# Anyone Have Access to a Laser or Water Jet?



## Weldo (Jul 4, 2020)

Hey all. I'm seeking to possibly have a simple part or two made by laser or water jet cutting.  If anyone has access to this equipment shoot me a PM and we'll see what happens.  I'm gonna continue to search out other avenues in the mean time.

I'd post up a PDF of the part if the damn website would allow me to.  There's some kind of security BS goin on right now.

The parts are simple, one is a simple strip, About 0.554" x 15" long.  The other part is basically an ellipse, 3.25" x 6" with a 3-1/8" hole in one end and a 1/2" hole in the other end.

The material would be plain 1/8" steel.

Thanks for looking!


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## Cadillac (Jul 4, 2020)

I have a plasma table I have access too. Cuts accurate but unlike laser or water jet their is post cleanup of parts.


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## Weldo (Jul 4, 2020)

Now that the site is back up and running I can post a pic.








There's a strip of material around the left side there that's only about 1/8".  Do you think plasma could cut that without it melting away?  I don't have much experience with plasma.


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## JimDawson (Jul 4, 2020)

Plasma, waterjet, laser, or CNC mill would make that part.  The easiest might be a laser or plasma.  Yes, a plasma would cut that without issues.


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## Weldo (Jul 4, 2020)

Right on!  Thanks for the advice!


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## Bob Korves (Jul 5, 2020)

Weldo said:


> Now that the site is back up and running I can post a pic.
> 
> 
> View attachment 329486
> ...


Nice drawing, but FYI, you probably do not plan to laser or plasma cut to 4 decimal places accuracy.  It is a good idea to take the time to learn the protocol of how many digits you show in a part drawing.  Not getting down on you, it is a very common error when making drawings.


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## jwmelvin (Jul 5, 2020)

Make sure you get a quote from https://sendcutsend.com/


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## Weldo (Jul 5, 2020)

Oh yea, I know.  Seems like laser can be +- a few thousandths.  That's just how my CAD program was set up.  All the numbers are common fraction, so by default 1-7/16" goes out to 4 places.  That's the reason I set the defaults to 4 places, to cover common fractions.

The top number, 2.4804, I just put in there to sanity check myself if I lay it out by hand.  It's the length of the line that is tangent to both circles.  If I get the center to center correct then the tangent line should be a set length that can't change, but if I lay it out by hand I can set a caliper to that number just to double check that the tangent lines are close.


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## Weldo (Jul 5, 2020)

jwmelvin said:


> Make sure you get a quote from https://sendcutsend.com/



Thanks man!  I'll check it out!

I found this one last night...






						Laser Cutting and Sheet Metal Services l OSH Cut
					

OSH Cut offers on-demand sheet metal laser cutting and bending services, with instant online quoting. Get your sheet metal parts as soon as next-day.




					www.oshcut.com
				




They wanted about $70 for four parts cut from 1/8" mild steel.  Not including shipping.  $70 is a little more than I wanted to pay but I'm glad services like this are out there.  For $70 plus shipping I'll probably cut it out by hand or use the lathe since it's a pretty simple shape.


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## Weldo (Jul 5, 2020)

Just got a quote from sendcutsend!  $29 shipped!  That's for four parts total, two as pictured and two strips about 5/8" x 16".  That gives me one chance at a do over if I screw up.  I'm stoked about that price!  Very reasonable!

Thanks a lot @jwmelvin!


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## jwmelvin (Jul 6, 2020)

Thanks for reporting back. I have read good things about sendcutsend but haven’t yet used it.


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## Weldo (Jul 6, 2020)

I'm about to send an order!  I'll let you know.


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## Weldo (Jul 6, 2020)

So here's where I'm at with Send Cut Send.  They have a minimum order fee of $29.  I needed two separate parts cut, one like the picture above and one is a simple strip at 0.615" x 16".  Turns out I could get three of each cut and still just pay the minimum of $29.  I had those two items in my shopping cart for a day or two and they sent me a coupon code for 10% off.  I ended up getting four of each part for $30.02 total cut from 0.119" mild steel.

Awesome deal in my opinion!  This gives up home shop guys an incredible capability.  I'll keep you all posted on the process.

Also I want to mention that there's an eBay seller I've bought material from before that can do custom laser cutting.  His eBay name is synergysteeldesigns and is based out of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.  He carries all kinds and sizes of plates and sheet stock.  He quoted me $20 plus $10 shipping for two of each part mentioned above, so four parts total.  Also a very reasonable deal.  Just another contact to keep in mind.


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## frugalguido (Jul 7, 2020)

Sendcutsend is right around the corner from me. They are really busy, 24/7, their business has taken off. Constant shipping and receiving. They have also expanded the materials that they offer. Pretty amazing to see their business grow.


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## Weldo (Jul 9, 2020)

Update from SendCutSend...

So I sent in my two drawings and completed the checkout process on Monday, July 6.  I paid with PayPal so that's nice and convenient.  I got a confirmation email instantly.  An hour and a half later I got another email with a link that allowed me to track my order as it progressed through their shop.

About 24 hours after that my order was "Being reviewed and prepped for the laser".  Two more days passed and now my parts are "Undergoing final inspection"  Another 2 hours and they have shipped!  Estimated delivery is Monday, July 13.

I am super pleased with this whole thing.  The process is easy to follow and understand.  The turn around time for custom laser cut parts is awesome.  If my parts arrive on Monday it will be exactly 7 days from drawings sent to parts in hand.  This is a really cool service!  Many thanks to @jwmelvin for the heads up!

Learning a little bit of basic CAD was one of the things I did over the quarantine a few months ago and it was so worth it!  If anyone is considering learning, do it!  I downloaded LibreCAD for free and watched a few YouTube vids to get a basic idea, now I can cobble up simple 2D parts and have them laser cut.  This is amazing!


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## frugalguido (Jul 10, 2020)

Glad to hear that SendCutSend did good. They started out a software developer, that why the website is so polished.  The main guy is a gearhead, needed parts made and it kinda took off from what I understand.


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## Weldo (Jul 10, 2020)

That’s cool!  It’s an untapped market as far as I know.  Usually laser cutting and the like is reserved for manufacturing and industrial customers.  It’s really cool to see it marketed toward hobbyists and homeowners.  All over Etsy there’s people who offer laser services but they can only do thin plywood, balsa, acrylic and such craft type materials.


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## Weldo (Jul 13, 2020)

Parts Acquired!

I've received the parts today in the mail!








Included was a brochure with information on the capabilities of SendCutSend.







They even sent a nice decal!







The parts are vacuum sealed to a cardboard sheet like a set of automotive gaskets.







The cuts are very clean!












No real burrs are present.  There was an option at checkout to save 5% by declining any kind of post processing or deburring.  I took advantage of that savings.  Laser cut parts should not really need any significant deburring.







As far as the dimensions, they are pretty good.  I only checked one of each part and only with a caliper but the round part is a bit better than the strip.  All the numbers on the round part were within a few thousandths of the drawing.

The strip was a little worse.  It was dimensioned at 0.620" wide for the entire length of 16".  What I measured was 0.621" on one end, 0.611" on the other end and 0.606" in the middle.  Maybe there was enough heat input on a long and narrow part to cause some warpage during cutting?

To be honest I'm a little disappointed in the variation but for what I'm making it won't matter.  I don't fault the company for this variation, it's probably just a product of the design on my part.

Overall I'm super happy!  This is definitely a contact that has made it into my favorites.  I'll be calling on them again in the future for sure!


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## Liljoebrshooter (Jul 13, 2020)

I have cut a lot of parts on a laser at work,  literally 10's of thousands over the years.  You will see some variation in a long skinny part like that.  One way to help is to make a multi blank that has several parts cut and tabbed together.  You can easily bend them to separate them but you will have burr.
Also on the very nice edge on those cuts.  Part of that is the operator had the machine adjusted and cutting good.  When they are a little off and making you pull your hair out trying to get them cutting nice.  Sometimes they look like the parts were cut with a cutting torch with a bad tip.
This is a great opportunity for us hobby guys to have this available.
Joe


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## Weldo (Jul 14, 2020)

Thanks for the insight, man!  I was hoping someone with experience would chime in!

I remember back in welding school days they taught us that if you need to make a long torch cut with little distortion you could make a kind of dotted line.  Cut 10" skip 3" and repeat or something like that.  Let it cool and finish it off.  Should minimize warping.  I didn't think it would be an issue with laser since the total heat input is so much less than O/A cutting.  And the heat affected zone is so tiny on a laser cut.

Probably the best way to make long strips is by shearing.


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## frugalguido (Jul 22, 2020)

Was by SendCutSend the other day, here is their business card and/or cut out on the side for measuring material thickness, pretty cool!


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## cncmadman (Jul 22, 2020)

frugalguido said:


> Was by SendCutSend the other day, here is their business card and/or cut out on the side for measuring material thickness, pretty cool!
> View attachment 331154


Can you cut plastic like PE with a laser 1/4 inch thickness?


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## frugalguido (Jul 22, 2020)

I don't work for them, just a neighbor. You would have to ask.


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## Weldo (Jul 23, 2020)

If I'm not mistaken I believe a laser can cut pretty much anything.  I used to work for a manufacturing facility had a laser and they cut 3/4" plywood once.  It took longer to pierce through than sheet metal and it made a lot of smoke but after the beam was through it cut pretty quick and clean.  1/4" plastic shouldn't be a problem for most laser machines.

SendCutSend has a provision for cutting customer supplied materials, but you have to call them to discuss it.


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## rwm (Jul 23, 2020)

Thanks for sharing this! I will try them. Hey, what is the crazy square tube thingy welded at right angles?
Robert


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## kb58 (Jul 23, 2020)

Too bad they don't handle plywood. I've been searching for a laser place willing to cut parts for my wooden gear clock. Minimum prices so far have averaged around $550, too much for me. The problem with plywood is how it splinters. Even a CNC router makes a mess, and with hundreds of woode gear teeth to sand and clean up, it's too much work.


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## Weldo (Jul 24, 2020)

kb58 said:


> Too bad they don't handle plywood. I've been searching for a laser place willing to cut parts for my wooden gear clock. Minimum prices so far have averaged around $550, too much for me. The problem with plywood is how it splinters. Even a CNC router makes a mess, and with hundreds of woode gear teeth to sand and clean up, it's too much work.



Hey man, try Etsy.com for that project.  There's companies all over Etsy that will cut craft type materials like acrylic sheet, plywood, MDF, card stock, etc.  I got a quote for some 1/8" acrylic cutting once from one of the companies on Etsy.  It was a small part about 4 square inches and they wanted something like $20 for the first one and a little less for each additional part.  Or something like that anyway.

Got to Etsy.com and search "Laser cut service"  A bunch of companies/users pop up.


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## Weldo (Jul 24, 2020)

rwm said:


> Thanks for sharing this! I will try them. Hey, what is the crazy square tube thingy welded at right angles?
> Robert



That's me trying to replicate this thing...












I recently bought a small bench top horizontal band saw from HE&M.   It has the provision to use it as a small vertical saw with the purchase of an additional accessory.  The accessory clamps into the saw's vise and has an aluminum plate for a table.

I didn't want to pay $140 for that but I liked the idea of being able to make small free hand cuts on a vertical saw, so I set out on making my own.  Got an aluminum plate form eBay, 16" x 16" x 1/4" for around $40 and the tube is a leftover from some job we did at work years ago.

So far I'm in the black!  But it's not done yet...


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## kb58 (Jul 24, 2020)

I built an entire car from scratch, using a Harbor Freight 4 x 6 band saw for much of the cutting. I found that by the end of the project, I had used it in the upright position about 98% of the time, so much so that after it had worn out, I bought a "real" band saw and don't regret it.


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## Weldo (Jul 24, 2020)

Right on.  I thought it would be nice for cutting plates and such that you can’t clamp in the vise.

by the way @kb58, did you see the previous post about Etsy for your clock project?  It might be worth a look.


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