# Anyone have their own metal shop?



## Billy Luttrell (May 3, 2010)

Raining pretty hard today. Just been answering calls and shuffling paper work....

I have been thinking about investing and opening a metal shop as part of my business. I have a small brake I use now for small stuff like counter flashing and dead valley pans. I would need to get a much bigger shop though and invest in heavy duty brakes and stomp shears etc.

I use a local shop now to make my big stuff...and I spend enough with them per year to make it worth the investment.

Even if I did nothing but my own stuff I could still go down on rainy days or send a couple guys in to make our every day stuff we use and stock pile it ahead of time.

Also...I am bored chitless.:whistling:


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## Grumpy (Oct 29, 2008)

Would you have the volume to cover the overhead? A metal fabricator around here just sold out to a roofnig contractor. Now the roofing contractor makes a little profit on other people's jobs too. I've always wanted to open a supply house to do the very same thing. Run them seperate but I could get materials at a discounted rate, either way. It's not something I am going to do any time soon.


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## 1985gt (Dec 21, 2010)

We have our own metal shop. Mostly to do our stuff and everyone once and a great while we will bend stuff for others.

Few tips don't buy a cheap break. We got burned pretty bad on one once. Slitters work well when your using a manual folder, if you go to a computerized folder step up to a powered sheer. Buy a small stop sheer, and a small box and pan break. 

It's nice being able to bend your own metal, some times its a down side too if your crews are super busy and do not have a dedicated sheet metal guy.


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## Grumpy (Oct 29, 2008)

Grumpy said:


> W A metal fabricator around here just sold out to a roofnig contractor. Now the roofing contractor makes a little profit on other people's jobs too.


For what it is worth, their prices went up and service went down. 

We used to be able to get metal next day, now the old owner, who still manages the place, told me "If you don't like it go somewhere else." So I did.


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## How'd that get there (Sep 22, 2010)

We have a large sheet metal shop for our own roofing projects..all commercial jobs but some are steep slope slate/tile. To do it right you're looking at a computerized brake, power shears, training, electric upgrades. There are so many pre-manufactured pitch pans and the like available why would you want to tie up that kind of cash?
For flat projects I simply don't see how it makes sense when you factor in that the pre-manufactured edgings and copings can meet the current wind uplift requirements. Of course meeting that requirement is even disputed between the big metal manufacturer's and contractors that bend their own.


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