Cutting Mixed Metals

[woodlandfarms]

OK, again everyone thank you for all the help in regards to welding mixed metals. Keep those thoughts and answers coming.

Now I am looking at the things I need to cut up. I have a band saw, scroll saw, chop saw, circular saw, 4" and 7" grinders, Oxy Acet and a Plasma Cutter, and niblers.

I am going to need to cut copper plate into shapes (may need to cut aluminum plate as well). Can this / should this be done with my Plasma or......

 

[Gary Fowler]

Anything that conducts electricity can be cut with a plasma torch. Other than a saw, that is about all that will cut aluminum and copper except maybe a super high pressure water jet. Most if not all of those also use an injected abrasive to assist in the cutting. I doubt even Shield Arc has one of those.

 

[Big Barn]

Anything that conducts electricity can be cut with a plasma torch. Other than a saw, that is about all that will cut aluminum and copper except maybe a super high pressure water jet. Most if not all of those also use an injected abrasive to assist in the cutting. I doubt even Shield Arc has one of those.

He's prob working on acquiring one as we speak ....

Terry

 

[Shield Arc]

When I was building my shop crane. The head of the engineering department for the construction company I worked for ran all the numbers for me. I told him I was going to buy a CNC plasma table. He suggested I look into CNC water jets. Come to find out three of the biggest water jet manufactures in the world are right here in the Puget Sound area. The cheapest 2' x 2' CNC water jet table was $70,000.00. An that was not a very powerful one at that. Its amazing the amount of 3-phase power you have to have to run the pumps for the bigger water jets!:shocked:

 

[woodlandfarms]

So I spend part of my time in LA and the local craigslist has some crazy stuff.. No, I will not be buying a water cutter, but boy do I want one. And a CNC Machine, and a plasma table, and a and a.....

The truth is I really wanted an aluminum spool gun cause I was sure I was going to be working on aluminum shortly. it has been sitting in its case for over a year and a half.

Thanks guys. The wife wants dercorative "Leaves" on this project and I really wanted just a template and to cut them out with the plasma.

Oh, and as far as I know no 3 phase in my hood. Totally kills some crazy good deals on big metal working machines.

 

[dstig1]

Around here they just will not pull a 3-phase drop to a residential address, no way no how. You get a flat NO and they have heard all the whining a million times, and won't bend. It doesn't matter if there is a 3 phase line running down your road, a 3 phase transformer on your property and a spare set of connections with nowhere to go, they just won't do it. Now keep in mind: Farm does not equal Residential, so yes you can have some fun if you have a farm, but it will still cost a lot. That is a different story of course...

 

[MinnesotaDaveChalmers]

Don't let those awesome deals go by you - one of our local woodworkers bought a 3 phase converter so he could get the good stuff - works great

My table saw is a 3 phase and I bought a $90 phase converter for it - cheap since I only bought it to run one item.

 

[muddstopper]

Don't let those awesome deals go by you - one of our local woodworkers bought a 3 phase converter so he could get the good stuff - works great

My table saw is a 3 phase and I bought a $90 phase converter for it - cheap since I only bought it to run one item.

be careful with those $90 phase converters. I assume since it was $90 is was a static phase converter and not a rotary phase converter. The static phase converter will only allow a 3 phase motor to run at 2/3 of its hp rating and is not designed to be used with really old motors, (1965 and older motors). You can burn up some really hard to find motors using a static box if your not careful. Rotary phase converters are fairly simple and cheap to build. Just find a 220/230 motor of a equal size to the 3phase motors you wish to power, buy a few $25 capacitors, you need start and run capacitors, a little wire and an enclosure to put the electronics in, and you can run a entire 3phase machine shop off one rotary phase converter. My machinist friend runs 3 lathes and 2 milling machines and a surface grinder at the same time off his rotary converter. I think his rotary motor is something like a 10hp, maybe even bigger.

He has a 1947 Brown and Sharpe mill I am thinking of buying for my shop. This mill has 3-3phase motors on it and a rotary would be the only and cheapest way to convert the machine to run off my 220v.

 

[Mysfyt]

Also check out VFD's (Variable Frequency Drives). Single phase in, three phase out and all sorts of parameters you can play with, for example, having your motor come up to speed over a timed period. I have them on all sorts of 3ph machines in my man cave. You just have to derate them when using them for phase converting. Rule of thumb is to double the size of the vfd for the rated motor hp-buy a 2hp vfd to run a 1hp motor. They don't cost too much until you get into larger sizes. I actually run a 20hp motor for my big lathe using one. Have it start over a ten second period so it doesn't dim the lights. Check out driveswarehouse.com.

 

[Rock knocker]

Around here they just will not pull a 3-phase drop to a residential address, no way no how. You get a flat NO and they have heard all the whining a million times, and won't bend. It doesn't matter if there is a 3 phase line running down your road, a 3 phase transformer on your property and a spare set of connections with nowhere to go, they just won't do it. Now keep in mind: Farm does not equal Residential, so yes you can have some fun if you have a farm, but it will still cost a lot. That is a different story of course...

I think the NEC prohibits any power in a residence greater than 120 pole to ground. So it would be legal to supply a house with 208/120 3phase, but nothing else.

Legality aside, it also becomes the choice of the POCO.