Pipes for corners, where do you buy.....?

Waiting for the remarks about 2-bit pipes...

Well, the answer is simple. UP your prices, buy superior monuments, and tell every one that your superior monuments are evidence that your surveys are superior!
🙂
(I know someone that does this... 🙂

Routinely I use 5/8 iron rods. If I set a corner above ground in a swamp or a ditch, I use I" iron pipes. They cost a little more than twice at the discount hardware multiplexes, but they cut them for you. Usually I have enough by field collecting while working. You might want to try junk yards and metal recycling places. If you use 1/2" iron rods, the 3/4" iron pipes are way easier to obtain.

we buy 10' lengths at home depot and my crew cuts them to 2' using a portable bandsaw at the office

but sourcing the pipes at an affordable price is a concern.

FWIW We used to get them at the local scrap yard, but they cut them with a "crimper". You might still get them this way but you would have to cut the tops off to get them to have open ends and take your cap.

Robert Locke, post: 437138, member: 340 wrote: but sourcing the pipes at an affordable price is a concern.

FWIW We used to get them at the local scrap yard, but they cut them with a "crimper". You might still get them this way but you would have to cut the tops off to get them to have open ends and take your cap.

Ahh, the faithful Pinched top pipe!
If you can get them that way, just get them double length, cut in half and you have a pointed end, and one for you cap.

http://shafferstakes.com/301.html

Nate The Surveyor, post: 437135, member: 291 wrote: Well, the answer is simple. UP your prices, buy superior monuments, and tell every one that your superior monuments are evidence that your surveys are superior!
🙂
(I know someone that does this... 🙂

I can't speak for that particular surveyor, but I belive there is a correlation between quality of monument and quality of survey. There are of course many exceptions.

I use 3/4" pipes or 1/2" rebar (the same cap fits both).
I generally prefer the pipes in locations where they will be hard to find, i.e. in the woods or along a fenceline. They seem more stable when I leave them sticking above grade 3 to 4 tenths than a rebar.
I've been buying them at the local scrapyard. The price varies, but, usually around $2/ft. I buy random lengths and cut them myself.

I have a local hardware salvage store here where I can get 24" number 4 or 5 rebar cut cheaper than I can go buy it at the scrap yard and cut it myself. It works out well. Also my ex employee worked there for years so when he came to work for me and we needed rebar he'd just go in and cut what we needed and pay for it. No wait. I continue to go there but call ahead and it's waiting for me.

Scrap iron dealer is the way to go.

Home Depot is advertising 10 ft. lengths of new 3/4" Galvanized Steel Schedule 40 Pipe for about $19 and 1/2" for about $15. When I used pipe more than 20 years ago, I used a pipe cutter and a pipe vise to cut them to length. You can use a drive cap with a mandrel to size the inside diameter of the pipe if you need an exact i.d. for a cap or plug.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/3-4-in-x-10-ft-Galvanized-Steel-Pipe-564-1200HC/100534625

I like setting pipe. It was easier as a solo guy to just drop the point on the pole into the pipe rather than finding the center of the rod and it slipping off if it was a hard drive and it got the top really smooth. I would set 1/2" pipe "in town" and 3/4" pipe in the more rural areas. I would get it either from Home Depot or Lowe's at about ?ñ$19/10' for 3/4" and ?ñ$15/10' for 1/2". You can cut them to what ever lengths you want with a reciprocating saw. I usually cut them at 24" minimum, but I would cut them at 30" and 36" and other lengths if I knew the ground would take them, or the situation warranted it. I also set some really nice 1" pipe with T-bar posts for witnesses for a church that wanted substantial corners. They will be there a LONG time.

Black pipe (for natural gas) is about 66% to 75% of the price of regular galvanized pipe. Can black pipe be set for corners? I think I've seen a few times, but not very often.

[USER=3]@Kent McMillan[/USER]

I've checked Home Depot and their pipe is worthy
What surprised me was that their policy was to thread both ends and no exceptions
It may have been the man I ask or actual company policy.
Ask before checkout.

A Harris, post: 437179, member: 81 wrote: [USER=3]@Kent McMillan[/USER]

I've checked Home Depot and their pipe is worthy
What surprised me was that their policy was to thread both ends and no exceptions
It may have been the man I ask or actual company policy.
Ask before checkout.

II'm pretty sure that Home Depot receives the pipe with threaded ends as do the plumbing supply houses where I've bought pipe. If a 10 ft. joint of pipe is threaded at both ends, though, how is that a problem if a surveyor is going to cut it to shorter lengths? I just set the pieces from the ends with the threaded part down.

I use 3/4" x 24" iron pipes and get them from a local steel supply store cut to length and ready to go for a little over $3 a pipe.

Nate The Surveyor, post: 437135, member: 291 wrote: Well, the answer is simple. UP your prices, buy superior monuments, and tell every one that your superior monuments are evidence that your surveys are superior!
🙂
(I know someone that does this... 🙂

Nate!
You know I get it and I have set some FENO monuments on a few occassions and I would love to be able to build fancy monuments into all corners but it is not feasible.

We obviously live in much different world's cause I have rarely met anyone who wanted anything more than what was required and for the lowest price. Surveyors take pride in being able to set a nice substantial monuments but Joe Public just wants to know where their corner is and could care less if it is a pretty brass disk or a rusty pipe, they are not going to be inviting the neighborhood over the ogle the monument.

Heck, fire. They're just going to pull them up, set their post hole digger where it was, dig a big ol' hole and stuff a post in there.

There was a local surveyor 'round here set pipes. He set pipes because he got 'em for free.