If somebody asked you to make these, how much you would charge for the first one (A) and how much you would charge for the second one (B)?
The material is 2x2 square tubing with 1/8" wall
Post your estimates below!
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Estimate A: $264
Estimate B: $135
One week lead-time, FOB our shop, N30, provide tax exemption certificate if applicable.
Please let me know if you would like me to get started on these!
Best,
Alex
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My shop rate is $130 per hour. I charge the cost of the steel times 2.5. As a rule I only charge time and material.
With that being said my estimate may be off because I don’t do much biding or estimating.
A. $363.55
B. $160.13
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@HuckIronwork @Alexander_Balogh
Viewing the bids from a customer’s perspective, why is the first bid higher? Not that they are wrong we’re all curious.
- Same number of parts
- Same amount of welding?
- Same amount of material?
- Corners are all miters?
They are going to ask, why does this cost more?
The miters on the first one are much harder to set and make right.
@charliecrew Are you saying it’s harder to saw cut or fit up?
I’m just playing the role of a customer asking questions.
I’d tell a customer the following:
(A) will cost more in every shop because of the following factors: you go from 2 part numbers to 4; 1 angle setup on a saw, to 4 setups; 2 length stop setups on the saw to 4; more time setting up fixturing; and a higher likelihood of a mistake leading to scrapped parts.
How much that changes the price will vary from shop to shop based on how challenging each of those factors is given their equipment and expertise.
Most saws I have used or seen do not have .5 degree marks. There could some out there but I have not seen them.
So what we’re saying as fabricators is that since we don’t have the correct equipment to cut an angle fast or fixture it up properly, I get to charge the customer more? Im not try to be the bad guy I’m just asking the tough questions.
I get the sense that you’re going to show how a sine bar type setup might be used…
–Larry
Or he is coming out with a Tube laser! 
yes
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I listed 4 legitimate reasons the first frame will take longer to fabricate regardless of how good a fabricator you are or type of equipment you use. I challenge you to find a way to fabricate 4 distinct parts faster than 2 pairs of the same parts, regardless of the time taken in the weldment.
If you think a tube laser will save you time or money on parts that simple, guess again. And you’d still have 4 parts to program instead of 2.
Edited to add that I ran a Mazak tube laser for a number of years.
If it takes more time to make the cuts more needs to be charged. I have not said it would be harder to fit up or fixture.
@charliecrew How can I convince a customer that a 33 degree angle as an example takes longer to cut than a 45? Most people don’t understand.
How do you cut a 22.5? This is very common
@charliecrew Shouldn’t we charge more because we own better faster tools. Like a waterjet, laser, press brake, milling machine, lathe, fixture table, band saws. The speed is faster so you can charge more for less time?
To create the various angles required for a one off part I would need to do four different cutting setups that would need to be separately verified for proper angle to meet your overall tolerance. If you were ordering a higher quantity it would cost similar the other frame. (10+ QTY)
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