Need A Quote- Aluminum tube

[m-134b]

RFQ for 100 pcs:

6061 T-6
1" O.D. .870 I.D. DOM tube
4.900"+-.005 long

Ends must be turned, not saw cut.

Please quote to ship to 38571 zip.

Thanks!
Ken Bolin
BPI

bolinpoliceinnovations@hotmail.com

[butch1]

Can they be parted off or do you want them faced? How about chamfered? Thanks

[universalfab]

The way I took it he wants them faced.

[m-134b]

Parting would be acceptable IF the face of the tube is square and the surface finish is decent, and there isn't a burr on the I.D.
The tubes as quoted above are just the first op, I'm trying to get a time/cost ratio for doing these, none of this is out of my capability, but doing it quickly and economically is. So far, all but one quote has beaten what it would cost me in time/material to produce the raw tube.

I'm also interested in quotes that include both ends threaded .500 deep 15/16-32 UN 2B on the I.D., and type III hardcoat anodized black.

Thank you for everyone's time and consideration!

Sincerely,
Ken Bolin
BPI

[universalfab]

If you can do it yourself then DO IT, because your time isn't worth more then anybody else's. Thats why you get the prices you did. I know my price was fair and you did'nt give me a reply back, so from the looks of it your looking for 3rd world labour... I was going to quote you on the threads and anodizing, but I don't think from the sounds of it it's worth any of my time or any one elses. You let me know if you want to go with me for the cutting to length job and if so then I'll send you a quote on the threads and anodizing. Mine as well have it all done by the same shop.

[m-134b]

I'm not looking for 3'rd world, and the reason I posted the RFQ is to get the job done on CNC lathes, which I currently don't have. It takes me 20 minutes or so to do each part single point threading on a manual lathe. Why do that, when a CNC can do 15-20 in the same time frame? I could tear down the job I have on my mill and thread them that way, but then I lose that time on the current job! So, you tell me.........

Sincerely,
Ken Bolin
BPI

[butch1]

You want the ID threaded to 5/16?????

[Dualkit]

Originally Posted by butch1 You want the ID threaded to 5/16?????

It says 15\16, did you drink your lunch?

[ParkerMillguy]

I'm embarrassed reading this thread...Is it that bad out there that you have to whine about not winning a bid? Use that energy to become more efficient/competitive. This job is so easy and you have a guy that doesn't even know his fractions! Scary.

[Dualkit]

Originally Posted by universalfab If you can do it yourself then DO IT, because your time isn't worth more then anybody else's. Thats why you get the prices you did. I know my price was fair and you did'nt give me a reply back, so from the looks of it your looking for 3rd world labour... I was going to quote you on the threads and anodizing, but I don't think from the sounds of it it's worth any of my time or any one elses. You let me know if you want to go with me for the cutting to length job and if so then I'll send you a quote on the threads and anodizing. Mine as well have it all done by the same shop.

Dude! What is your problem? I am afraid you aren't very perceptive of the situation. A few months ago I "gave away" a lathe that you could part and chamfer these tubes with. So anyone with a scrap yard quality lathe can do this job, that means if you bid "you will have lots of competition." Because of this, I do not waste my time bidding these jobs. A guy looking for beer and pizza money will do it cheap. This economy has forced people to go down their normal food chain looking for work. I find it amusing when people get angry when they find someone lower on the food chain willing to work for less. I see ISO certified shops with big machine payments and lots of employees grumbling that people are working for less than $75 an hour when they go after work that the smaller shops were getting, down the line now, we have a small professional machine shop getting mad when they can't win a job that hobby Joe normally gets. When I use "food chain" I mean no disrespect, I would say I am only a few notches off the bottom myself.
If this RFQ poster stops communicating with you it means he is FLOODED with bids, and someone has come in with a bid to work for a few bucks who has no idea what a shop rate is or how to bid work. That is the way it is, so deal with it like a mature person with class. Maybe the low bidder is they guy I gave that ugly green Rathbone lathe to. Was the winning bidder named Max?

[ParkerMillguy]

Originally Posted by Dualkit Dude! What is your problem? ... A few months ago I "gave away" a lathe that you could part and chamfer these tubes with. So anyone with a scrap yard quality lathe can do this job, that means if you bid "you will have lots of competition." Because of this, I do not waste my time bidding these jobs. A guy looking for beer and pizza money will do it cheap. This economy has forced people to go down their normal food chain looking for work. I find it amusing when people get angry when they find someone lower on the food chain willing to work for less. I see ISO certified shops with big machine payments and lots of employees grumbling that people are working for less than $75 an hour when they go after work that the smaller shops were getting, down the line now, we have a small professional machine shop getting mad when they can't win a job that hobby Joe normally gets... Was the winning bidder named Max?

Exactly...When I worked for a job shop I took pride in being able to pull jobs away from those $20/HR shops quoting at $80/HR and doubling the profit margin on those jobs. How? Creative machine processes. Spend your time being creative and coming up with the fastest process possible w/out falling off the quality wagon. We actually had customers call and ask "Are you sure you can make these parts for this price?". To which I responded, "We can charge you more if you'd like?". But we just didn't win every job. If you can make parts on time, meeting specifications, and make them look nice then you will produce a reputation that will have customers calling you to give you their work.

[Dualkit]

Very true ParkerMillGuy, a person has learn to bid jobs that fit their niche. I seem to have an edge machining a certain type of material and it wasn't rocket science. Plenty of time guys will scream when they see something
awarded cheap. They start yelling about the bottom feeder working for $15 an hour. One time one of those bottom feeders they were screaming about was me, I was tempted to respond as I had made $60 an hour on the job. Big discussion about this 3 minute part that somebody living in their mother's basement did for less than a dollar a piece including material. Well I was making them in less than 50 seconds on a bar fed CNC Swiss. Time and time again a guy with a $60 shop rate can undercut a $20 an hour guy with the right machinery and tooling. It is true people will work for $20 an hour with the right equipment if they are low on work, but most of the time the low guy has an edge on you and he is not working as cheap as you think. On this job considering the quantity I am sure it went to someone with a low shop rate and overhead, but if the quantity were higher someone could win the bid at a low price and still make a good hourly rate. This part here is a 20 second a piece job, including loading the bars with the right set-up.