ArlyA
Super Member
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2016
- Messages
- 9,553
- Tractor
- Polaris Boss 6x6 with pods (tracks) Center actuating lawn mower by Husky
Oh ya, the wheels mounted in the picture through me off.
Metal Thickness?
- Thread starter BxB301
- Start date
Vigo327
Platinum Member
Those are some nice looking cuts on all those plates.. how are you cutting?
Most straight cuts were done with a grinder (can get straighter, and a cleaner cut)
The curves, mostly inside corners, were first cut on my CNC router into some 1/4" material, then the hand-held plasma cutter follows it as a jig or stencil.
Works...decently. I have to come back and clean off up the cuts with the grinder and a sanding disc, but it works.
This also worked as a manual 'nesting' method, to make sure I could get everything I needed out of one metal sheet.
It should also be noted the welding/fab desk caught fire numerous times.
Attachments
Vigo327
Platinum Member
Well, im glad my hunch that those curves weren’t cut ‘freehand’ was correct so i dont have to nurse a sense of inferiority.. Sounds like your process is pretty good considering what you’re working with. I wonder if you can put a tiny bearing on a plasma cutter tip the way you can put a bearing on a router to follow an edge? Might make it smoother, but conductivity of the bearing is probably an issue.. lol.
As far catching the fab station on fire, it gets what it gets! Thats the beauty of owning/building all your stuff vs borrowing, renting, or paying through the nose for new.. You dont HAVE to care any more than you want to.
As far catching the fab station on fire, it gets what it gets! Thats the beauty of owning/building all your stuff vs borrowing, renting, or paying through the nose for new.. You dont HAVE to care any more than you want to.
Well, im glad my hunch that those curves weren’t cut ‘freehand’ was correct so i dont have to nurse a sense of inferiority.. Sounds like your process is pretty good considering what you’re working with. I wonder if you can put a tiny bearing on a plasma cutter tip the way you can put a bearing on a router to follow an edge? Might make it smoother, but conductivity of the bearing is probably an issue.. lol.
As far catching the fab station on fire, it gets what it gets! Thats the beauty of owning/building all your stuff vs borrowing, renting, or paying through the nose for new.. You dont HAVE to care any more than you want to.
I didnt want it to look home-made, as much as possible. Because of this I went with many rounds and special cuts - which granted took much longer, but hopefully gives me a nicer end result.
You can do it with a grinder, its just not fun a will probably take a cutting disk for every cut - but they arent $0.99 anymore.
I rounded the ends of the tubing with the grinder and a template.
I cut one side of seat base out with the grinder before saying F this and fired up the plasma.
You probably could use a bearing - but if you go slightly too fast once, it throws slag out the top instead of the bottom, buggering up the tip and surface. This would be a problem with a guide, where freeish hand, you just plow through it. (photo example attached)
Attachments
MTGreen
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2022
- Messages
- 981
- Location
- Montana, USA
- Tractor
- Deere 5220, Ford 1720, Deere Progator 2030
Well, im glad my hunch that those curves weren’t cut ‘freehand’ was correct so i dont have to nurse a sense of inferiority.. Sounds like your process is pretty good considering what you’re working with. I wonder if you can put a tiny bearing on a plasma cutter tip the way you can put a bearing on a router to follow an edge? Might make it smoother, but conductivity of the bearing is probably an issue.. lol.
As far catching the fab station on fire, it gets what it gets! Thats the beauty of owning/building all your stuff vs borrowing, renting, or paying through the nose for new.. You dont HAVE to care any more than you want to.
Maybe a shielded ceramic bearing?
Vigo327
Platinum Member
i wonder? I have a chinesium cut50 i got for $136 off amazon. It’s been fine for me but i probably havent even made 10 ft of cuts with it so i havent even gotten comfortable let alone experimented with any ‘tricks’. Need more ‘seat time’.
This is the Vevor Cut-50
It doesnt suck exactly, but my buddy has a Miller 625 Plasma Cutter (I think)
Its the smallest model that is both 110 and 220 - I used it twice; from what I remember it cut beautifully.
Right after borrowing it, I was making nice straight cuts free-hand and felt as though I was an expert at it after 5 minutes.
The cut50, I feel I need more practice and need to 'learn' more.
I really just think its a week tool.
It'll do 1/4" at full power and exceeding the recommended PSI, I doubt it will do anything thicker with results you'll care to use.
1/8" however, its a knife through butter.
...also, the tips wear out quickly.