Cutting table

[muddstopper]

I need to make a cutting table for my every growing desire to burn things up. I usually just hang what ever I need to cut up on some blocks, hang off the tail gate, or what ever. Been know to use a saw horses and a piece of plywood as a table. What I need help with is the size of the slats and spacing. I intend to use some plain old angle for a table frame and scraps to make the slots for the slats. Just need to know how thick and wide the slat material needs to be and about how far to space them apart.

 

[dragoneggs]

Here is a nice design from Jody at WeldingTipsandTricks.com. If you dig into this you can get dimensioned drawings and some nice videos on the build. Don't need to make as fancy as his but he designed it with a downdraft and collection box along with easily replaceable slats.

Miller Plasma Cutter Table Downdraft

 

[muddstopper]

I had seen the video but hadnt found the plans. Your link takes me to the video with the plans, but I cant get the file to open. I dont plan anything as fancy as Jodies table, just a square table with removable slats

 

[dragoneggs]

There are downloadable plans but it is a bit qwerky to get them at least on my Mac. I am thinking of building something similar. If you can get the plans downloaded you could just use the frame and slat info and even add to it later if you wanted more features.

 

[All In A Days Work]

That's a darn neat idea, I like it.

 

[Shield Arc]

I built this one years ago. I used 1/4" x 3/4" flatbar for the slats. Spaced about every 1 1/2". If you can find some bar grating, it works good too. I use the bar grating for my rotating circle burning table.

 

[muddstopper]

SA, thats pretty close to what I had in mine, but Instead of sq, I probably go Rectangle, running the slats longways. Do you have much problems cutting thru the 3/4 wide slats. I plan on lining my cuts up the direction the slats run and maybe taking out one or two slats depending on how the cut lays. It just seems to me if the cut had to run across a 3/4in wide slat that it could burn thru on the first pass

 

[kennyd]

...If you can find some bar grating, it works good too. I use the bar grating for my rotating circle burning table.

All the "grating" stuff I find is galvanized so I pass on it, probably not a huge concern since your not welding on it but it does give me pause.

 

[muddstopper]

I hear you on the Galvanized it sure aint for welding and I aint to fond of cutting on it either. Galvanize gives off fumes cutting and welding

 

[Shield Arc]

I try to make all my cuts, where it doesn't cut the slats. I don't use that cutting table much, I use my Ellis saw for 95% of my cutting.

This last grate I got was given to me. As you can see I use it more for painting on than cutting circles. I've been galvanized poisoned at least a dozen times. For me welding galvanized material is not all that bad, but burning it gets to me fast!:thumbdown:

 

[Reverser]

I hear you on the Galvanized it sure aint for welding and I aint to fond of cutting on it either. Galvanize gives off fumes cutting and welding

You might see if you can find some scrap tank car running board. It's very heavy duty and its painted.
We used to change out a whole section when just a corner was crumpled because of a train mishap.

 

[Reverser]

I've been galvanized poisoned at least a dozen times. For me welding galvanized material is not all that bad, but burning it gets to me fast!:thumbdown:

Same here. It takes your breath away, but those pretty greenish yellow flames sure are purty.

 

[muddstopper]

I hadnt thought about rail car running boards. I bet I can pick some up at the car shop next wk. Thanks for a very good ideal. But it means putting the cutting table on hold until I go back to work. Got an ideal for a circle cutting table too, cant explain, just have to wait for the picture.

 

[Big Barn]

Nothing fancy, but this is what I use for my cutting table. I bolted together two 1" angle iron 'packaging frameworks" from the electric scooters we sell. Added some cross bracing and made it the same height as my work benches and welding table. The work surface area is 38"x60".
Weighing well under 50 pounds it is easy to move around or out of the way. Works well for bigger projects as an extension for the welding table, a portable work table (with a sheet of plywood thrown on top) or a painting bench.



Terry

 

[CNC Dan]

Nothing fancy, but this is what I use for my cutting table. I bolted together two 1" angle iron 'packaging frameworks" from the electric scooters we sell. Added some cross bracing and made it the same height as my work benches and welding table....

<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=404672"/>

Terry

Looks good. Nice to have free metal to make things with.
But why bolted and not welded?

 

[Big Barn]

Looks good. Nice to have free metal to make things with. But why bolted and not welded?

Very good question, Dan. Unfortunately I don't have a good answer for that, other than 'just not well thought out'. It's not as if I could just unbolt it now as I welded in those cross braces anyway...

Terry

 

[BukitCase]

It'll never work - ain't shiny enough

Seriously though, looks like you have pretty much any size handled without cutting the wrong thing, just by moving things around. And, in my recently acquired "Financially Frugal" (sorta) mode, free is hard to beat

 

[muddstopper]

I really like free and made with left overs. Thats a pretty good use of packageing material. I usually pick up any scrap I see laying around. It always comes in handy sooner or later. I picked up a couple of old 2.5in shafts that where left after a part change out. They stood in the corner of my shop for 4 or 5 years. Never had a use for them, but knew one day they would come in handy. When i bought the cyl for my processor build, the pin size was way bigger than I thought. Setting around wondering where I would find pins to fit, I saw those two pieces of shaft standing in the corner. Picked one up and surprise, a perfect fit. I made 2 pins out of the shaft and still had several inches left over. I sold a extra cyl to a guy in Athens ga. He was looking at them and said, where am I going to find material for pins. Duh, walked over to where i had laid the piece I had already made 2 pins out of and handed him the leftovers. Instant sell and he bought 2 of the surplus cyl. One mans junk is another mans treasure, Repurposeing otherwise scrap or junk into something useful is the best recycling there is.

 

[Big Barn]

Looks good. Nice to have free metal to make things with. But why bolted and not welded?

Just took another pic, Dan. I guess one of the reasons I bolted them together was to keep the legs parallel when the tops of the two 'tables' were flush. You can see my 3/8" plywood spacer at the bottom. Welding on cross braces was a necessary afterthought as was the piece of pipe for mig and plasma torch.



Terry

 

[CNC Dan]

Just took another pic, Dan. I guess one of the reasons I bolted them together was to keep the legs parallel when the tops of the two 'tables' were flush. You can see my 3/8" plywood spacer at the bottom. Welding on cross braces was a necessary afterthought as was the piece of pipe for mig and plasma torch.

<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=405011"/>

Terry

Ah yes, I see. Diffrent angle view makes all the differance.