What can you expect from a plasma cutter?

[EastTexFrank]

The built in compressor is only available in the 110 volt model as far as I can remember. That's the model I have and it worked well on the project that I bought it for and on several occasions since. For me, it's a real advantage to be able to use it away from the shop compressor. It's just one less thing that I have to haul to the farm if I need to do some work there. The only problem with it is its limited cutting capacity of 3/16" but if that's all you need, it'll do a good job.

 

[sassafraspete]

can you simply increase your cutting thickness by running on one side, then flipping over and doing from the other side, or does it have to blow thru to the other side to cut ?

 

[tomrscott]

I think the unit the rental was quoted for was this model, Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 51, like this one on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3864700021&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1

Sure looks nice and I've heard nothing but good about Thermal Dynamics. Some places will let you apply a rental toward a purchase too.

Basically 10% of the new purchase price, seems like a common rental charge formula.

If I can get multiple jobs lined up and ready to go and rent it maybe I can get by for now. Better yet would be to find two or three guys in a local area who are willing to split the cost of a rental! Anybody in the Portland Oregon metro area want to talk? I'll provide the compressor, and 220 AC, miscellaneous other tools, drill press, even a metal lathe (but I have to hook it up).

A week is a lot of plasma cutting. If I get everything ready in advance, I should be able to do all I need in one day.

 

[Tevi]

You want to blow thru.The self contained units I find are weak.A freind of mine has one and it's frustrating to use after having my Cutmaster 50

 

[Tevi]

I got some how to welding dvd's for Christmas from Northern and I highly reccomend them.I mostly have been self taught and these are very informative.I highly reccomend them

 

[BGL990]

<font color="blue">Gene, sounds like you have a great set-up. I have read this thread with interest. I don't weld now, nor have any equipment....but a dream of mine to someday get started.

Your cart combo sounds good. I always thought it would be great to have a "welding trailer", where one could be portable. It would include one of those big generator/ stick welder combos....an air compressor, mig welder, and plasma cutter...and place for tanks. Sounds like you have a mini version of that. Could a guy fit all that on one of those small 4X8 trailers?

How's that for a pipe dream....albeit an expensive one. </font>

You just described exactly what I've got! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Being a little crazy according to some, I've spent way too much on welding equipment over the years, considering it is just a hobby. I finally got tired of having to extract a machine from the tangle of cables, maybe hook up the gas cylinder, weld, and then put it all away later. I had an old tent trailer and stripped it down to the frame. Turned out it was exactly 4'x8' and a 3/4" piece of plywood made a perfect deck for it. I tried a few different placements of all the stuff and came up with an arrangement that is nicely balanced with about 30lbs hitch weight so I can pull it with my quad. Everything is bolted or strapped down and I made a common ground from a length of 3/4" copper water pipe with a ground cable soldered into one end. All the grounds from the machines just clamp to the pipe thus leaving a single common ground clamp for the whole mess.

Total inventory sitting on the trailer is as follows:
-10,000 watt generator - 220V and 110V output, 3 welder receptacles wired up.
-Full size oxy-acetylene tanks
-5 gallon air compressor with blower nozzle and hose for plasma cutter.
-Lincoln Pro-Cut 25 plasma cutter
-Lincoln SP170T MIG welder with gas bottle & regulator
-Lincoln 175A AC/DC TIG/Stick welder with gas bottle & regulator
-usually an angle grinder, gloves, goggles, helmets, vice grips, etc. strewn about

I arranged everything so all the "business ends" are on the same side of the trailer and everything is operated from that side. I keep it parked in the garage as close to the wall as I can so everything is useable at a moment's notice. If I need to go portable, just hook up the quad and out to the field or the neighbors or wherever. The 10Kwatt generator does a reasonable job although the TIG machine makes it work and can pop a breaker if you aren't careful. No real problem though. The biggest problem is that I don't think the axle is rated for the 1200 or so pounds sitting on the frame and it's bowed a bit in the middle. I don't take it on the road anyway, so I'm not too worried.

I don't have a good picture of the setup right now, but I'll try to remember to take a couple in the next day or so and post them here.

 

[sassafraspete]

Brad, sounds like you'd be a good neighbor ....want to move to Indiana? Will look forward to the pictures.....

 

[BGL990]

I took the pictures and made a new thread - "My little welding trailer".

 

[Robert128]

There are quite a few plasma cutters on ebay for around 300-600 bucks (new) - Does anyone know anything about these - Are they Junk? MOSFET CUT50 50AMP PLASMA CUTTER 110V 220V 50a 50 AMP - eBay (item 220542827953 end time Jan-25-10 11:45:11 PST)

 

[two_bit_score]

Good to see this thread revived. Good info on here. Any one want to update us with their current opinions/experience on plasma cutters??

 

[smog]

There are quite a few plasma cutters on ebay for around 300-600 bucks (new) - Does anyone know anything about these - Are they Junk? MOSFET CUT50 50AMP PLASMA CUTTER 110V 220V 50a 50 AMP - eBay (item 220542827953 end time Jan-25-10 11:45:11 PST)

I've had this one for the last 3 years. paid 450$ and worth every pennies

NEW AC/DC TIG/ARC /CUT Welder 3in1 super 200 aluminum - eBay (item 130288175419 end time Feb-10-10 23:19:31 PST)


it's chinese like all the brand name inverter welders and was flawless on every job I used it for.

 

[greasemonkeyok]

A few years back a local welding supply house had a truckload of Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 80 XL plasma cutters they needed to move. Don't remember what it cost, but it was well worth the money. Current (amps) is directly proportional to the quality of the cut on thicker metal.

The design of the torch is almost as important as the current capacity. So is the circuitry. It compensates for variations that the unskilled user (like me) of a O/A torch can't match.

I understand the circuitry has improved greatly in the past several years, and that is the key to the occasional user making good cuts. I would stick with Lincoln, Hobart, Thermal Dynamics, or any other major brand that uses copper conductors.

It is not idiot proof, but even I can use it with a guide. (I don't have a steady hand.) For straight cuts, I made a guide out of two rails from a wide-carriage dot matrix printer and other misc metal. It holds the torch at the correct angle and distance from the work piece, and keeps it moving/cutting in a straight line. Moving the torch at the correct speed is the main operator error for me. For cutting circles, just drill a hole in a board the size of the torch, and run a rod through the other end of the board and your work-piece. The board will scorch, but they are usually a one-time use item anyway.

 

[greasemonkeyok]

See Above.

 

[Jeepnford]

If you do a lot of circle cutting something displayed here is pretty handy too.
https://secure.ramweldingsupply.com/products-list.mcic?c=329

 

[powerstroke444e]

I use the miller 375 extreme and really like it, I use it on 110v more than 220V. Dry air is the big key.

 

[killdozerd11]

There are quite a few plasma cutters on ebay for around 300-600 bucks (new) - Does anyone know anything about these - Are they Junk? MOSFET CUT50 50AMP PLASMA CUTTER 110V 220V 50a 50 AMP - eBay (item 220542827953 end time Jan-25-10 11:45:11 PST)

I have used several plasma cutters but not that one.
It is 50 amp says 3/8 to 1 inch capability the thicker the material the slower the cutting speed but on thin material it has a narrower Heat Effected Zone
so it does not heat distort thin material as conventional OXY/GAS cutting

I don't know what you want to do with it just straight cut steel plate or pipe,
structural tubing they will cut stainless and aluminum and do a clean job too
it SHOULD work for you i cant vouch for the brand

Look at the duty cycle rating that tell you what percentage of use time you have in a 10 min period:
10% duty cycle = 1 minute of use in 10 minutes / 50% duty cycle 5 min in a 10 min cycle
If you exceed the rating it will overheat and damage the unit

The ones i have used are Thermal Dynamics,SnapOn,,Miller,Lincoln and had both cut and gouge capability's instead of carbon air arc

Remember KEEP your air DRY otherwise it will eat your tungsten's and cups..

Do not drop them or hit the cups they are high heat ceramic and they brake and they cost money to replace .....do buy spare consumables

 

[Gary Fowler]

Dont have any info on that brand, but generally plasma cutters of any brand will work. OFF brands may be a rear bear to buy parts for. Suggest that you visit your local welding supply store to see if they carry parts for that brand before purchasing any brand. You will need tips, cups etc and without them, you just have transformer setting in your way.
Also be away that some plasma cutter have a built in compressor while others require an outside air supply.

 

[killdozerd11]

<font color="blue">Gene, sounds like you have a great set-up. I have read this thread with interest. I don't weld now, nor have any equipment....but a dream of mine to someday get started.

Your cart combo sounds good. I always thought it would be great to have a "welding trailer", where one could be portable. It would include one of those big generator/ stick welder combos....an air compressor, mig welder, and plasma cutter...and place for tanks. Sounds like you have a mini version of that. Could a guy fit all that on one of those small 4X8 trailers?

How's that for a pipe dream....albeit an expensive one. </font>

You just described exactly what I've got! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Being a little crazy according to some, I've spent way too much on welding equipment over the years, considering it is just a hobby. I finally got tired of having to extract a machine from the tangle of cables, maybe hook up the gas cylinder, weld, and then put it all away later. I had an old tent trailer and stripped it down to the frame. Turned out it was exactly 4'x8' and a 3/4" piece of plywood made a perfect deck for it. I tried a few different placements of all the stuff and came up with an arrangement that is nicely balanced with about 30lbs hitch weight so I can pull it with my quad. Everything is bolted or strapped down and I made a common ground from a length of 3/4" copper water pipe with a ground cable soldered into one end. All the grounds from the machines just clamp to the pipe thus leaving a single common ground clamp for the whole mess.

Total inventory sitting on the trailer is as follows:
-10,000 watt generator - 220V and 110V output, 3 welder receptacles wired up.
-Full size oxy-acetylene tanks
-5 gallon air compressor with blower nozzle and hose for plasma cutter.
-Lincoln Pro-Cut 25 plasma cutter
-Lincoln SP170T MIG welder with gas bottle & regulator
-Lincoln 175A AC/DC TIG/Stick welder with gas bottle & regulator
-usually an angle grinder, gloves, goggles, helmets, vice grips, etc. strewn about

I arranged everything so all the "business ends" are on the same side of the trailer and everything is operated from that side. I keep it parked in the garage as close to the wall as I can so everything is useable at a moment's notice. If I need to go portable, just hook up the quad and out to the field or the neighbors or wherever. The 10Kwatt generator does a reasonable job although the TIG machine makes it work and can pop a breaker if you aren't careful. No real problem though. The biggest problem is that I don't think the axle is rated for the 1200 or so pounds sitting on the frame and it's bowed a bit in the middle. I don't take it on the road anyway, so I'm not too worried.

I don't have a good picture of the setup right now, but I'll try to remember to take a couple in the next day or so and post them here.

that's a good set up
BUT has anybody seen the Miller Trailblazer 302 Air Pak
If i was to ever build another welding truck or trailer i would have to go with this.
Miller - Engine-Driven - Trailblazer 302 Air Pak?

I know it's expensive but it does it all and that is a screw type compressor
and they will output a very high CFM @ pressure for those not familiar with them..they are the bomb

 

[spo307]

If you do a lot of circle cutting something displayed here is pretty handy too.
https://secure.ramweldingsupply.com/products-list.mcic?c=329

you have a picture or item number, cant see it on the page

 

[jimcolt]

I work for Hypertherm....have been plasma cutting for 32 years. In my home shop I have 3 Hypertherm Plasma systems.....a Powermax30 with a hand torch, a Powermax45 mounted on a 4 x 4 cnc machine, and a Powermax1000 plasma . Hypertherm units are the top of the line when it comes to plasma....not the cheapest to buy, but after considering cut capability, consumable life, cut speed, cut quality and system reliability...they are by far the cheapest to own over time. Here is a picture of a few of the cuts out of my home/farm shop!

Jim Colt