Another new guy from WA

[R Counts]

Yes, plywood wood works quite well for patterns.

I like to mock up parts with cardboard, then trace them on the steel and cut as well.

But Mark is right on with the straight cuts, and his is reusable.

The straight edge sounds like a great idea - I think I have a piece of 1/2" angle iron that will work well for that - if/when I have to make some long straight cuts.

The plywood patterns also sound like a good idea - especially if you're making more than a couple of parts that are the same shape.

Unfortunately, for the project at hand I'm making a lot of one-off or two of a kind parts, so the time investment to make patterns is a bit more than its worth.

I just have to do some more practicing and develop a steadier hand to get the smoother cuts I'm looking for. God willing, the weather this 4-day weekend will stay dry enough to let me get some real practice...

[R Counts]

Just thought I'd post a minor update. So far I have cut both my motor mounting brackets, both exhaust flanges, and also made a few cuts on the square tubing for my exhaust manifolds. I'm getting steadier with my cuts as I get more practice.

A couple of techniques I'd found that help are 1) use my free hand to help steady and guide the torch, and 2) when following a paint-pen line drawn on a piece of steel it helps to tilt the torch so that the plasma jet is pointed in the direction I want to cut. Kind of "push" cutting rather than actual "drag" cutting. This allows me to see both the line and exactly where the jet is cutting a lot better - helping me to stay more precisely on the line.

Is there any disadvantage to this "push" cutting technique? It isn't going to cause me to wear out tips faster or anything like that, is it?

[performance]

No, actually, a straight down position is preferred. But it works well on thin sheets of metal and for cuts where you are having problems with slag fouling the cut behind the torch. Keep a good standoff and you will be okay.

[R Counts]

No, actually, a straight down position is preferred. But it works well on thin sheets of metal and for cuts where you are having problems with slag fouling the cut behind the torch. Keep a good standoff and you will be okay.

After reading this I went back and double-checked my manual that came with the SuperCut50. It specifically says to hold the torch "at a slight angle". Now I don't know what their definition of "slight" is, but to me anything up to about 10 or 15 degrees fits my definition, so that's what I've been doing.

Even if straight up and down is the preferred postion, angling the head a little backwards - away from the direction I'm cutting - sure makes following a line a lot easier. If there isn't a real problem doing it this way (which was my original question) I think I'll stick with it...