"There's more than one way to skin a cat”......always wondered who came up with that one, but I do understand its meaning.

Round bar is not round bar and flat bar is not flat bar.

Round bar can be made from a variety of other shapes by lath turning. Similarly, flat bar can be reproduced by cutting from plate, open die forging or cutting from forged block.

Often times, when we do a live presentation, we bring all attendees a can of Play Dough. We ask folks, “okay, make me a square bar”. Then we ask, “okay, now make a round bar” The results are often pretty comical.....

We do this to communicate that in almost every case, the technology exists to make one form of metal into another.

Pacific Metal Cutting in California can take a round bar and from it, saw cut a square, rectangle or even hex bar from it?

Offenhauser in Houston can take flat sheet or plate and produce a pipe or tube size so beautiful you would swear it can right from the mill.

Timken Boring in Texas can take up to a 30 foot long solid bar and bore an ID to make flawless tubulars.

Braeburn Alloy Steel in Pennsylvania makes some of the most gorgeous square and flat bar in the business – the starting stock? Round bar.

Instead of cutting large rings from plate, many suppliers can produce seamless rolled rings – saving a tremendous amount of scrap and yielding a ring with superior strength.

Now all of this is very interesting however, I would only recommend pursuing something like this if and only if:

1.) The client has deep pockets – aka US Government, military, Fortune 500, etc....

2.) The specification allows it. If the client calls out a pipe spec and you're making the product from plate, no go. If the client calls out flat bar AMS 5645 (321 Stainless in Bars Forgings and Rings) and you are cutting flat bar from plate (which meets AMS5510) .....trouble.

So, work and learn just what can and cannot be done. Its an ace up your sleeve and can win you some very profitable business if you know what you're doing.

The MSO website has a great listing of what we call Service Providers....use it often and let us know if we've missed anyone!