Lumber stack levelers - steel source ?

jfynyson

Jeremy
User
I’m looking into building some lumber stack base levelers like those Matt Cremona built in this link: https://mattcremona.com/urban-logging/sawing/lumber-stack-levelers

I have a lot of nice hardwoods on my property that’ll be cleared prior to building our home & workshop that I’d like to have milled up. I did a quick search online for steel but would like your local perspective as well. I’ve never bought steel for a project.

Questions
Any idea where around Winston Salem, Greensboro or High Point I should look to find c-channel and tube steel to make a bunch of these levelers ?

Is there a lower cost online option instead ?
 

Rick Mainhart

Rick
Corporate Member
I’m looking into building some lumber stack base levelers like those Matt Cremona built in this link: https://mattcremona.com/urban-logging/sawing/lumber-stack-levelers

I have a lot of nice hardwoods on my property that’ll be cleared prior to building our home & workshop that I’d like to have milled up. I did a quick search online for steel but would like your local perspective as well. I’ve never bought steel for a project.

Questions
Any idea where around Winston Salem, Greensboro or High Point I should look to find c-channel and tube steel to make a bunch of these levelers ?

Is there a lower cost online option instead ?
Hi Jeremy,

D.H. Griffin Scrap Yard ... 4700 Hilltop Rd, Greensboro. You'll have to wander the yard and haul your finds to the scale building. You'll pay approximately 2X current scrap steel price (at least that's what it was the last time I went there).

Alro Metals Outlet ... 110 Industrial Ave, Greensboro. They have drops as well as full length material available. They also had (haven't been there in a while) precut forms such as gusset plates in various sizes, and can perform some shearing/cutting services for you on-site.

While there are other steel "Service Centers", they tend to inventory material and cut parts for big customers ... and don't deal much, if at all, with retail customers.

Blue Ridge Tool ... 505 Lakedale Rd, Colfax. They are a machine shop that "may" have what you are looking for in their scrap bins. There are other machine shops in the area, but I'm most familiar with BRT.

Omnisource Corporation ... 3415 Glenn Ave NE, Winston-Salem, 1426 W Mountain St, Kernersville. These are metal recycling facilities much as D.H. Griffin. The Kernersville site typically only takes in bulk steel (stripped and flattened cars, metal-cased appliances), Winston Salem takes pretty much anything. Not sure if they allow you to wander the yard looking for usable scrap, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

If you want to work outside the box, TP Supply in Mt Airy sells used warehouse racks and totes. You might find it easier to buy some rack beams and cut them to length rather than building Matt's solution. If nothing else, there are a LOT of used warehouse racks available around the area.

In any case, make sure you have a cut list for what you're looking for ... in most cases these places don't have the time or interest in helping you figure out suitable materials.

Not sure how much material you want, but remember steel is full of those darn kilograms * (and they're HEAVY). Plan on appropriate transportation beforehand.

Regards,

Rick

* Twice now, I've looked at the weight listed on a box and overlooked the units ... and was sure glad to have an extra hand to move these things from the driveway around back to the basement door. Yes, kilograms are heavy indeed.
 
Last edited:

jfynyson

Jeremy
User
Hi Jeremy,

D.H. Griffin Scrap Yard ... 4700 Hilltop Rd, Greensboro. You'll have to wander the yard and haul your finds to the scale building. You'll pay approximately 2X current scrap steel price (at least that's what it was the last time I went there).

Alro Metals Outlet ... 110 Industrial Ave, Greensboro. They have drops as well as full length material available. They also had (haven't been there in a while) precut forms such as gusset plates in various sizes, and can perform some shearing/cutting services for you on-site.

While there are other steel "Service Centers", they tend to inventory material and cut parts for big customers ... and don't deal much, if at all, with retail customers.

Blue Ridge Tool ... 505 Lakedale Rd, Colfax. They are a machine shop that "may" have what you are looking for in their scrap bins. There are other machine shops in the area, but I'm most familiar with BRT.

Omnisource Corporation ... 3415 Glenn Ave NE, Winston-Salem, 1426 W Mountain St, Kernersville. These are metal recycling facilities much as D.H. Griffin. The Kernersville site typically only takes in bulk steel (stripped and flattened cars, metal-cased appliances), Winston Salem takes pretty much anything. Not sure if they allow you to wander the yard looking for usable scrap, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

If you want to work outside the box, TP Supply in Mt Airy sells used warehouse racks and totes. You might find it easier to buy some rack beams and cut them to length rather than building Matt's solution. If nothing else, there are a LOT of used warehouse racks available around the area.

In any case, make sure you have a cut list for what you're looking for ... in most cases these places don't have the time or interest in helping you figure out suitable materials.

Not sure how much material you want, but remember steel is full of those darn kilograms * (and they're HEAVY). Plan on appropriate transportation beforehand.

Regards,

Rick

* Twice now, I've looked at the weight listed on a box and overlooked the units ... and was sure glad to have an extra hand to move these things from the driveway around back to the basement door. Yes, kilograms are heavy indeed.
Many thanks for the info ! Have you ever ordered online and if so any recommendations there as well, cost-wise ?
 

mkepke

Mark
Senior User
Look at unistrut from your favorite big-box store. Not cheap anymore, but convenient.

As a bonus, i) it's galvanized and ii) if you're not into welding, unistrut fittings should let you construct the levellers you need.

-Mark
 

Rick Mainhart

Rick
Corporate Member
Many thanks for the info ! Have you ever ordered online and if so any recommendations there as well, cost-wise ?
Hi Jeremy,

No, I have not used any on-line metal retailers for structural steel ... closest I came was having some enclosure front panels laser cut and engraved. There, the price was lower for the completed job than for me to source the raw material ... but that's quite a different market.

Regards,

Rick
 

mpeele

michael
User
Dillion supply is where I buy my big steel. Only issue is you have to buy a whole 20' stick but they will cut it. There is one in Winston-Salem. For small pieces I use SpeedyMetals.com. They will sell you 1" of almost anything. If project has a lot of cutting I use them.
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
Now you folks are going to cause me trouble as I can come up with several projects needing bigger steel and I am almost out of old bedframes. New steel, or anything delivered is way out of the question.

Now of any scrap yards closer to Durham?
 

jfynyson

Jeremy
User
Thank you all for the great options !

Do you have any idea what grade steel (c-channel & tube) I'll need for this application ? All I've seen in the specs from Matt's write up is the diameter and 4.1#. It reminds me of the 1st time I went to buy hardwoods...a whole new lingo to learn.

  • Would it be A-36, 10XX, 11XX, 12XX ?
  • Would it be hot rolled ?
  • Would it be low, medium or high carbon steel ?

Thanks again !
 

charlessenf

(;harles
Senior User
What's the purpose of these???
Looks as if the idea is to have a support every 16" over ten feet with each and all the supports in the same plane. with the thinking being that this will help prevent twisting as the wood dries. The link is to a video detailing the builds(s) and rationale. He also has a website and offers plans.
 

jfynyson

Jeremy
User
Whats the purpose of these??? seems to me you can level the first piece easy enough by shimming it???
Sorry I've been away for a while. Yes, it's as Charles states. See Matt Cremona's videos for why he made them vs battling shims for years. I feel like indeed this would be the best option.

I have some 2" square stock that MIGHT suit you. Do you have an idea of the length you need? the count?
IN LENOIR, NC however.
I'll be taking inventory (using a Doyle Scale stick) this fall for how many logs and diameters but it will be a lot of them if making them 30-48" wide and using them every 18-20" for a 8-10ft logs. I'm in the Piedmont Triad area.
 

charlessenf

(;harles
Senior User
I have ten or twelve sections of 2 x 2 steel tubing 48" long

Does that float your boat?

Also try a search bot on Craiglist
 

jfynyson

Jeremy
User
I have ten or twelve sections of 2 x 2 steel tubing 48" long

Does that float your boat?

Also try a search bot on Craiglist
I'm planning on taking tree inventory estimates late this fall before all of the leaves come down. From there I should have a pretty good idea of how many levelers I need based on log lengths & diameters for stacking. I'm just trying to plan ahead here since technically I cannot do any logging in there until we're ready to clear the land for construction due to the way our soil perc test was set up.

I appreciate the offer and will reach back out in a couple months. No worries at all if you need to get rid of those in some other way before then.
 

chris_goris

Chris
Senior User
Looks as if the idea is to have a support every 16" over ten feet with each and all the supports in the same plane. with the thinking being that this will help prevent twisting as the wood dries. The link is to a video detailing the builds(s) and rationale. He also has a website and offers plans.
I dont see anything like this in massive stacks of lumber outside of furniture plants.....
 

blackhawk

Brad
Corporate Member
Thank you all for the great options !

Do you have any idea what grade steel (c-channel & tube) I'll need for this application ? All I've seen in the specs from Matt's write up is the diameter and 4.1#. It reminds me of the 1st time I went to buy hardwoods...a whole new lingo to learn.

  • Would it be A-36, 10XX, 11XX, 12XX ?
  • Would it be hot rolled ?
  • Would it be low, medium or high carbon steel ?

Thanks again !
The C channel will be A36 and its designation is AISI C3x4.1. The C3 refers to the shape and 4.1 is the pounds per foot.

For the square tubing you can use mechanical or structural tubing. You will be fine with mechanical tubing.

Just my 2 cents, but I think the levelers are overkill and they will be expensive to make. Steel is at crazy prices right now. I use 6"x6" PT lumber runners with 4x4 PT cross members to stack my lumber on. If you build them straight they are much easier to level than individual cinder blocks. Plus, they can be moved to another location easily.
 

Oka

Casey
Corporate Member
If you want unistrut - buy from a supply house not a big box. ALL steel at a big box is stupid over priced.
All/any steel will work for this. A-36,A-572, etc. I would look at 1/8, 3/16 or 1/4.

Most steel suppliers will sell the drops for a good price. However, buying full length pieces may be better if you need more than 2 completed parts.
 

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