Plasma Cutter

[pauldridge]

Anyone on the forum own or have experience with a plasma cutter?  I've got some major frame rail repairs on the list, and this looks like the tool to have.  I'm tempted by the $500 Chinese units I see on eBay with exaggerated performance claims, but then when I look at prices of legitimate brands, such as Miller, for modest-performance models ($1,000 and up, up, up), I'm reluctant to try to do it on the cheap. 

On the other hand, I'll most likely use this 2-3 times a year at best, so I don't need the Cadillac model if a lesser would suffice.

[MichaelB.]

I have a Miller and have used it about once every other month for years. I found out years ago that its best to buy quality then deal with the potential hassle of some off brand. Nevertheless a Plazma Cutter will become one of your favorite tools. You will use it for loads of projects and wonder how you ever did without it. Enjoy.

[ja17]

Plasma cutters have made a lot of improvements over the years.  New versions are small compact and use 120 voltage if you wish. Unly a plug and shop air is required.

I am most familiar with Hypertherm Units.  They are one of the names in plasma cutters. Howerver the smaller Hypertherm units start of at around $1,000.00 also. Consumables and replacement parts can also be pricey.  Do your homework.

I would be tempted to buy one of the less than $500.00 units at Harbor Freight before I would buy a cheap one on Ebay.  At least Harbor Freight is good about taking things back if  you are not satisfied. 

Check with K&K manufacturing for sheetmetal chassis and floor pan parts.

[Tonys113]

I too have a HYPERTHERM Unit.
I shopped around at all of the local Welding Supply shops in my area and bought a floor model for about $850.00.
It has an on-board compressor for the air source and runs on 110VAC
Excellent investment, you will be amazed at all of the things you will use it for once you have it.
I bought it for the same reason, to some frame work on my last project. Believe me, I definitely could not have done without it.
Buy a Good One.

Tony

[Benz Dr.]

I have a 20 amp Hypertherm which I bought about 15 years ago. At the time I think it was about $1,200.00 so maybe they've come down in price.
The first thing I found out was that you need a very dry source of air. If you have a lot of moisture in your air lines it will affect the cutting head. The small nozzle wears out quickly and there's a second piece below that that also wears out. I also found that I needed to replace the breaker with a 20 amp unit because the normal 15 amp breaker would blow if I turned it up more than 14 amps.
I use this machine for more than just cutting steel. It works very well on rusty screws because I can hit it with a burst of heat for a few seconds and it's much easier to control than a torch. If the screw is really stuck I cut a small slot on the head and use a larger screw driver to remove it.
 
Always wear leather gloves and a welding helmet or goggles while using this tool. Looking directly at the flame can be hard on your vision. Burns are common on your hands from flying sparks if you don't protect yourself with welding gear.
It's possible to cut through any frame member on a 113 with the 20 amp unit. The heavier pieces may require a second or third pass to clear all the way through and it will cut through paint, body filler and rust. 20 amps is about as small as they make and it's just heavy enough to do the job but there are times I wished I had a 40 amp. They're much better at cutting a clean line and will cut a car in two very quickly.

[JamesL]

They're much better at cutting a clean line and will cut a car in two very quickly.

That's not something you need to be telling us

[Mark280SL]

I was happily reading along learning about plasma cutters when I got to this post by Tosh which gave me a good laugh out loud! thanks I needed that!
But at the same time I agree! 

Also, for what it's worth I just looked at the northern tool website and they have a couple units under 1000.00 that seem to get some very good reviews from customers that bought and used them.

That's not something you need to be telling us

[Benz Dr.]

HEY! I didn't say anything about cutting pagodas in two. All I said was that it will cut a car in two.
Actually, that's not exactly true. A regular oxy-acetylene unit will do a better job if you're scraping out a rusty old hulk while a cut saw will remove a section a lot faster and probably do a better job. The plasma cutter is good for certain jobs just like any tool. What you really need is a variety of tools that you can work with for various needs.
 Unless you're a fairly good welder with good fabrication skills you will find that in most cases it's better to leave it to the pros. However, I've done better work and kept a car straight when the pros didn't, so it's all relative.

 I can't do this type of work now because it's too physically demanding for me and breathing in all that dust and fumes would be very bad for me .

[dseretakis]

I've never used a plasma cutter which is probably why I'm going to make this comment.  How about just using simpler, cheaper and probably more precise tools like air cut off tools, dremel with cut off wheel, tin snips etc.  You can even use a sawzall with a metal cutting blade?

[Joe]

Benz Dr. said... I also found that I needed to replace the breaker with a 20 amp unit because the normal 15 amp breaker would blow if I turned it up more than 14 amps....

I hope there is something you left out of this, Dan, like, for example, changing the size of the wiring in the circuit. On the other hand, maybe electrickery acts differently in the tundra.

Joe

[Tonys113]

I've never used a plasma cutter which is probably why I'm going to make this comment.  How about just using simpler, cheaper and probably more precise tools like air cut off tools, dremel with cut off wheel, tin snips etc.  You can even use a sawzall with a metal cutting blade?

Mostly, I have found it's a matter of space and time. Dremel Tools, Tin Snips, Die Grinders with Cut-Off Wheels and the like are great for some applications and specially for cutting through layers of rust. For a clean fast cut without stressing the surrounding arts I have found that the plasma cutter wins out every time. The cutter head is small and the cut is precise allowing for some near magic in removing or trimming metal parts.

As far as the electricity is concerned, please be sure that the wiring to the outlet you use is equal to #12AWG (American Wire Gauge) and that you have a 20-Amp Breaker. Installing a 20-Amp Breaker in place of a 15-Amp units is not really a good idea as the wire for the 15-amp unit is most likely only #14AWG and is not of sufficient size to handle the current of a 20-amp Load.

Tony

[pauldridge]

Well, I came up with the perfect solution.  Found 2 car-guy neighbors who were enthusiastic about a joint purchase of a good plasma cutter.  It's on the way, none of us will use it more than a couple of times a year, but at 1/3 the total purchase cost, it makes this luxury item more justifiable (and, I only have to store it a third of the time!)

Certainly I'll use some of the other tools in my arsenal for rusty frame/floor pan removal:  power sheet metal cutter, air hammer/drill, cut off tool, etc, but I can sure see where only that plasma cutter will be able to get into some tight places and make the clean cut I need to do a good job.  Life is good!

As the joint-ownership thing seems so obvious, I find myself wondering why so few car marque clubs (at least in Austin) don't do some of the same stuff... club purchase of a few expensive pieces of equipment that members can borrow seems to make a lot of sense, but it doesn't seem to happen very often. 

[Benz Dr.]

I guess I don't know that much about wiring but I always thought that as long as you have the proper breaker the wiring would handle the load. After all, the plug coming from the plasma cutter is just your typical wall outlet type. If that wiring can handle the load why can't the rest manage it?
All I did was replace the breaker or if I was too far from the fuse box I ran on the 15 amp breaker. Set at 14 amps or lower it can cut through most sheet metal but it will struggle with heavier frame members.
I have an AC window unit in my house that has it's own 20 amp breaker. Maybe all the wiring going to that plug is also heavier. Never gave it a thought but that thing runs constantly when it's on. The plasma cutter only gets short bursts.