New surface plate - need ideas for cutting it!

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Ok, it looks like I have acquired a new to me surface plate.  It's 10' x 10' x 13" thick and weighs about 12,000lbs.  It's cast iron and is drilled and tapped 1/2-13 on 12" centers.Now the fun part - it's in a shop 3/4 mile from mine through the center of town.  I have a low trailer that will haul it; just have to jack it up 36" off the ground and back under it.  It's already 18" on the stand...  Oh, and I'm just going to hope the DOT doesn't happen to be riding through town when I do it...The real fun part comes when I get it to my shop.  The building I lease was built in the 50's and has 7' 10" wide x 8' tall doors!  Doh!  I think I'm actually going to cut the plate down to 7.5' wide and make some small plates out of what is left...So - anybody have bright ideas on how to cut this thing????  I'm envisioning the "chainsaws" they use on concrete with abrasive chopsaw blades...  Can anyone come up with a better plan? Attached Images
Reply:Wow, nice score! Man, don't cut it! I'm sure your landlord wouldn't mind a nice 12' wide roll up door if you pay for it. Sounds like a midnight moving project to me.Millermatic 251Spectrum 300 PlasmaEverlast PowerTig 250EXEverlast PowerCool W300Harris / Victor OACraftsman 13 Speed Drill PressProTools Air/Hydraulic Bender48" BrakeCompressor, Notchers, Grinders, etc.
Reply:Midnight is the worst time in this town.  Usually at least 2 cops sitting in parking lotson the route I have to take watching every car at night...  Gotta figure out when donut or lunch time is!Oh - and its a cement block building with cuuport columns placed such that you cannot really widen the doors...  Really bites!Last edited by TubularFab; 07-26-2010 at 10:11 AM.
Reply:That is an awful sexy piece of raw industrial might!If you had a place to put it on the inside of your shop it JUST MIGHT MAKE it in diagonally:  sqrt((8^2)+(7.5^2)) ~= 10.97"! However if you dropped it you would have at least a 12 foot wide door. (Well hole, until you installed the *new* door!)As for cutting it, is OF out? As a total aside, I have an old track torch I have been rebuilding. Needless to say, this sort of job is what plays around in my imagination while I am working on it!
Reply:Originally Posted by browncoatAs for cutting it, is OF out? As a total aside, I have an old track torch I have been rebuilding. Needless to say, this sort of job is what plays around in my imagination while I am working on it!
Reply:Burning bars, it will not be clean but will blast right through that cast iron. Otherwise maybe a gas powered abrasive saw and a huge pile of wheels. -DanOwnerDW Metalworks LLCMiller Trailblazer 302Miller 8RC FeederMiller Passport PlusMiller Dynasty 200 DX W/Coolmate 1Hobart Handler 135Hypertherm PowerMAX 30Smith O/A Torch SetPlus much much more
Reply:I think you nailed it with the gas drive chop saw idea.Wear leathers, a full face shield, earplugs, and buy several extra discs- even if they still have meat on em, once the discs wear down a bit, they wont reach all the way thru.You can probably rent one of those for under $50 for a day, and would use double that amount in oxy and fuel making a complete mess of the edge trying to cut it with a torch.Or, I suppose, you could get a $10,000 plasma cutter that will cut 6" plate. I saw one once, it was special order for a power plant down at the welding supply- it was as big as a refridgerator on its side, and needed 200 amps of 3 phase.
Reply:Too bad you don't have access to a water jet..."The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it." - Thomas Jefferson If the Lights are a Flashin', STAY OFF the tracks!!! It might be me at the Throttle...
Reply:I would LOVE to get 3'x5' chunk of that. Wish I were closer, sounds like the type of predicament I usually get myself into."The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it." - Thomas Jefferson If the Lights are a Flashin', STAY OFF the tracks!!! It might be me at the Throttle...
Reply:Originally Posted by MaverikToo bad you don't have access to a water jet...
Reply:It might be easier to pick up your shop and drop it on top of the table!
Reply:If you can tilt the table 46° it would fit thru the door, if your measurments are DEAD on.Good luck!
Reply:I think you will lick yourself from now until the end of time if you cut it down, If it will fit through the door diagonally then I would look at building some sort of trolley/jig to hold it at the correct angle and get it through the door in one piece. That or find a smaller one and swap it
Reply:I think you could make several .5 deep cut with one of these. http://www.evolutiononlineshop.com/s...ircular%20Saw/It may take a while, but would give the best results.
Reply:Originally Posted by GabZipI think you could make several .5 deep cut with one of these. http://www.evolutiononlineshop.com/s...ircular%20Saw/It may take a while, but would give the best results.
Reply:Do you HAVE to have it inside?  Is there anyway to find a home for it outside?  The thing is, you are probably not going to live there forever, one day you will buy your own place where you will be able to put up a building around that beauty.I would do my best to have it professionally moved, then cover it with a tasteful tarp or soft-top carport.Hobart LX235Victor 250 Oxy-Acetylene Rig (welding and cutting)Bobcat 773F-350, 1999, 4x4, 16' 10K# trailerOutdoor Wood Burner - 10 cords/year
Reply:Whatever you decide to do, be sure to get some pics or video to share.  It would be interesting.The Lord has declared, "This is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"  Moses 1:39Link: My name is John, and I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.-- ColdCreekWorks.com --
Reply:I think that you would be better off with a metal cutting blade as apposed to a friction saw.
Reply:I would first try to set it on an angle and slide it through the door.  Your going to need to build a frame to hold it when you try to slide it in, but thats easy.  And use pieces of solid round or heavy pipe to roll it in.Id be about in tears if I had to watch someone cut up a table like that.  A little more work now will make you much happier in the long runHave we all gone mad?
Reply:FYI a 14" demo saw will only get you 5" of cut max with a diamond blade.  A 16" about 6" of cut. A ring saw might get you 10" but I've never seen a ferous blade for a ring saw. The hydraulic bar saws will go to 14" but I've never seen a chain designed for ferous metal either. The standard chains will cut light steel like bar, but you'll wipe a standard chain trying to cut that fast. With a nice flat surface like that you could also go with a big walk behind saw. Our 36" will cut 14" easy. Again I'm not sure on the blade availability for one of those.You can't make the door wider, how about higher? Take out the door, raise the header then either rebuild the original or just put in a taller door..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I really hate to cut it, but it will accomplish a couple of good things as well. Cut down it will still be plenty big for my automotive projects. It will be small enough to legally transport. It would be light enough for my forklift to handle. And, it will go through the existing door. I really hate the small doors on my shop, but there are a lot of obstacles in going bigger. Oh, btw - this plate has already been cut once. It started out as a 10' x 20' plate weighing 24,000 according to the I'd plate. Was made in 1978. There is a US Navy tag on it as well. You can see the cut edge in some of the pics. Another btw - it's actually about 10'2" square. I was thinking I'd cut through the top surface (about 3") and that ought to be deep enough to control crack it through the web.
Reply:If you knew someone with a Oxy Gasoline torch, it would cut it. That is what they used to cut cast iron with.
Reply:Originally Posted by TubularFabI was thinking I'd cut through the top surface (about 3") and that ought to be deep enough to control crack it through the web.
Reply:Originally Posted by bert the welderCan you trailer it to a shop with a laser or water jet to cut it?
Reply:Every one has has overlooked the simplest solution to your problem of what to do. Just give it to me problem solved.@ 10' wide i would invest in $50 worth of "oversize load" signs  for the front and rear (Nose of truck, Tail of trailer)   Put a 12" red flag on all four corners of the table and move Sunday morning.   Fake it the best you can is the motto here.   Its been a family tradition here for years. When we were still in the lowbed business it wasn't anything for us to take the "valley tour" on a sat/Sunday 14' wide with a fake pilot car and way more than legal on the axle weights.Vantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:rent one of these for $50 a day, problem solved.  http://www.goliathstone.com/3%20Quarry%20Saw.jpgSeriously, how bout one of those saws that has diamond cutters that looks like a chain?  they use those to cut granite.
Reply:To me, cutting the table would be a last resort -but- if that's the decision...I'd  think about a whipping up semi-automatic guided saw arrangement; utilizing either a band saw blade or a power hacksaw blade. Maybe something with  roller guides top and bottom, and a power feed that would s-l-o-w-l-y pull the saw along the cut line.Good Luck
Reply:Two day laborers and a carbide grit hacksaw blade.  Start now and they should be done in about oh, four weeks.      Sure, it's possible to cut that table/plate down.  As evidenced by your finding that the table/plate was already cut in half from a 10' x 20' table down to a 10' x 10' table.  But it takes and took BIG equipment to do that.  Like shipyard or other large manufacturing stuff.It's big, it's heavy, and it's big.  On a budget and by yourself?  No way.  On a budget and by yourself and and in place at the existing location and getting 'nice' or semi-precision results?  No f#$@ing way.Waterjet cutter, maybe a track-mount EDM, maybe a BIG carbide/diamond pavement cutter machine with like the 36" or 48" wheel, the long cable abrasive stone/anything cutter, etc.I was channel flipping a while ago and saw an episode of that silly 'cut/break stuff' show.  But they had rigged up a long-cable abrasive cutter and cut through a complete fire engine from nose to tail in the vertical plane.  They literally cut the truck in half length-wise.  Most of that was sheet metal and steel frame, which is what, a max of about 1/4 inch thick?  The actual fire engine water pump was probably the thickest chunk of metal that the abrasive cable had to get through.  IIRC it took all or most of a full day to get through the fire engine.  Which was a lot of sheet metal and air space and only a few thicker pieces of steel and iron.Whatever it will be pretty big, pretty slow, and pretty expensive to cut that plate.Also remember that even though it is big and pretty thick and pretty heavy, it can crack (it is cast iron, after all) if you jack a corner or don't have it supported evenly across several points/areas.  It's not like you can just lift it with a fork lift and drop it onto a lowboy trailer and haul it around.Lifting and moving and positioning big heavy 'stuff' is not quite as simple as just picking it up and plopping it down someplace else.    The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:Originally Posted by MoonRiseSure, it's possible to cut that table/plate down.  As evidenced by your finding that the table/plate was already cut in half from a 10' x 20' table down to a 10' x 10' table.  But it takes and took BIG equipment to do that. . . . It's big, it's heavy, and it's big.  On a budget and by yourself?  No way.  On a budget and by yourself and and in place at the existing location and getting 'nice' or semi-precision results?  No f#$@ing way.
Reply:Originally Posted by sn0border88How do you expect to get it onto the water table? (no laser is going to cut that)  That is if you can find a table strong enough to hold it.
Reply:Drill a $hit load of holes through it!!!Would carbon arc gouging work?200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.
Reply:Originally Posted by denrepMoonrise, I have to disagree. I don't think it would be that big of a deal to cut the table -clean and straight- on a budget .Although I would probably move it to home turf first; 120" width is no big deal to truck.The cut is only 120" in length.Even at a 1/4" per minute crawl it would be cut in one work shift.Dig through the junk pile to cobble up a semiautomatic feed saw and a coolant system, and let the sawing begin.I'm thinking about two ratchet straps connected to garage door springs pulling the guided saw. Once in a while you would walk over and give the ratchets a click.Good Luck
Reply:>>Quote:>>Originally Posted by browncoat View Post>>As for cutting it, is OF out? As a total aside, I have an old track torch I have been >>rebuilding. Needless to say, this sort of job is what plays around in my imagination while I >>am working on it!>I guess you've never tried oxy-acetylene cutting of cast iron. It cuts about as well as >aluminum. Plasma would work, but you need something with the amps to get through that >thickness (and the heat can cause the plate to crack).>>I wonder if they make a safe cold cut blade, for a 14" demolition saw.You are correct in guessing I have never had the joy of even wondering how I was going to slice up a 12,000 lb 10 foot x 10 foot x 13 inch piece of anything!!!
Reply:I just stopped by to look at the situation a little closer.  Below is a closer pic of the side that was cut once.  They cut about 3" deep on the top, a little less deep on the bottom, and then broke the webbing away.  It's not a nice clean cut.I've got very little experience with carbon arc cutting, but am wondering if that would be a good solution.  It actually does work on cast iron, for one thing.  And, based on what I'm reading, the base metal does not heat up terribly as most of the hot metal is blown away.  I might have to explore that option a little further.I do not have the luxury of cutting it in the shop it's currently occupying.  I would do that back at my shop.  Nor do I have the luxury of moving this thing in it's full width to any place that has a machine big enough to cut it.  On top of that there is no budget to pay what such a chop would charge.  I acquired the plate through a trade, and do not have cash invested in it.  I am willing to do the moving and cutting myself to keep it that way.  At my shop I have a forklift that might just be able to lift it full size, but should definitely lift it once cut.  I have moved a lot big, oddball and heavy stuff over the years, and been a part of moving 3 other similar surface plates.  That does not concern me too much!  My biggest concern is that a DOT truck happens by when I'm going down the road.  I do plan to have wide load banners on it, which is good in GA to 12 feet wide.  My 5000lb trailer and 10,000lb plate would however put me a tad over the 10,000lb limit for not having a CDL.  Hopefully it won't appear heavy to whoever might see it going down the road!  I have hauled just over 10k on this trailer several times - my big mandrel tube bender and one of my antique diesel engines - and it does quite well. Incidentally - an old neighbor once told me that having me next door was better than cable TV.  I LIKE to try the stuff that seems difficult or even a little crazy...
Reply:Ever heard of a wire saw?  Used to be used (sometimes still are) to cut through large pieces of stone.  It's basically an abrasion saw.  A long wire, coated in either abrasive slurry or covered with diamond ferrule like rings.  It'd be easy to rig up and if done correctly will give you a nice clean cut.  Look up stone cutting wire saw on google and you'll find 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:Also, another idea is to use a gearmotor to drive a cold saw blade with a constant water/coolant feed over it.  Put the saw on rails clamped to the surface plate and just lower the saw in a little bit more each pass.  Think of it like a portable cold saw on rails (actually quite similar to a rail saw used to cut stone...just an inexpensive homemade metal cutting version).  Should do the job as well just so long as you build everything rigid and use a large enough blade.--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:Why not find an open area in a shop wall and knock enough block out to get your table in?  Block the hole up when done and it's in.
Reply:Originally Posted by sn0border88no laser is going to cut that
Reply:I still say your going to have much more work into cutting it than you would moving it in in one piece, and you will be happier in the end.  Denrep, your calculations for cut speed dont account for time to setup, change blades, reposition, water break, ect.  It would take up the majority of 2 days all said and done.Take pictures, whatever you do.And lets face it, your gonna need one of these to cut it.Last edited by sn0border88; 07-27-2010 at 10:50 PM.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:A very nice  piece of iron. Some months back i attended an absolute auction seeing 4 platen tables similar to yours. They all sold for less than 250 each. I wanted one badly but after running the logistics in my head. I decided that if I did not have ample space, no great means of transporting and would have to reduce it's size, It would be a greater burden than benefit. But they were beautiful...Maybe one day! ...If your are set on buying it, knock enough wall out. Blocks are cheap and simple. More so than all the cutting methods discussed.Miller TrailBlazer 251Miller HF-250-1Miller MaxStar 150 STLHyperTherm PowerMax 380 plasmaLincoln PowerMig 180Millermatic 252Miller Diversion 180
Reply:duct tape a line of dynamite sticks on the cut line.On the underside tape a row of dynamite, offset of the line about an inch.Take cover and fire both rows at the same time to get a scissor action.Don't worry about d.o.t. but keep an eye out for A.T.F and homeland security agents.( Caution: children do NOT try this at home without adult supervision)ps.If you do this indoors the door may be large enough anyway!Or borrow a mag drill,bore a three inch hole in the middle,cover it with indoor/outdoor carpet and call it a putting green.How about six holes and cover with felt? Billiards.Stretch a net acroos the middle? Ping pong.Install pontoons and land aircraft?Last edited by 1-800miner; 07-28-2010 at 09:45 AM.Reason: afterthoughtstractor,loader.dozer,backhoe,and all the tools to keep em movin
Reply:Originally Posted by TubularFab  My 5000lb trailer and 10,000lb plate would however put me a tad over the 10,000lb limit for not having a CDL.  Hopefully it won't appear heavy to whoever might see it going down the road!  I have hauled just over 10k on this trailer several times - my big mandrel tube bender and one of my antique diesel engines - and it does quite well.
Reply:Originally Posted by TubularFabI just stopped by to look at the situation a little closer.  Below is a closer pic of the side that was cut once. . . .I've got very little experience with carbon arc cutting, but am wondering if that would be a good solution.  It actually does work on cast iron, for one thing.  And, based on what I'm reading, the base metal does not heat up terribly as most of the hot metal is blown away.  I might have to explore that option a little further. . .At my shop I have a forklift that might just be able to lift it full size, but should definitely lift it once cut. . . .
Reply:Originally Posted by 1-800minerduct tape a line of dynamite sticks on the cut line.On the underside tape a row of dynamite, offset of the line about an inch.Take cover and fire both rows at the same time to get a scissor action.Don't worry about d.o.t. but keep an eye out for A.T.F and homeland security agents.( Caution: children do NOT try this at home without adult supervision)ps.If you do this indoors the door may be large enough anyway!Or borrow a mag drill,bore a three inch hole in the middle,cover it with indoor/outdoor carpet and call it a putting green.How about six holes and cover with felt? Billiards.Stretch a net acroos the middle? Ping pong.Install pontoons and land aircraft?
Reply:I'm for leaving in one piece. But you my try the companies that saw concrete. I've seen them use a track saw anchored to a concrete wall and saw right thru 10 inches of concrete. I have know idea if they have blades to cut cast iron but it may be worth a try.Nice score reguardless what you do with itMiller 330 A/BP Bernard SS coolerMiller cst 250Miller Big Blue 251DCentury 210 Mig (first welder I bought)Hypertherm PowerMax 800Victor torch setRu Fong 31 MilAtlas lathe
Reply:thermite
Reply:would a few rows of detcord do it? I have no idea, but it would bet fun to try.
Reply:millwaukee metal cutting circular saw.clamp angle iron to it for a straight line guide.take 1/2" depth increases at a time.it will surely take a few blades, possibly even more than one saw.Just dont totally burn them up, and pawn or ebay them as "slightly used"  the circular saw is an efficient beast.  I saw 2" thick steel bar with mine.  not tried cast.It would at least score it 2" deep on both sides.then you could tip it over and let it fall on a rail tie or such to snap it?Last edited by dsergison; 08-05-2010 at 03:58 PM.
Reply:my suggestion is if it is a problem and you can't get it in your shop than leave it where it is and forget about it. (Probably not worth the trouble and cost anyway.)