Alternative to a plasma cutter...

Rbeckett

Rbeckett

Gold
Rest In Peace
Joined
Sep 24, 2010
Messages
3,096
If you have been considering a plasma cutter and have difficulty with the cost versus benefits there are several alternatives that seem to have been forgotten. A good ole circular saw with a carbide tipped or resin blade works wonders. A jig saw with metal cutting blades is a great thing to have also. I also occasionaly use a 3.5 pneumatic whizz wheel too. So there are lots of different possibilities to mangle some metal and stay within budget. I found a fellow on ebay that sent me 40 18 tooth and 40 24 tooth blades for 10 bucks. 80 blades for 10 bucks is about as cheap as you can get and to top it off they were starret blades. Even better. So sometimes an uconventional approach to a conventional problem can yeild some pretty good results for less initial investment. Just a thought from the gallery. Have a great day!!!
Bob
 
You are right on, Bob. I had a real close call of whipping out the credit card to pick up the Plasma cutter that was sitting on the display looking so seductive, when the salesman I was dealing with mentioned that he had metal cutting jig saw blades. We had been visiting about the cutter and I told him I only needed to cut some figures out of 10 ga steel and didn't know what else I would use the $800 machine for. My brother is into building street rods but I didn't want to getting into loaning out an $800 tool. The packet of 5 blades set me back about $15 and they worked like little miracles.
NodakGary
 
I got a TIG/Arc/Plasma cutter for $350 from a local classified ad. Not the industry standard, but it has its uses. Rated at up to 1/2" cut.

Keep watching. Jump if one pops up.
 
A few years ago I bit the bullet on a ESAB plasma cutter that cut up to 1/2" and have never looked back. However you can't use it like a torch 'butchering' things without excessive use of consumables.

It's very debatable if mine would work in a production environment on anything over 1/4" thick. For the occasional cut up to about 3/8" it does ok. It does nice on aluminum to about 3/16" thick. 1/4" is debatable. I can cut auto body panels about as fast as I can move the torch. Couple hundred inches a minute. Minimal heat distortion.

It wins in just about any other category from lengthy cuts in auto body panels to cutting anything over 6" in length and 1/8" thick or thicker.

You can use just about anything to guide the torch head. Even thick cardboard works for a one time cut. PVC pipe does a good job for curves. Patterns cut out of wood or 1/4" plywood can be used over and over.

The plasma cutter is very unforgiving. It cuts if the 'go' button is pushed. If you are shaky, slip, or don't pay attention it cut what it touched. Sneeze while you are cutting and you have a major screw up on your hands.

The plasma cutters will eat consumables if you don't use dry air.
 
I think all the tools mentioned have there purpose. The manufacturers specs are always optimistic in term of capacity of cut for plasma cutters.

I used one a lot to cut complicated shapes out of 1/8 inch aluminum sheet (5052) marking with a waterproof marker and following that with the plasma cutter free-hand before i had the the plasma cutter to use i made those cuts with a jig saw and it was a lot slower and a pita. I think its a great tool but if i had to make a long straight cut in the same material i would grab the circular saw with a carbide tooth blade.

Swordfish out of 1/8 aluminumswordfish.jpg

swordfish.jpg
 
The imported Plasma cutters have been vastly improved in the last 4 years to the point that buying one is no longer a waste of money. Back when I was looking at Plasma I wanted a heavy duty machine and ended up with a Hyperthem Power Max 1000 G-3 with a machine torch. I bit the bullet and spent the 3600.00 (IIRC) and installed it on my Torchmate table. I have never found anything it would not cut accurately and repeatebly, but there are cheaper alternatives available now from Everlast that do an acceptable job for less than 1/2 the money. They have also become very stand up about the 5 year warranty, so I am a little less concerned about getting one with leaking magic smoke. I also have all the other option such as circular saws, Band saws, nibblers, shears and grinders of every description so it is a matter of matching the tool to the job at hand and making the most of your arsenal before going out and buying a tool for one time use. However the price of plasma is dropping and just make sure you can easily get consumables and you will be quite happy with the results you can obtain pretty quickly.

Bob
 
Franz,
My point about the Hypertherm is that for 3600 to 4000 dollars it is beyond the scope of the average DIY hobby type of guy. If you have the bucks and the need then by all means Hypertherm is the only way to go. I bleed gray and orange from my miller Blue and Lincoln Red veins, but those are industrial machines for industrial applications that are also well beyond the scope of the average home shop. If I was looking to spend less than a grand on a machine and wanted to get the most features I could for the least amount of money I could possibly spend I would have to get an Everlast 256. First I am not using it commercially so I am not concerned with it "Holding up" to daily wide open use. Second the machines have improved considerably in the last 4 years to the point that DOA's and freak failures are almost non existent. Third. Yeah I have to box up a machine and send it to California for warranty. I have to take my miller to the local outlet for them to box up and send to Atlanta or Milwaukee to get it repaired or replaced. So that is the same difference except maybe a day or two longer for shipping. Since it is not a money maker I can entertain myself with other projects till it does finally arrive. Finally the difference in cost is considerable. To buy a Mig,Tig,Stick and Plasma from Miller, Hypertherm and Lincoln means separate machines totaling well over 5000 dollars for respectable small industrial equipment in the 200- 250 amp range. I can pick up the afore mentioned machine for around 1500 dollars, and have it delivered to my door in 4 days and be working within ten minutes of it arriving. So to be fair I have softened my view of what those machines are suited for and find that there are a huge number of very happy owners who have never had a problem with those machines from day one. Jody at Welding Tip and Tricks dot com did a down and dirty hands on live test and showed the good bad and ugly and I venture to say he did a fair and impartial test and could not find a reason to disdain the machine he was given or the one he bought outright to test first. Oleg has also been super proactive and gone out of his way to help any customer who has a legitimate issue resolve it as quickly as humanly possible. I have seen him mail out new foot pedals for a poorly adjusted rheostat and allowed the customer to keep the old on with no questions asked. I have also seen him throw a huge handful of consumables into a box just because he can. Will an Everlast go to work everyday and run at 305 amps wide open like Zap, or some of the others do daily. No, not a chance... but they will allow "Average Joe" to get into the box and see whether he is interested in continuing to learn and needs a more powerful more feature packed machine later on. There is a place for a Volkswagen the same as there is room for a Porsche. It really depends on the users needs and desires,

Bob
 
Wow that is lot to think about. Right now welding every day with either Lincoln inverters or Lincoln transformers to run flux core (ln 25 lincoln 233 and 311), stick and carbon arc I would pick the transformer as it has a lot more duty cycle on the high end. the inverter makes nice clean too and i am not unhappy when i draw one for the day. it is all about finding the sweet spot for the process and the equipment.

Bob
 
Ant of you guys have this??? I haven't cut with it . but I know some guys that have. Said it cuts like butta. I have two of them that I picked up at a local flea and estate sale. Welds fantastic with a pinpoint flame. I know they're pricey, but it really does almost all. Just not Titanium.

http://www.cut-like-plasma.com/index.htm There are quite a few videos on Youtube,
 
Yes Franz, we will just have to disagree. However I would ask you whether you have ever owned one of the machines I have mentioned? The reason I ask is because Jody over at Welding tips and tricks.com did a pretty good expose on the everlast machine he bought and the one he was given to examine. He did not pull any punches and gave an honest write up and opinion. The reason I have broached this subject was because in our Hobby we have few choices of machinery and equipment and the few we do have do suffer from issues of durability and cost. As a former professional welder and plant manager I have been involved in the buying decisions of several large companies when they considered the need for welding and fabrication equipment. I recommended they purchase Hypertherm plasma and Miller welding gear. But those machines were expected to give a 10 year minimum service life with zero breakdowns. They were exposed to rain, humidity, bumps, bangs and all manner of abuse in and on the service truck they were assigned to. I think our little home shops are a bit different in the fact that we own the machines and generally care for them much better than the bosses stuff on the truck. I still maintain that there is a cheaper alternative to high dollar welding gear that will provide an entry level step for the home hoobyist who is interested in melting a bit of metal together to finish his or her projects. SO lets just agree to disagree and move on with the discussion and stop belaboring both of our opinions and allow the others to discuss the merits or lack of for all of the other options that were also mentioned.

Bob
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top