Plus a Revelation

I learned a few interesting things today.

1. It’s best not to grab a 4 1/2″ cutting wheel while it’s moving.

2. Plasma cutters are lots of fun.

Yes, I have a plasma cutter. I didn’t mention it when I bought it, because at the time, I was tired of hearing about how I needed an intervention. Okay, shut up. It’s not like I’m hiding new tools because I’m an addict and I’m in total denial. It’s not. It ISN’T. Oh, like you never bought a new tool. You’re just as bad as I am. You’re the addicts, not me.

Actually, that is completely true with regard to a whole bunch of you.

I guess people are shocked to learn that I don’t tell every single detail of my life here. Or maybe they’re just relieved.

Anyway, I bought this thing, and I never used it because I was flipping out over the clean/dry air problem. I got one of those filters that holds an element that looks like a roll of European toilet paper, but I never got an air dryer because every time I tried to figure out what kind I should get, I went crazy from confusion.

Today I slapped the toilet paper thing on and fired the cutter up. I figured surely it wouldn’t get soaked from the few cuts I planned to make. I also figured I could open it up and let it dry out between uses. Why not? If you use the machine once every two months, surely you can get away with that.

That thing is a blast. And easy to use. The biggest challenge is to move the gun fast enough to keep up with the cutting. You have to move fast to keep from making gouges in the metal, but you have to go slow enough to retain control. It’s like a light saber for metalworkers.

I wore shorts and tennis shoes while I used it, but I also wore my welding helmet. The manual was very confusing. I’m positive the shorts were a bad idea, but while the cutter came with weird little glasses, the manual seemed to recommend a welding helmet. I don’t think it darkened. The manual also recommended hearing protection. Which is weird, because this thing just hisses a little, and that’s from the air coming out of the gun.

I think the water had an effect toward the end, after a bunch of cuts. The cuts got sloppy. Maybe I was doing something wrong. Whatever. It was still great. As much as I love the dry-cut saw, there are some things that are hard to do with it, because of the geometry. You can cut a 4″ square steel bar in half with it, no problem. But put angle iron in it in the wrong position, and it can flip the workpiece out of the vise and do awful things. Also, it makes tons of pointy swarf. I found a solution to that. I blow it out into the driveway and wet it with the hose. By the next day, it has rusted to the point where it’s not sharp enough to be a problem. Little things rust really fast. I don’t know where it goes after that. Maybe the swarf fairies come pick it up.

What a time-saver the plasma cutter is. Zip, zip, zip, and you’re done. Setting up takes ten times as long as cutting. And the cuts are accurate to within maybe a sixteenth.

I cut the main members for the bandsaw base, and then I used a hand grinder to fine-tune the coping. I used a long piece of uncut angle iron as a gauge to see if the pieces I was cutting would fit. Then I found out something disturbing. Home Depot steel is not shaped the same as North River Drive scrap yard steel. The work I did on one piece was fine when mated up to the Home Depot steel, but it was way off on the scrap yard steel. So I decided to make it to Home Depot specs, and tomorrow, I’ll buy another piece of Home Depot metal, to finish the base. It’s easier than driving up to the river.

Now I just have to cut the remaining piece, file everything smooth, remove rust and scale, and weld. I plan to practice on some of the crap I ended up with after today’s work.

I spent about a year on this stuff, and I am aware that I could have done it a lot faster, but when you’re a hobbyist, the process is the objective.

The plasma cutter, not the welder, is the reason I have a 60-amp circuit in my garage. If you’re a tool person, I highly recommend you buy a plasma cutter, because you will have to run a huge circuit, and after that, you will have a lot more tool options.

I’m not sure why I grabbed the cutting wheel while the grinder was running. One nice thing about getting old is that your hide gets tough. I have a very interesting rut on my finger, but it didn’t bleed. When I was a kid, it was a lot easier to cut and burn me. I am not sure why that is. These days, it takes some effort. I still remember picking up a skillet I had just seasoned in a 500-degree oven. I didn’t even get a blister. Of course, I put it down pretty quickly once I realized it was hot.

I would not bet money on the mobile base welding up correctly, but I’m learning a lot and having fun. And the sparks freak out people who drive by the garage.