How much metal to get?

[artdutra04]

If you having milling machine/CNC facilities, then using 0.250" aluminum can have its uses in drivetrain/gearbox applications, if you like to mill pockets into it to save weight.

But if you really want to build a lot of stuff out of plates/sheets, I'd look into getting lots of Lexan (polycarbonate). 4'x4' sheets with thickness of 0.0625", 0.125", 0.250", and 0.375" are all great to have in stock.

Originally Posted by Cory

We're purchasing a lot of metal now, to supply three teams--just so we don't have to wait for it. We're getting 100 feet each of 1x1x0.125 1x1x0.625 1x2x0.0625 1x2x0.125, plus a bunch of solid bar/round stock, and a couple 4x8 sheets of thin Al plate.

I'd suggest that you stock up on some of the parts that Cory has described (although I'd add 0.125" and 0.0625" wall aluminum angle to that list), but in general just go to a local metal supply and buy out all their aluminum scrap. Sometimes it's just amazingly useful to have pieces of aluminum in all shapes and sizes.