Plasma cutters are great, but unless you have a computer controlled system, it is difficult to get accurate cuts with freehand techniques.  That may be okay for some applications, but for pieces that need to be precisely fit together before welding, you may be in for a lot of grinding and modification.  That can limit the usefulness of this tool.

You may have seen videos of people using a straightedge to guide the plasma torch, but what about curves or complex shapes?  That can be a challenge, especially if you don't have something with the right curvature or angles.  You can fill this gap with a template or jig to guide the torch for perfect cuts and dimensions that require little grinding or cleanup.

The secret is to make a sheet metal form bent to the configuration you want, but on edge so you can easily bend it.  Then reinforce the curves and angles with gussets or ribs on the outside of the form.  This will stiffen the shape and lock it into a base plate that only approximates your desired shape.

This could be a great application for TIG welding, especially to practice your skills at welding thin sheet metal.  When you are done with the template, you can then use it to cut out shapes with a plasma torch.  If you want to make multiples, then you can reuse the template, since the plasma torch will not damage the form.

Remember to make the template larger than the desired shape by the radius of the plasma torch head.  To get sharp corners you might have to overshoot the corner in the template on both legs of the angle, so you can back up and cut the corner from the adjoining side.  It would be best to try it on a simple form consisting of an angle and a curve.

Last modified: Thursday, 15 August 2024, 7:36 PM