 for tubing, and 3xxx series for sheet.   And 5052 or 5086 for plate?Kind of wish I would have asked more questions about the materials at the boat plant!  But what did I know at 16!
Reply:Skip the 3003, and go right to 5052 sheet.  A fair bit more rigid, but still brake bendable with the right equipment and an operator with half a brain.  It's a bit more corrosion resistant, too.3003 is really soft, so it tends to gum up when saw cut.  Cutting wax will alleviate this to some degree, but it's still not the most pleasant alloy to work with.I wouldn't bother with 5086 unless you are building saltwater boats or accessories - you'll agree when you get a price quote.  I don't know what your location is, but if your boat building plant was one of the companies with a fairly recognizable name, in the Missouri or Arkansas area, you can pretty well figure that all the sheet/coil you were working with was 5052 and all of the extrusions were 6061.  That at least puts a face to a name when it comes to being familiar with what you were working with before.Who is John Galt?
Reply:Ok, thanks!   The one I worked at was Hewes Craft, they are in the NW.
Reply:Originally Posted by JustmeOk, thanks!   The one I worked at was Hewes Craft, they are in the NW.
Reply:I use 6063 electrical conduit often, The metal dealer is second generation, he went off to the city to university, and was well into an engineering career when his father got sick. He knows more about metals than I imagined possible. He's quite taken with 6061 in several tempers. Bendable sheet is I believe T2, flat bar stock is T6.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.