How do you make a table?

[sin-city-custom]

I have a Plasma cutter but don't have a clue how to make a table. It only needs to be about 2ft by 2ft. I saw one that reminded me of a table saw. That is what I would like. The material is stationary and the cutter moves on what looks like a radial saw.

Thanks,
Dave

[Hobbiest]

there are many examples on this site. For a 24 by 24, you could use 3/4" rods with bronze bushings, or hardened rods with linear bearings. Take a look at Ebay under cnc router, linear slide, THK, names like that that you see on this site. Remember to get yourself at least 28 inches of rail, for the minimum amount of 24" of travel. Check out the free router plans on this site, and maybe just build it out of steel instead.

Here are some good links too:
http://www.torchmate.com/
http://www.torchmate.com/cnc.html (this is a kit...handy, but you should be able to build one from scratch for a lot cheaper)
http://www.super-tech.com/root/cnc.a...oTorch-KIT-BTM (same deal with this...should be able to...)
That should give you a few good ideas. You could even use pocket door slides, but the longest units will only give you 23.3" of travel.

[DSL PWR]

Torchmate uses the flashcut system.

[coherent]

Thats a pretty general question with a an answer that could be pages long... Between all the posts and photos on this site, along with all the web sources for cnc routers and plasna cutters if you take the time to read and look at all the examples, you should have a pretty good idea about how to build a table, and operate it. If you run across something you don't understand, do a search here because odds are, someone has already asked the same question. If not, then ask away. Most moderately mechanically inclined folks could build a simple machine after doing some homework on the web. If you don't have the motivation to do that, then most likely you will never finish your machine anyway, or will rush in without some basic knowledge and pay for your mistakes along the way.
-marc
~just my 2 cents~

[accuratemike]

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6923
http://www.accuratepower.com/Torch
30"x30" travel. MIKE

[ajwaverider]

Originally Posted by accuratemike http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6923 http://www.accuratepower.com/Torch 30"x30" travel. MIKE

What size is your table?

[accuratemike]

48" (X) x 39" (Y) footprint. 30"x30" Travel. MIKE

[ajwaverider]

Originally Posted by accuratemike 48" (X) x 39" (Y) footprint. 30"x30" Travel. MIKE

That's about what I guessed.4ftx4ft. I like the way you ran the leadscrew on the top. I was looking at one of the homebuilt router machines and thinking how I could modify it for plasma.I thought about raising the gantry height and table height and putting a box like tray just above the leadscrew maybe 3.5 or 4 inches deep but not sure it's deep enough to keep the sparks from coming back up.How is the manual torch height working for you ?

[accuratemike]

No THC is OK. I'm in no real hurry. It takes 5min to swap around the table for different materials. It will cut 1/8" to 5/16" with the same table height and tip. i move it down for 3/8" to 1/2" (most I've had to cut so far), I go up a tip size too. I don't think you could keep the crap off of an under-table screw. MIKE