Coping angle iron with plasma

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I have been working on my plasma cutting and have been starting to acheive results that I am happy with (minimal cleanup). I use aluminum flat bar as a guide for basic straight cuts and aluminum angle iron to cut angle iron to length. I am not quite there yet with coping angle  iron so I thought I would ask what others are doing. Here are some things I have tried, or thought about:1. Using a straight edge and treating the cuts as straight cuts2. Free hand, or a mix of 1 and 23. Using some type of guide/jigHow are you doing it (with plasma)?Thanks,JoeMIG and Plasma
Reply:Are you doing 90 degree copes? Or mitered 45 copes?For the 90 copes, I do it by hand for <3" and use a small piece of flat stock for larger sizes. For 45 miters (which is rare) I use a piece of flat stock thick enough I can angle the torch at 45 degrees to the cuts, so there is a double bevel when they meet up. Since the edge is so thin, a quick hit with the grinder cleans up any misalignment very quickly!Miller: 200dx, Bobcat 225, Passport, Powermax 45, Milwaukee: Dry Saw, MagDrill, grinders
Reply:Freehand.Any time you can eliminate a "guide" and do it free hand you are eliminating just that much more "stuff". When your running a rig truck that "stuff" builds up quick. When others look at the results of your hand skills and say "...looks like a machine did that"..... You can take price in your craftsmanship.Lincoln SA200's... at least 15 - 20. They come and go. Growing partial to the "Short Hoods" in my old age. Last count on Short Hoods was 13 in possession.
Reply:Here is a guide for doing 45 degree angles or 90 degree cutoffs on rectangular tube. I have some similar ones that I use on angle iron, and in the past have made guides to cut round pipe or tube, and "fishmouth" cuts for welding round tubes together. The key is to use a torch that is designed for drag cutting...in the pics is the Hypertherm Powermax45 with shielded consumables...it is designed to drag and guide along the edge of a template or straightedge. I also use my Powermax30...it works well for material thicknesses to about 1/4".I am having issues posting pics ...will try again later!Jim Colt Attached Images
Reply:I am trying for 90 degrees. Attached is one that I made using a straight edge. I always seem to get a little too close to the side that isn't removed, or I end up having to cut more than once. Thanks for the advice on freehand cutting. I had a go at it and think that I will get there with practice.Jim, I use my torch in drag mode as well. I can see from your example how I could create a guide.Do any of you use plasma for holes instead of drilling? I needed to make 5/8 inch holes in some plate for an axle and finally ended up drilling them. I was somewhat successful trying on thin stock, but didn't have any luck on thicker material. Attached ImagesMIG and Plasma