Plasma Cutting Price

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Hey guys, I'm building a BBQ pit out of a 150 gallon propane tank and I'm kinda stuck.  I want this thing to look nearly perfect.  I have already cut the tank open on one end and it took some effort doing it with a 4.5" grinder/cutoff wheel.  I want to buy a plasma cutter in the future, but won't be able to swing it until I get this pit sold, so here's the question.  If I laid out all the cuts and marked them well, what do you think I should expect to pay to have a shop plasma cut the door openings for me?  It would be less than 200 inches of cut in 1/4" plate, with 8 cuts or "starts".  I don't expect you guys to be exactly correct, just a rough guess of how much I should expect to pay so I can decide if it's worth it to go ahead and mount it on the trailer and haul it to a shop, or if I should just bite the bullet and make the cuts myself with what I have.  If it matters, I'm in Central Texas, and there are roughly 5 welding shops in town.Contact me for any metal polishing needs you may have, my avatar is a pic of a standard, painted fire axe that I ground, sanded polished and buffed to a mirror finish.
Reply:Ask TSPMAX over at the Hobart site.He's in middle Tennessee but is a good man and will let you know what he would charge, I'm sure.  His machine is a PlasmaCam with a Hypertherm 1000. Then you could have a base for local pricing.The software tells them the number of starts and total length of cutting to help then price their jobs.
Reply:I don't think you can cut a tank with a plasma cam.  For what you are describing if you have everything laid out and marked and just need someone to cut it then I don't see anymore than an hour or so to do it.  In my area rates run from $35-$50 per hour, but shop rates will vary from place to place.  I would say expect anywhere from $50-$100I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:I would think having it sheared would be quicker and cheaper than having it plasma cut... just throwing that out there.I like to party!
Reply:I guess I should have been more specific.  I need to have the tank itself cut for the doors.  I did say plate, my mistake, it's just 1/4" thick steel that the tank is made from.  So, prolly can't be done on a PlasmaCam, or a shear.Contact me for any metal polishing needs you may have, my avatar is a pic of a standard, painted fire axe that I ground, sanded polished and buffed to a mirror finish.
Reply:Swing by my place and I'll let you do it for nothing.David Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Originally Posted by David RSwing by my place and I'll let you do it for nothing.David
Reply:I would think any shop that charged you over an hour would be ripping you off. I could do 200 inches in an hour with an A/O torch in less than hour easy.Some shops do charge a minimum for a job. The hourly rate here is about $65.
Reply:Here's a thought.  Buy the plasma one day after your credit card monthly billing.  Then you have a month to build the pit and sell it to recoup your expenditure and pay back the credit card company.  Priceless?
Reply:Good idea Chevy, too bad my card is maxed out right now!  Dangit!Contact me for any metal polishing needs you may have, my avatar is a pic of a standard, painted fire axe that I ground, sanded polished and buffed to a mirror finish.
Reply:Most shops have a one hour minimum, but it shouldn't take them that long. In west Tx the going rate is 65 an hour, may be different in north TX. Theoretically most shops should have a plasma capable of 20+ inches a minute on quarter inch.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:Originally Posted by txfireguy2003Haha, thanks for the offer David, but me thinks a trip to NY would cost me more than a new plasma would, especially with the price of diesel these days!!!
Reply:Originally Posted by Me!What you are looking to have done wont take long to do but the quality my not be what you have in mind.  The plasma cutter is only as good as the hands it is in.  I would recommend making templates.  The torch will have a offset, my templates need to be 3/16" difference.
Reply:Thanks guys for the responses.  I think I'm going to price it out with some of the local shops, and if they are too high, I may try to find a place to rent a cutter (suggested on the Hobart site).  Then, if that's too high as well, I'll just go back to cutting it with the grinder/cutoff wheel like I did the first cut.  I'm just trying to save some time and effort.Contact me for any metal polishing needs you may have, my avatar is a pic of a standard, painted fire axe that I ground, sanded polished and buffed to a mirror finish.