Drill rod vs round stock?

M

mitch8

Joined
Oct 11, 2010
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On the speedy metals site they have o-1 drill rod and round stock listed. I was wandering what the difference is between the two and why the round stock is cheaper and also listed as a pound heavier for a 1 in by 3 foot section.

The drill rod:
http://www.speedymetals.com/pc-3385-8290-1-rd-o-1-drill-rod.aspx

And the round stock:
http://www.speedymetals.com/pc-3302-8308-1-rd-o-1-de-carb-free-tool-steel.aspx

I'm just trying to get cheep o-1 for forging on my doorstep, let me know if there is a cheaper place to buy some but mainly I was just wondering the difference between the two stocks

Mitch
 
Happy Fathers Day to you as well.

I can't get the links to open (probably my internet providers fault) so I can't comment on those 2 items specifically but typically drill stock is machined to very accurate sizes (for manufacturing drill bits..) and round stock isn't as accurate. The price difference comes from the added machining costs.

I haven't shopped around for awhile but www.flat-stock.com used to have decent prices on O1, but they only carry drill rod I think.
 
I'm not 100 % certain on the weight issue, but drill rod is precision ground to size and surface finish. The tolerances given for the decarb-free are for 15-35 thousandths oversize on diameter, presumably so it'll clean up to the nominal diameter when machined.

Taking an average of .025" oversize would add about half a pound to a 36" length of O1. .035" would add about 3/4 lb.
 
Round stock is exactly that - round bar stock. It has the same surface as flat bar stock.

Drill rod is the precision ground round version of flat PG bars. It is made to an exact tolerance and surface smoothness. The two will be the same once you pass the surface. For making knives, the cheaper round bar is the one you want.
 
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