Cutting Table Design

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Looked all over the internet for a plasma/oxy acetylene cutting table, all i can find are plans for cnc tables. Just looking for ideas on a table to cut on top of. I hav a new 4'x8' welding table, but dont want to cut on top of it.
Reply:what about a stainless steel gas or charcoal grill?  I've thought about getting a replacement for a weber and making a stand for it to cut on, should last forever.There is no failure...only feedback
Reply:mine is a piece of grating
Reply:How big?  If you're lucky you might find a piece of oilfield walkway decking or something similar. I found a piece 4'x6' -- just haven't decided how tall to make the legs or what to use for legs. I've got some 5" heavy wall pipe 4' long...if I cut it in two and weld the 2' pieces to the  8" channel already attached to the decking... it'll be about 34" tall. Still thinking about height at the moment and if I want to use casters on it. It's easier to do it the right height in the first place instead of having to re-do it because it's not right. Since it's just for cutting and fabrication...I'm thinking 'shorter' might be better especially if I add casters. Might fit it with a sloped tray and a catch gutter along the back, so all the slag doesn't accumulate under the table and things can be stored under it on a shelf (even if it's just short metal pieces)  A plasma cutter or a O/A torch can generate a lot of slag...It's easier to deal with it as you go rather than have to constantly clean up the mess. Another option if you can't find steel decking.... Is to build a framework from angle iron the size you need...decide what sort of spacing you need on the deck and weld short pieces of square tubing at both ends...then drop pieces of flat bar into the slots on edge to make the deck. Depending on the size table you need you might have to add cross braces with spacers to stabilize the top and support weight. The flat bar can be flipped over as it gets cut up (or replaced) by simply lifting them free of the structure. For instance  2" angle frame...with 1" square (or bigger) short pieces of sq. tube welded to the inside of the angle spaced so 1/4" x 2" flat bar slips into the slots created. If you need support in the middle just add angle (or square tube) across the structure from under the outside angle frame from front to back with additional 1" sq. tubing spacers welded to those cross braces to keep things aligned. Heavy work or a big table might require center legs for support. Lots more work,but it'll be usefull for a long time and can be re-newed simply if it becomes damaged. Good Luck..
Reply:Build you one out of 3"x1/8" flat strap. It's an easy project.
Reply:I just added a piece of the catwalk grating 18"x 36" made of flat bar standing on edge to the end of my welding table w/ an angle iron frame to support it. Mounted a piece of aluminum sheet 4" under it to catch all the slag and hot gobbers                                     MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:That works for those of us in oil country  ,but other areas of the country might find  steel decking impossible to find or expensive.I was given mine to haul it off...actually hooked a chain to it and pulled it down thru town to the house ...talk about sparks,but it had to be removed right now...so it was FREE works for me
Reply:What about decking from like home depot racks???? Or will it be an issue with the coating that they put on it?????Come try it out and stay a while.
Reply:I'm working on a design at the moment for the same thing...although mine is meant to be mounted to a wall to fold up out of the way, it'd be easy to add legs to it.  I'm running out the design in CAD so that I can have some of the pieces CNC cut for me just to make my life easier.The general gist of the design is a box table top with slots cut into it for 3"x0.25" bars to lay into in a grid pattern (the bars will have 1.5"x.25" slots cut out of them spaced out so that they interlock into each other for the grid).  Underneath the grid to cut on, there will be slag directing 0.25" thick steel sides (sloped inward) to keep the cutting slag directed down to the center area under the table.  Under those sides is a slide out pan that will catch the slag and and allow for easy clean-up.  The whole thing will be hinged onto a wall and have two fold down legs on one side to support the outside portion when it's folded down.The features for the design for me were: Have easily replaceable bars to support the steel to be cutFolds up out of the way when not in use since I already have a ton of equpment in my shop and the dedicated welding/cutting/etc... area will need to be space efficientKeep cutting slag from spraying all over the place (including keeping it from spraying all over my pant's while I'm cutting if I sit down in front of the cutting table)Allow for easy clean-up after cuttingOnce I have the design finished in CAD, I'll do a render and post it up so that you can have a look at it.--Wintermute"No man's knowledge here can go beyond his experience." - John Lockewww.improvised-engineering.comManufacturer Agnostic:Blood----------Sweat---------Tears----|------------------|----------------|----Lincoln Red, Miller Blue, Esab Yellow
Reply:Originally Posted by rustywranglerWhat about decking from like home depot racks???? Or will it be an issue with the coating that they put on it?????
Reply:Make  a frame of angle iron (whatever you have laying around)about 2 ft square.Lay some 3/16 by 1 inch or whatever you happen to have  flat bar in the frame on edge spaced about 1 1/2 apart.Tack them all to the frame and lay it on top of a 45 gallon drum(metal drum works better than plastic)cut offs just get whisked into the barrel.replace flatbar as needed.FelonPs not pretty but works for me.Last edited by Felonyass Monk; 02-10-2010 at 08:02 PM.Caution lurker lives here" hmmm That is serious,pass the ganja and pick up a  24 of MGD"
Reply:I was thinking of a 3' x 6' table, with 1"x1/8" flat strap slats. It would be the perfect cutting table, but i think it would be too costly.
Reply:look at the plasma cutting table thread by jerryyf that just poped up here.looks like what your afterFelonCaution lurker lives here" hmmm That is serious,pass the ganja and pick up a  24 of MGD"
Reply:That's the table that i had in mind, but i think that it will wind up being too costly to fabricate, and time consuming too.
Reply:Thats where my design flies especially if you can scrounge the barrelFelonlCaution lurker lives here" hmmm That is serious,pass the ganja and pick up a  24 of MGD"
Reply:Originally Posted by Felonyass Monklook at the plasma cutting table thread by jerryyf that just poped up here.looks like what your afterFelon
Reply:I've seen one built on a 55gal. drum...good height and containment of slag. Good design if it's big enough for your requirements. I've seen the same design used for a chop saw stand (dual use) really nice to contain a chop saws dust.(that stuff goes everywhere)Looking forward to the design pics wintermute...sounds like a good design.As far as price goes... if you build a good sized table you'll need to buy long strips of materials NOT Home Depot short pieces or find used pieces. 1/8th x 2 or 3" strapping shouldn't be too costly. As far as size...the metal comes in 20' sticks ...adjust the top size accordingly ..like 5' long so you get 4 pieces with no waste...6' gives you 3 pieces and a 2' scrap piece.A stick of angle...a stick of sq. tube...& some sticks of 2-3" wide flat stock and some legs (pipe scrap) ought to get you operational for around a $100...maybe less.
Reply:I think that i have come up with a decent design, that is not too costly. I was thinking of cutting a 55 gallon drum in half length wise, and welding on legs. Then using the flat bar cutting grid that was suggested. Then i can fill the half barrel with water to contain the smoke/sparks. This would also allow for a larger cutting surface. Sound like a good idea?
Reply:Everything BUT the water... bigger area to be sure...water and a welder or a plasma cutter get scary . If all it's for is a O/A torch maybe? but it'll cause the barrel to rust and then it might leak and then it won't hold water anyway. Personally I'd keep it DRY.You might create a problem with the curved design of the barrel with sparks running up the other side and shooting up out of the container... Don't know that for a fact...just a thought. If it becomes an issue a piece of flat bar lengthwise on edge(put legs on it and just place it in the bottom) would stop any sparks from running around the bottom and up.
Reply:I was thinking of water in the barrel, because of cnc plasma table with water pans underneath the cutting area to contain the smoke. I thought that the same thing would work for manual cutting.
Reply:I don't know... No one is looking down on a plasma cutting table... Think about it this way, My plasma is spitting out air at 65 psi while spewing sparks..depending on the proximity of the water level to the torch you'll be spewing air in a fine stream into water while holding an electric torch... the plasma table isn't worried about this it's inanimate not flesh and blood and it's not worried about getting shocked either.Try it... a little water in the bottom might kill the sparks...If the water is dispersed by the plasma air though... I think I'd give the matter some more thought.
Reply:Why dont we turn this thread into a "Show us your cutting table" thread?"Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:OK....I have a few pictures of a demo plasma cutting table design that I built years ago for demonstrating hand plasma systems at trade shows. This unit had a shield that electrically raised and lowered with AWS shade 8 glass panels (so show attendees could watch the cutting).....also had a built in 500 cfm blower and a cartridge style filter to contain the fumes. I built three of these and they were used for years at trade shows.....attached is a pic of the inside of the unit while it was under construction.....and another of the finished product. It had slats on the cutting bed that just dropped into slots....the slats were 24" wide and 2" x 1/8" thick steel....so they could easily be replaced. The unit worked well......the filter had to be removed and cleaned daily.Jim Colt Attached ImagesLast edited by jimcolt; 02-16-2010 at 10:27 AM.
Reply:Sounds like a good idea. Post pictures of your cutting tables!
Reply:Originally Posted by jimcoltOK....I have a few pictures of a demo plasma cutting table design that I built years ago for demonstrating hand plasma systems at trade shows. This unit had a shield that electrically raised and lowered with AWS shade 8 glass panels (so show attendees could watch the cutting).....also had a built in 500 cfm blower and a cartridge style filter to contain the fumes. I built three of these and they were used for years at trade shows.....attached is a pic of the inside of the unit while it was under construction.....and another of the finished product. It had slats on the cutting bed that just dropped into slots....the slats were 24" wide and 2" x 1/8" thick steel....so they could easily be replaced. The unit worked well......the filter had to be removed and cleaned daily.Jim ColtThe AWS shade panels are difficult to find.....and are very expensive. I found a supplier in New Jersey that stocks glass in a few different certified shades....up to 12. The panels were over $100 each. Sorry I didn't have better pics of the cutting surface....I built these units for Hypertherm quite a few years ago.......they would be great for a small shop or for plasma and welding demos tight on the showroom floor of a weldng supply house....as the smoke/fumes are well controlled and there is a good viewing area without need for shields.Jim