How do you cut straight with a plasma cutter?

[ert01]

I got a plasma cutter last year and have used it for a handful of projects so far. I'm getting good at freehanding shapes but when I need a perfectly straight line it gets really tricky. I used a sheet of uhmw plastic as a straight edge (planed to the right thickness to keep my plasma tip about 1/8th" of the cutting material) and it worked really well but the heat from the cutting melts it after a few cuts and my edge isn't as straight anymore. A metal straightedge would be nice but it would affect the life of the tip if i used it the same way as i used the plastic. It would also affect the direction of the arc since it is also conductive.

Anyone have any tips on how to cut nice straight lines with a plasma cutter?

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Put a drag tip on it and clamp an angle to what you are cutting to use as a guide.

 

[E.rodz]

you can on a smooth piece of mtl.run your tip right down on the steel and drag it towards you using a piece of angle or straight piece of steel next to your gun.or if you have a milling machine use the power table feed for your torch. hope this helps.

 

[diesel research]

Wood isn't very electrically conductive, and somewhat resistant to the very brief heat...

It burns, you replace or recut, no biggie.

 

[TozziWelding]

Piece of angle bar as a guide, or get training wheels.

 

[zmotorsports]

I use a piece of thinwall 1" square tubing that I clamp to the work and drag the torch along it. It will require a test due to the fact that the straightedge is not going to be right on the line. The cup will run against the tube and be off by about 1/2"-3/4" depending on make/model of torch/cup.

After a while you will know exactly how far to place the straightedge away from your line and be spot on.

Mike.

 

[s_ontario]

Use a Carpenters square

 

[bad_idea]

buy a track torch.

this one is for a oxy-acet torch, but they make them for plasma cutters also.

 

[Agent1320]

I use whatever is laying around within arms reach. Usually a piece of angle or sq tubing, but I use wood alot. I never see the wood distort and my consumables last several months even when using steel. I cut a shape out of a piece of MDF with my jigsaw and used it as a guide for the plasma cutter. I cut about 20 pieces of 3/8" out of that guide in about 10 minutes and the MDF only had minor burn spots on the edges. Don't run the plasma nozzle along the guide, run the retaining cap or the body of the gun down it and just offset your guide to make up for the bigger gap. Your consumables and your guides will last much longer.

 

[Blaisun]

i usually just us a piece of 1" as a guide with anything else that holds the shape that i am trying for..

 

[Sureshot]

I have attached my torch solidly and moved the material. Never did it for straight but for a 50" hub" and to cut a bunch of 2 3/8" and 2 7/8" pipe.

 

[ptschram]

buy a track torch.

this one is for a oxy-acet torch, but they make them for plasma cutters also.

There are pics on Pirate and OFN of a homemade track for use with a torch, think pieces of angle for the track and a piece of all-thread for the lead screw.

Genius, I think!

 

[APEowner]

Use a Carpenters square

Me too or whatever else is lying around.

 

[IndyGarage]

My powermax has a ceramic piece that fits on the nose of the torch and I use that to guide the cut against a straitedge - usually a piece of 3/8 steel.

 

[mathil]

I used Corian/Solidsurface material with good results. It's non-conductive like the plastic, but melts at much higher temperatures.

 

[reznunt]

http://hypertherm.com/en/Training_and_Education/Videos/

the powermax demo video on this page shows a few examples of cuts being made using steel bar stock as a straight edge.

 

[sberry]

Common yard stick.

 

[NASTYZEN]

I gotta get me one of those.....some day.

 

[bigblockford79]

I use a section of conduit strut. It is light and strong, its handles the heat and dissipates it rather quickly. Mine is galvanized and quite smooth, so the head of my torch glides across it very easily unlike the wood guides I initially used. Also, the swivel on most c-clamps 12" and under will fit in the groove.

http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

 

[bad_idea]

bigblockford79, galvanized and heat are bad juh-juh. nasty smoke it puts off. zinc i do believe. every welder i know avoids galvanized like the plague. being a mechanic by trade, i just take their word for it.

 

[keller_S10]

Wood isn't very electrically conductive, and somewhat resistant to the very brief heat...

It burns, you replace or recut, no biggie.

I have a bunch of trim left over from my house that I use. I get a good 20 cuts before I get rid of a piece.



its perfect thickness to just keep the tip off the steel.




Edit: Just realised I been trolling this site fo 5 years and this is my first post. LOLOLOL