Pipe Clamp Pipe

[mcgrath4u]

I know black pipe is suppose to be better than the rest but where do you guys find the cheapest pipe? I looked at lowes yesterday and they were 10 for a 5' pre-threaded section. This seems high to me, but I could be wrong.

And yes I know I picked up the harbor freight clamp for 4 bucks and another 10 would give me a 5' clamp for $15, but im looking to see what you guys paid for yours.

Thanks,
John

[LarryG]

Try Home Depot.

I buy my black iron pipe at HD. Ten bucks for a ten foot stick, and they cut and thread it for free. (I'm told not all HDs do this, so ask before you place your order.) I've not priced a 10' stick at Lowe's.

The pre-cut, pre-threaded pieces are considerably more expensive on a per-foot basis. Before I discovered the buck-a-foot deal at HD, I checked both stores and as I recall, Lowe's prices run a little higher than HD for the same size piece.

[burrellski]

The local Lowes and HD are within a few cents/ft of each other. Same deal as mentioned above. A little over $10 for a 10' piece, free threading.

[jarhead]

The local Lowes and HD are within a few cents/ft of each other. Same deal as mentioned above. A little over $10 for a 10' piece, free threading.

That's interesting... my local BORG charges to thread the pipes. For me it comes out cheaper to buy the pre-threaded pipes.

[sweensdv]

You might want to give a couple of local plumbing or heating contractors a call and see what they'll charge you for various lengths of cut black pipe. To save on the overall cost, you could have them cut the threads on only one end of the pipe.

[Tom Miller]

Buying pre-cut, pre-threaded pipe: extra few $$
Not having to find a HD employee to screw up the first few cuts/threads, not to mention waiting for them to come over in the first place (wait for it), plus, they stop whenever someone else comes by with a question (wait, it's coming), even though you were there first (whew!): PRICELESS!

Thank you, thank you very much!

Regards,
Tom

[Greg04]

I like the galvanized pipe much better. A couple bucks more and your hands don't get black when you handle it.

[Tom Miller]

I like the galvanized pipe much better. A couple bucks more and your hands don't get black when you handle it.

More importantly, your projects don't pick up black stains. I get the galvanized for this reason, too, but I think the black pipe is stiffer(?).

Regards,
Tom

[gmack5]

More importantly, your projects don't pick up black stains. I get the galvanized for this reason, too, but I think the black pipe is stiffer(?).
Regards,Tom

Regardless of whether or not it's Galvanized or Black pipe, buy Schedule 80 pipe is you're really concerned about "stiffness". Same OD, different ID.

[JimD]

I have some 1/2 inch pipe clamps on galvanized pipe and I have to swat the fixed side of the clamp with a hammer to get them to catch on the pipe. Maybe the multiple disk type hold better on galvanized, I don't know, but they hold well on black pipe.

Jim

[Tom Miller]

I have to swat the fixed side of the clamp with a hammer to get them to catch on the pipe.

Just a thought: Maybe you could sharpen the edge of the "catch plate" to get a better catch.

With my Jorgensen pipe clamps on galvanized, I have to whack the fixed end to release it!

Regards,
Tom

[sweensdv]

I get the galvanized for this reason, too, but I think the black pipe is stiffer(?).

Tom, galvanized pipe isn't any stiffer than black pipe. Actually, galvanized pipe is nothing more than black pipe with a coating on it.

As far as getting marks on the wood from black pipe, I've had good luck in preventing that by cleaning the pipe with mineral spirits.

[ddamoore]

More importantly, your projects don't pick up black stains. I get the galvanized for this reason.

Regards,
Tom

If you already have black pipe, try putting some of this over the sections of the pipe that touches your wood. You can get it at Ace Hardware or the BORG.

[LarryG]

Couple points that haven't been mentioned ... applicable whether you use black or galvanized pipe, and no matter where/how you buy it:

1. Bear in mind that the clamp fittings will generally eat up roughly 5" of the pipe's length; with an allowance for plastic of MDF pads, it'll be more like 6". Which means that if you want a 24" clamp, you'll need a 30" pipe. Those 5' pre-threaded pieces the OP mentioned won't give you a 5' clamp, but rather a ~4'-6" clamp.

2. By getting your pipe threaded on both ends, and buying some buck-fifty couplers, you can temporarily join two short pipes together to create one long one.