Click bait? So when I got quoted for a 20k table the plasma and compressor wasn't included. Its very dependent on your needs on which plasma and compressor to get. It's still a plasma CNC as it's modified to do so. However I only payed £235 for my plasma and my compressor was only £100. So still a good deal in my opinion and I hope the contents of this video has value to you. I recommend Veritasiums video on click bait if you're not comfortable with my video. All the very best. Cheers J
Wondering if you can make a little Faraday Cage for the controller? Maybe some sort of decoupling connectors... opto-couplers maybe or am I overthinking and filtering using a capacitor or inductor is all that's required? Thanks for sharing! I've been collecting free home gym equipment to make mine eventually some day.
@@joshuadelisle Wondering now if tinned or plain copper braid cable sleeve would be more cost effective to wrap what you have? Not sure what the latest prices are now days compared to the shielded cable needed. All the best! Kind Regards
@@jafinch78 I've seen some people wrap aluminium foil around their cables and earth them. Cheapest way to do it. Conductive tape would work too. Cheers J
This is the first video I will watch of Joshua's, it popped up on my feed, I got 3 seconds in and paused it to check the comments. These 3 comments alone have gotten me to hit the subscribe button before even watching the video. Sounds like a quality channel already.
@@TroyCroatto you're very kind Troy. That's exactly what I do on long videos on channels I don't know. Well I hope you enjoy the rest of my content. I recommend my old forged stags video if you find it. I hope to do more forging like that again soon if I can get the time. All the very best. Cheers J
Been 15+ years since I have done any of this stuff. Binge watching is bringing me up to date with current stuff which is so much easier and cheaper than it used to be.
I'm a blacksmith. I have been dreaming about a CNC plasma cutter for a long time. But the price is big for me . And now , for the first time , I regret that I don 't understand English well . Dude, you're cool! You broke the system !
blacksmith and all normal men can build cnc or plasma machine DIY in own garage easy, my cnc machine (can use plasma machine too, cost 1200x1200x300 size less than 1000$ SBR rails 50$, Y axis 20$ , mgn15 rails X and Z axis nema 23 470 oz motors 30$/pcs , linuxcnc free, need only plasma or spindle have at home,
That was a most insightful and valuable post. Thank you. You demystified a great deal of the questions I had. Never mind the critics, what you did was perhaps not perfect, but anyone who has ever made anything knows nothing is perfect. Kudos to you!
Sir, i am just sitting here after watching your video twice, and am gob-smacked at the simplicity and ingenuity of how you put together a DIY masterpiece that anyone would love to have. Now I know the price will vary as to where you are and where you shop, but who cares! The money saved from not having to purchase commercially far outweighs the little white lie, (but isnt) that you used to get people to watch. Thank you so much and if you ever start a design page for your work, let us know. Bob
Thank you so much Bob I appreciate your support and encouragement. I've got an upgrade to do for this coming at some point so I can cut larger pieces. If you build your own and you encounter any difficulties just let me and help as best as I can. Cheers J
this is so rad! i cant believe how mobile it is. my jaw dropped when you picked it up. i'll save this video for when i have the space to use one of these. the PAPR i built from watching your video has been going strong and is really a blessing to have around! the quality and depth of your tutorials is top notch.
Thank you Andrew. Slowly built up over time. I think now some people think I have too many tools to be relatable. I'll have to try and do some minimal tool projects in-between testing new tools. Cheers J
This is quite brilliant. I’ve been wanting one of these machines for years but could no way merit the cost. I know nothing about technology but you, as always, make it accessible even for a Luddite like me. I can’t thank you enough. Top man 👍
New here…..Joshua, you are great at explaining things the easy way without rushing. When I thought “what does that or why you did that….bang! You answer it. I came, I saw, and I’ve subbed…..looking forward to bingeing on your videos.👍
Just wow! Only two videos in, and you are now firmly my out and out YT fav, and I have 100 subs on various accounts. Was going to try to add a plasma to my mpcnc, but this is more appealing. I look forward to working through your material, outstanding stuff.
so one of the best things about you building such a cost effective machine is if you hammer it you dont have to worry, you can replace the parts cheaply or upgrade them in the future to better parts, its such a good idea i love it simon
Totally and I don't need to rely on another company for any faults. Like I said my friends have one that cost £40k and getting engineers out to fix it is a problem. All the very best. Cheers J
Inspired by this video I did build my own.Following upgrades are necessary to prevent gantry racking ( and risking part not being square):Second stepper motor on Y axis and 2nd home switch.I would also replace P80 torch with P60, with smallest nozzle diameter, as P80 affects speed and depth of cut .Chinese Cut55 plasma is simply to weak to use P80 torch.Also water tray is a must, to prevent warping and catch most of nasty fine dust.Worth to note: if You don't plan to cut anything less than 3 mm , THC and Z axis is waste of money.
By far the best DIY plasma table video Ive seen so far and Ive watched ALOT! I finally just decided I'll buy a table (langmuir systems) for my shop but Im already a 3d printing veteran and the only reason I havent bought a CNC laser like yours is theyre pathetic when it comes to metal. Now I have a. reason to buy one and not absolutely destroy it but also be able to cut metal. Damn fine job sir and a big thanks from the states!
Fabulous! So interesting how this technology is advancing & how you have adapted it to suit your needs. I am in very early days with a hand held torch, but this now gives me a potential upgrade path to something super useful which is so exciting & I just need to organise my time to accommodate it & still keep up with other jobs. Thanks for sharing!
Joshua this is an awsome project and a great path for a new cnc owner to take. Each version of the machine will teach you something different and give you more and more capability. What's also great about this approach is that you can have the older iterations of your CNC making parts for the new version. Some points to consider as to why more expensive machines exist. 1. the environment matters, cheap electronics are not meant to operate under extreme conditions (a plasma table or a CNC router or Milling machine are extreme conditions when talking about electronics). variables such as heat and dirt kill them, so you may get an amount of decent use our of a cheaply built machine, but eventually, you'll start to have to either repair or replace electronics which are dying. So commercial machines are built or meant to be built with minimal down time in mind. 2. A rigid machine is an arcuate machine. This matters more in a router because the spinning tool is trying to vibrate the machine to death. If you stick to simple shapes with good tolerances for error then a small cheap machine may be ok. But as soon as you move to complex parts or nested operations, having a machine loose its place by even a mm to 2 can be a big deal in a production run of hundreds of parts. That means you will not be able leave this machine alone to work on other things (which in a production shop is half the point of a CNC, increased operator capability), as you'll need to hover over the E Stop in case the torch heads off in a direction you were not expecting. 3. Power or torque. The more rigid your machine the heavier the parts like the gantry will be, so to run a heavier machine you need bigger motors. Bigger motors need more expensive motor drivers etc, etc etc. Basically you build a machine, understand its limitations, use that with in its capability, and when you grow beyond those, you'll build a bigger more capable machine that will cost you more money. Its a bit like owning Motorbikes, you have one and get the bug and that's it from there on out. You tell yourself and your wife the one you have it fine, knowing that little voice in the back of your brain is saying, "But if we had X we could do Y". Good luck and I am looking to Blacksmith build V2.
These are very good points to consider. Thank you so much for spending the time to share your wisdom and experience on these points. I'll certainly will reflect and refer back to what you wrote. All the very best. Cheers J
Great idea! I've been looking at building something along the same lines as what you are thinking for your bigger table. A few comments based on my research so far. Flex of the extrusion will become a problem, you really need to bulk to extrusion size up or support it with other framework. Anything over roughly a meter long belt flex becomes a real problem, particularly if you are cutting thin material which requires quick moves and changes of direction. This is why nearly all professionally and homebuilt tables use rack and pinion. On shorter lengths, belts are actually more accurate than rack and that's why the really high-end machines use helical rack with zero backlash. Lastly your long axis will require dual drives to stop the bed getting itself out of square. I think it's possible to build something very usable, with some out of the box thinking for a fraction of the cost of a commercial machine. Keeping things lightweight but strong is the key I think!
Awesome build, I did something similar with my first cnc plasma. The thc will be a game changer if you install one, a water table also does a lot for material warping.
Absolutely fantastic! I've been wanting to learn how to make one of these for a good long while now. Don't have the space or the need for one yet but seeing that this isn't an insurmountable project makes me think that I need to have a go at it and just have some fun.
Joshua always happy to see a new video my friend. Wow. Congratulations on your new tool / toy . Hopefully you get great use out of it for many years to come my friend. Always good to see a new video because you always explain everything in your videos. It's very informative and nicely useful and very helpful videos. Can't wait to see more videos soon my friend. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friend. Forge On. Fab On. Weld On. Keep Making. God bless.
Great as usual Joshua, I really need to make one, so often I need to make missing or broken parts for the windows I restore. This would save all the hacksaw and file work!😉
Man! That was interesting. Thank you. For my medium english language skills it was a pleasure to listen to you. Good explained, clear and understanable words. 👍
Subscribed! Why ? ... because you just said and did exactly what I had in my mind for a long time. Well executed and it was a pleasure to watch this video. Thank you
I'm pretty sure this is the ultimate guide for getting started with CNC plasma cutting. I watched a lot of videos on the topic but your delivery of information is the best - no wasted ramblings. I checked out this video many times since it's all new stuff to me. I'm getting it slowly but surely. I do have a couple more questions though. I want to start with a table having a Z axis. I'm assembling from scratch and I find myself ordering more parts than I probably need - but it's all a learning process and I figure it's okay to have some extra parts around. I ordered one nema 17 42mm motor to experiment with for fit but will need to order two more motors and a control system. I'm thinkng it might be easier to order a cheap laser cutter table just to harvest the control system off it. I hate to buy the table if I don't really need it but it might be cheaper than actually buying the control system separate. Do you agree or would you order just the control unit itself? Also - do you feel a nema 17 42mm motor would be good enough for the z-axis? Lastly, I made a DXF file of an old school Hot Rod car that I would be happy to send to you to cut and use as decor for your shop. If you want to email me at Robhoski@Gmail.com I'll send it over to you. Thanks again.
Hi. I'll be doing a follow up video on this soon. I'm going to build one from scratch using an esp32 controller and separate motor drivers. I'll include a z axis motor but keep the floating head. That way I don't need a THC and I can operate a pierce motion. It's very easy to use an off the shelf laser CNC to convert. Building from scratch is more work but at least you get to have it exactly to your specs. Lastly some people still get interference with HF so I've experimented with a ferrite ring around the controller wires which I think helps. Cheers J
Just a thought about snubbing HF interference. Wrapping a couple turns of all the wires through “clip-on ferrite chokes”, available online from all the usual sources, can help a lot. I do a lot of ham radio, and put them on all my data lines to prevent errant HF noise from messing up control signals. You’ll often see them molded into USB cables and the like.
Another amateur Mzero here I agree with ferrite chokes, I'd also put controller in a diecast box, because some circuit tracks will be resonant with random HF signals generated.
Thanks for doing this, Joshua, I've played with a couple of these in the last two years, to learn the ins and outs of GRBL and the gantry's, but your video is definitely a good help in getting the hang of it all.
Thank you John. I'm glad it helps. I'll be putting Bluetooth on it next to reduce wires and preparing for my bigger one. I'll also do a plasma calibration and hone in the settings. Cheers J
I thought about repurposing a laser table about a year ago but then decided that I wanted something bigger... I ended up at 1x1.5m but a very similar construction (extrusions, timing belts etc.) Things I've noticed on mine: Gantry (short axis) I used 20x40mm to reduce flex but keep it light. (I do have a laser module and plasma both mounted on opposing sides though and the pwm on a switch that directs to a relay (plasma) or to the laser. (Making cardboard templates for fitup is cheaper than cut steel) The nema 17 is fine for the short axis but I have 2 driving the gantry, if I'm not careful with cord management it can miss steps. The next itteration I am going to mechanically link the two sides with a rod (like the orthur) but motors on both sides. This should help with keeping things square. Question on the machine torch, I had previously purchased a 'non hf machine torch' but my blowback start plasma is unable to arc. I too am running a cheap,Amazon plasma (that works well) I'm curious if you had any trouble with getting the machine torch to work? For reference I'm running everything with lightburn, it took some setup, but now it's rinning great Thanks brandon
Hi Brandon. That's awesome information. I did have trouble with my longer lead, I switched to a shorter lead and the torch worked fine. I also played with the spacing of the HF arc contacts inside the machine as that makes a big difference. I'm yet to do a review video on the plasma itself but I'll include any problems and how I fixed them. Cheers J
Hey Joshua, I've been hand cutting with a plasma torch for many years. The massive dross you're getting can be eliminated 3 ways. Cutting at lower power, increasing the speed or increasing your air flow. Obviously you need enough power to burn through the material thickness you're using. You want to cut as fast as possible to keep the curve of the cut as narrow as you can while still cutting through and then you want enough air to blow the molten metal out. Another good tip for removing dross is to use a light hammer hitting on the edge of your piece favouring the side where the dross is. It pops right off. My cutter is not CNC ready otherwise I'd be buying a cheap laser cutter tomorrow.
I suspect you could minimize dross buildup by coating the nozzle with tungsten disulfide. It tends to cling to any metal surface you apply it directly to, so applying a permanent coating is as simple as applying the powder on a clean metal surface with a blast cabinet or tumbler. But, it's also got a lamellar structure similar to graphite, so it's imparts a very slick, nonstick quality to the part. And it's highly resistant to intense heat and chemical attack. It's not even terribly expensive for the amount of surface area you can cover with it. I've never heard of anyone attempting it in the context of a plasma cutter nozzle, but it may be worth a shot. Less maintenance and fewer wasted consumables, if it works. Not a big financial setback if it doesn't.
I was thinking to by this cheap lazer cnc for plasma torch! I asked to me if the stepper engine would be powerfull enough... So realy Thanks you, you try for me, for maker community. You win a follower
Your power is too high, airflow is too high and speed is too low. Your piercing commands are wearing your nozzle prematurely, always best to start at an edge if you can, or drill pilot holes at your start points if you can't. Obviously, a z axis would be a great improvement, you could start your pierce operation and then drop closer to the material, this will allow you to cut at muck lower power and help to reduce slag connected to the part. Dial down the power and your consumables will last longer. Also, invest in an air dryer. You can have a transparent tube filled with colour changing granules that tell you when they need to be replaced. They are re-usable if dried in an oven.
This is absolutely brilliant Joshua! Really simple idea to get it going. I need a new plasma, I was going to go with an r-tech but they aren’t cnc compatible and now I want to keep my options open as I’m fairly au fait with cnc and now I want a cnc plasma! To go along with my current cnc router build.
i manged to get my self a fairly new used hypertherm powermax 45xp with cnc port on the back. also came with cnc torch. but i had to buy a hand torch to use it normally. so looking forward to sorting out a table like this.
I have that same laser and I have to say this is a brilliant idea! If I cam find new a used (or cheap) better (newer) Ortur than what I have, I may modify my current one into this! Brilliant!
JOSH I am old now,,,, but I did in fact run a MG MESSER 5ft X 10ft table with a roller ball head for several years and please forgive me for not remembering some of the important stuff,,,,, but I can help you a bit by telling you first that the oxides on the metal have a very detrimental effect on your cuts and the amount of dross that you get on the back side,,, most big shops will only cut on NEW metal,,,, but if you will take the time to remove the rust and crap front and back with a heavy wire brush and or a flap disc,,,, your cuts will work much better for you,,,, SECOND ,, your consumables will last MUCH MUCH longer if you place a very good air drier between your compressor and your torch head,, and be sure to drain the condensate from your compressor tank every day,,,, the refrigerated drier is by FAR the best solution, and use 3/8 ID hose to supply your head with air,,and if your compressor is not keeping up,,,, then you need a bigger compressor,,,, that air pressure at the nozzle is very important,, the cheap air driers are simply a waste of money, you will also find that the expensive plasma software will tell your machine to cut clockwise on an inside circle and counterclockwise on an outside circle and will slow the cut speed in a turn ,,,,, and resume speed on a straight run, but that speed change is not apparent to your eye,, and that software will tell the head to jump around randomly on various parts of the sheet to avoid warping the metal or even jump around the whole plate where you have many parts nested on the same sheet, you will also find that the SIZE of the orifice will vary depending on the amperage that your are running and is quite important for nice clean cuts and the life of your consumables,,,,, and on thicker material your CUT will be slanted on one side of a circle and the opposite on the other side of the circle ,,, yet 2 sides will be straight up and down... the way I said that,,,, probably will not make much sense till you begin cutting thicker stuff and observe your cuts on a circle OR a square that you have cut,,,, but I was running a 200 amp machine with a water cooled torch and that SLANT to the cut was very apparent on thick stuff. and nobody has found a way to stop it yet,,,,, and what you said about VENTILATION on that table is VERY important,,,,, those gasses and particulates that come from your table WILL put the hurt on you,,,,, my table was not a WATER table,,,, so I cant say much about that, and if you are trying to cut on old rusty , crusty , pitted sheet metal and expecting clean cuts,,,, it aint gonna happen. there are charts and tables ONLINE that will tell you the proper cut SPEED for various thickness and type of material including aluminum and they will tell you the size of nozzle orifice and the amperage to set your machine at,
Thank you so much for spending the time to share your wisdom and experience. This is great information and I'll be certain to reflect and refer back to it. I wish you all the very best and thank you again for you encouragement. Cheers J
Hey, this is my plan- buy a generic cheap laser cutter and convert it. That's still a way down the road though. Thanks for the vid! I run an S30 Pro [10 watt] laser with the 1 meter expansion kit and a bunch of other custom upgrades and love the thing. I came up with this idea independently and searched for others who have done this. It'd be really nice to be able to use lightburn to plasma cut since I'm very good with it. This is a nice setup for learning!
What a brilliant way to get into CNC. I was looking at renting a bigger workshop and throwing thousands at a large table. Now I'm considering doing this as an intro, as I have no experience with it.
Thank you. Yes that was my plan. I learned a huge amount making this simple version and now I know exactly how I want my big table to work. Bluetooth and everything. All the very best. Cheers J
With tools as dangerous as these experience is probably a good thing before attempting to build one. Definitely saves a lot of money though if you're in the market for something of a similar performance. Cheers J
Just tested my plasma cutter (same as yours) and I'm happy to report that on 220 volt power it cleanly cut 13 guage (.09mm) plate using 35 amp setting and 35 psi air pressure. Cut speed was a guess of about 1 inch in two seconds which suggests the 2700mm feed rate suggested is probably right on the money. I tried 30 amps but didn't get a pierce when I quickly triggered the torch, but at 35 amps the peirce was instant. My air compressor is 110 volt 8 gallon 1.5hp and it claims it can provide 4.2 cubic feet of air per minute at 90 psi. So I think it will hold up no problem to the air requirements for thiner metal signs and probably be okay with larger steel as well provided the cut times aren't too long.
WOW! Fantastic video! And putting all that information in the description is especially great! 👏 If I want to build one of these then I will refer back to your videos and donate to the cause. Thanks! 🤩
I'd not considered the idea of a lightweight portable gantry for taking large sheets and really like the concept, much better than marking out and hand cutting. Thanks for sharing 💯
I used to run a 5ft by 12ft long CNC plasma (Shopsabre) all the time at work and I could sometimes get away with not using the THC at all by raising the water level even with the sheet/ very slightly submerging the sheet. Although there might be slightly more dross on the cut from doing it that way, at least you don't have a wavy noodle to deal with! Just my 2 cents.
Don't really need to do that. Just having the water level close to the sheet is good enough. The air from the torch splashes the water all over the bottom of the sheet even if the water level is down a centimeter or two. This is obviously not going to work cutting 1" steel on a large machine, but warping is not really an issue there.
Great vid, I've done this cnc using a hf start and it played up, tripping out, lost it signal etc but then I wrapped all the leads with silver foil and it worked 50% of the time. My set up drags the tip across the metal and burn the tips very quickly.. Going to do what you said and get the pilot arc plasma cutter, glad I've found your vid very useful info.
Great Video :) if you added dowels to each corner you could then drill holes in the material where the dowels are located, then by drilling other holes at the same spacing's, infinitely large designs could be made, by moving the device to the new datum points.
I have almost everything needed to build this setup. Just got the plasma cutter (same as yours) in the mail today. Built a frame 500mm x 1000mm using extrusions. Assembled one gantry but waiting for a few parts from AliExpress. I'm going to build a Z axis. Any suggestions for the Z axis movement? Also - ordered the plasma machine torch head. Hopefully I didn't need the whole torch setup. I'll be watching this video many more times. Thanks for the valuable information.
Hi Joshua, I hope you're having a great day. I was making this DIY project like you, and I'm almost done. However, I have a question about the green wire that you connected to your torch mount for the HF. One end of the green wire is in the torch mount, but I'm confused about where exactly you connect the other end of the green wire. Thanks in advance for your help.
@@joshuadelisle Thanks to you I realized that i don't need big work area. How about plasma cutter - have you tried long cuts? I was thinking about Hyertherm 30XP or 45XP but hey... the price is ridiculos for a garrage tinker.
if you use cambam(free software) you can scale your workplace smaller than your part which means you could cut a part and once your gantry is to small to cut anymore, just scoot the gantry over and tell the software where the cut begins now and normally after a few tries you should be able to cut designs into 10ft sheets
Thank you for this inspirational video. Everything worked exactly as you said. I used a Vevor laser engraver. I'm very happy with the results. Cheers Alfred
Josh great video its an inspiring piece of kit which i have made also. I did have issue with the yellow plasma cutter the pilot arc did cause some issues with the laptop seems to be some high frequency interference . I switched to an iyeah 55amp cutter non frequency pilot machine from Ali Express; It cost about 500 euro and is working a treat no issues what so ever Great idea already paying for itself; Keep up the good work mate!
@@DeclanKiernan-vb5tp well done. I recently added ferrite rings to the cable to reduce any HF for sensitive devices which I think helps but I wasn't having much problem before compared to other people. But that's what I suggest if you do get HF, large ferrite rings. Cheers J
Thank you. there are 20w laser modules that are interchaneable to other machines from comgrow, bit costly though. otherwise a plasma machine is awesome. cheers J
If you have the ability to acquire it, Argon Hydrogen mixes will give you much cleaner cuts. The cuts you have now are admirable, but if you ever need or desire to take it to the next level, I would suggest looking into it, especially if you ever want to cut stainless. Just a pro tip from a life time welder and fabricator.
Sorry if already asked but for height axis control you could switch to a 3d printer frame. Same setup but would already have a control board and motors ready to go? Not sure how it would cope with weight but I'd be there was a mass of "spares and repairs" ones on some well known auction sites. Also vagging one with an enclosure would let you control temp/fume and so on.
A 3axis any type would work as long as the board can be read by the CAM software and as long as it's strong enough like you said. All the very best. Cheers J
@@joshuadelisle yeah I was just thinking from an "all in one neat package" type deal. One control board and what not. Love this though, 100% something I'm going to look to build at an exceptionally affordable price!
That's worth a sub, good job! Can you show it cutting some stainless steel maybe at different thicknesses? I agree the cutter is the business end, with a rigid stable frame and smooth movement the software side is ready packaged so building your cutter with generic parts just goes to show what quality can be achieved. Enjoyed that!
Thank you so much. Yes I've got some 5mm stainless and 1.5mm stainless I can test and dial in settings with. I'm looking to make it Bluetooth compatible so less wires too. Much more to come when I get the time in. Cheers J
Mate, this is excellent and now I'm inspired to finish my own or just build a smaller one like your. One suggestion which I think I will definitely do is add magnets to the feet of the gantry so you can stick it on a sheet and it won't move. I theory you could also cut a vertical sheet too!
Thank you. The only issue with magnets is it seriously affects the electrical field of the arc. I used a magnet once to hold down some steel and it hated it. Cheers J
Ah yes, the electromagnetic interference would be a pain in the butt. I'm just about to pull the trigger on the same set up for my shop and it might help me finish the larger one I started building 9 years ago :D
I'm getting a ferrite choke for mine to help filter out any HF noise in the cables. Its normally fine but every so often the HF from the arc cuts out the gantry and I have to start the program again. so to not waste material and save on critical jobs I'll be getting one and possibly shielding the cables. Cheers J
@@joshuadelisle That’s a good idea, I’ve got some shielding tape I plan on wrapping the cables with and then earthing to the gantry which will be earthed itself. It’s all fun and games 😀
Was watching another vid and the guy was saying to cut 14-16 guage at 30 amps with 30 PSI for best cuts. He said no need for 50 amp cuts and high air flow when it's thin material. He felt this was overkill - like running a gas cutting tourch at max heat on sheet metal. From what I've seen 2700-3200mm per minute would be right feed rate for 14-16 guage mild steel. I'm gonna play around with my plasma cutter tomorrow and try some different temps and speeds manually as best I can. 30 psi would be great since I have a smallish compressor and it may struggle to keep up with 70 psi flow rates. Also got my 220v to 110v adpater in the mail the other day (can't believe the plasma cutter didn't come with one - but it was cheap). Had to touch the tip on the metal when plugged into 110. Guessing this was a power issue, so looking forward to trying it tomorrow on 220 volt. I look forward to cutting on a cnc machine but still some weeks away yet. Peace!
I scratch built a CNC plasma cutter and it cost me in excess of $400 three years ago and isn't as good as this. Definitely going to think about picking up a cheap laser engraver and doing the conversion.
thanks for the video! Im building a diy CNC plasma cutter for the final year project in college and I was searching online if there are any cheap plasma cutters that I can use (everyone else recommends some expensive cutters that will leave my wallet completely empty) and I found your video
Joshua! can you go a little more in depth with the relay control? I have an 11W 600mmx600mm laser engraver, the 3 pin connector says 24V+ // 24V- // PWM I connected the relay and the power comes on but I cannot get the signal to work. Tried fiddling with it a little and blew the control board in my 10W machine, got a replacement so wont be trying that again but I really want to try and get it working on my bigger table. Thanks! wonderful video!
I used a 5w laser and so the power outputs are 12v I think. You need to make sure the relay can cope with the input. It may be that in your Gcode the spindle speed/laser power is set to the minimum so not to over power the relay. It maybe that the relay was cooked and stopped working. Let me know if that helps. Cheers J
Thank you for your videos. To protect your electronics, if no one mentioned, build a small faraday cage, basically metal screen door screen in the shape of a box and run a ground cable. Used them in radio work in the military and civilian side.
You need a very dry air supply for super clean plasma cuts. The rest is just air volume, amperage, and travel speed settings. There are free plasma cutting spec sheets available online. Easy to program.
Hi Joshua, This is by far the best tutorial about building your own CNC plasma that I have watched. Congratulation! Could you please tell me where exactly you connected the other end of your ground cable. The location seems to be somewhere at the machine' s rear but I am not sure about the area. Many thanks for your contribution. Regards,
Hi. Thank you so much. The casing of the machine should be earthed and there is normally a little bolt at the back to connect to with an earth symbol sticker next to it. Cheers J
Nice to meet you. I am Korean. I'm not an expert in this field, but I'm doing it as a hobby and have a lot of interest. It's not different, I think your video is good because it's easier to access compared to other people's videos. I can't speak English, so I leave a translator. There is a relay dc12v that I bought before, so I'm going to do it like your video. I want to know if it is correct to connect the switch +- wire to the relay in your video. My plasma cutter, like yours, does not have a red wire, but consists of a switch and a main cutting torch wire. The ground is separate from the back. I'm commenting on a video from a year ago, so I don't know if you'll check it, but I want you to reply. And thank you for making your video so that professional elements can easily access the necessary things without burden.
Hello and thank you for commenting. You plasma may not work if it doesn't have a pilot arc. It is correct that the relay is wired to the finger switch on the machine. You can try it and if you need more information please feel free to ask anytime. Cheers J
Thank you. I want to know more information, but TH-cam comments are limited because they can only be delivered in text. I would like to receive information shared by e-mail. Can you tell me your email address??
the bevel on the side of the first peice you cut is showing wear on consumables. second tip-when grinding plasma cut parts-dont grind on the flat back side, grind on the cut edge-barely. youre gonna 'cut' back ever so little till you undercut teh slag/dross and it will just fall off-saves your grinding effort and tools...
Click bait? So when I got quoted for a 20k table the plasma and compressor wasn't included. Its very dependent on your needs on which plasma and compressor to get. It's still a plasma CNC as it's modified to do so. However I only payed £235 for my plasma and my compressor was only £100. So still a good deal in my opinion and I hope the contents of this video has value to you. I recommend Veritasiums video on click bait if you're not comfortable with my video. All the very best. Cheers J
Wondering if you can make a little Faraday Cage for the controller? Maybe some sort of decoupling connectors... opto-couplers maybe or am I overthinking and filtering using a capacitor or inductor is all that's required? Thanks for sharing! I've been collecting free home gym equipment to make mine eventually some day.
@@jafinch78 thank you. It's working well as I have it but having shielded cables would definitely help further. Cheers J
@@joshuadelisle Wondering now if tinned or plain copper braid cable sleeve would be more cost effective to wrap what you have? Not sure what the latest prices are now days compared to the shielded cable needed. All the best! Kind Regards
@@jafinch78 I've seen some people wrap aluminium foil around their cables and earth them. Cheapest way to do it. Conductive tape would work too. Cheers J
Prices do vary based on the machine and compressor and refrigerated air dryer that you’re running. For example I meant to mine for about 25,000.
The format and content of your “DIY” videos is top-notch. You’ve inspired me to stop dreaming and build one of these for our Men’s Shed.
Thank you so much. I like simplifying complicated things and I hope it serves you well. Cheers J
He inspired me to make a pneumatic power hammer and I have the steel but I need to clean Myspace out and get a better welder
@@toddmiles1724 nice! All the very best Todd. Cheers J
This is the first video I will watch of Joshua's, it popped up on my feed, I got 3 seconds in and paused it to check the comments. These 3 comments alone have gotten me to hit the subscribe button before even watching the video. Sounds like a quality channel already.
@@TroyCroatto you're very kind Troy. That's exactly what I do on long videos on channels I don't know. Well I hope you enjoy the rest of my content. I recommend my old forged stags video if you find it. I hope to do more forging like that again soon if I can get the time. All the very best. Cheers J
Great to see this can be done by people with normal shop budget. Home manufacturing is really game changing. Thanks for the video
Thank you. Lots more coming soon. Cheers J
Been 15+ years since I have done any of this stuff. Binge watching is bringing me up to date with current stuff which is so much easier and cheaper than it used to be.
Thanks for the help, everything works now, greetings from Bavaria

Excellent news and thank you so much for your support. All the very best. Cheers J
I'm a blacksmith. I have been dreaming about a CNC plasma cutter for a long time. But the price is big for me . And now , for the first time , I regret that I don 't understand English well . Dude, you're cool! You broke the system !
Thank you so much. I'll be building a large one next year. Cheers J
blacksmith and all normal men can build cnc or plasma machine DIY in own garage easy, my cnc machine (can use plasma machine too, cost 1200x1200x300 size less than 1000$ SBR rails 50$, Y axis 20$ , mgn15 rails X and Z axis nema 23 470 oz motors 30$/pcs , linuxcnc free, need only plasma or spindle have at home,
That was a most insightful and valuable post. Thank you. You demystified a great deal of the questions I had. Never mind the critics, what you did was perhaps not perfect, but anyone who has ever made anything knows nothing is perfect. Kudos to you!
You're a genius Joshua! The most effective and affordable diy CNC plasma on youtube! Great pedagogy as well! Thank you so much. Incredible...
Thank you so much for your kindness. All the very best. Cheers J
Sir, i am just sitting here after watching your video twice, and am gob-smacked at the simplicity and ingenuity of how you put together a DIY masterpiece that anyone would love to have. Now I know the price will vary as to where you are and where you shop, but who cares! The money saved from not having to purchase commercially far outweighs the little white lie, (but isnt) that you used to get people to watch. Thank you so much and if you ever start a design page for your work, let us know.
Bob
Thank you so much Bob I appreciate your support and encouragement. I've got an upgrade to do for this coming at some point so I can cut larger pieces. If you build your own and you encounter any difficulties just let me and help as best as I can. Cheers J
this is so rad! i cant believe how mobile it is. my jaw dropped when you picked it up. i'll save this video for when i have the space to use one of these. the PAPR i built from watching your video has been going strong and is really a blessing to have around! the quality and depth of your tutorials is top notch.
Thank you so much. I'm really glad. Lots more to come. Cheers J
Thanks Joshua. Top bloke in my opinion. Get’s stuff done without blowing a ton.
Thank you Andrew. Slowly built up over time. I think now some people think I have too many tools to be relatable. I'll have to try and do some minimal tool projects in-between testing new tools. Cheers J
This is quite brilliant. I’ve been wanting one of these machines for years but could no way merit the cost. I know nothing about technology but you, as always, make it accessible even for a Luddite like me. I can’t thank you enough. Top man 👍
Thank you so much and I hope this information becomes very profitable for you. Cheers J
New here…..Joshua, you are great at explaining things the easy way without rushing.
When I thought “what does that or why you did that….bang! You answer it.
I came, I saw, and I’ve subbed…..looking forward to bingeing on your videos.👍
Thank you so much. Cheers J
Just wow! Only two videos in, and you are now firmly my out and out YT fav, and I have 100 subs on various accounts. Was going to try to add a plasma to my mpcnc, but this is more appealing. I look forward to working through your material, outstanding stuff.
Thank you so much. I hope to keep bringing lots more. Cheers J
so one of the best things about you building such a cost effective machine
is if you hammer it you dont have to worry,
you can replace the parts cheaply or upgrade them in the future to better parts,
its such a good idea
i love it
simon
Totally and I don't need to rely on another company for any faults. Like I said my friends have one that cost £40k and getting engineers out to fix it is a problem. All the very best. Cheers J
Inspired by this video I did build my own.Following upgrades are necessary to prevent gantry racking ( and risking part not being square):Second stepper motor on Y axis and 2nd home switch.I would also replace P80 torch with P60, with smallest nozzle diameter, as P80 affects speed and depth of cut .Chinese Cut55 plasma is simply to weak to use P80 torch.Also water tray is a must, to prevent warping and catch most of nasty fine dust.Worth to note: if You don't plan to cut anything less than 3 mm , THC and Z axis is waste of money.
Cutting less or more than 3mm??
Less than 3mm for sure because the heat warp on thickness below that means the z height needs to constantly change with the warping metal.
By far the best DIY plasma table video Ive seen so far and Ive watched ALOT!
I finally just decided I'll buy a table (langmuir systems) for my shop but Im already a 3d printing veteran and the only reason I havent bought a CNC laser like yours is theyre pathetic when it comes to metal. Now I have a. reason to buy one and not absolutely destroy it but also be able to cut metal.
Damn fine job sir and a big thanks from the states!
Thank you so much. All the very best. Cheers J
Fabulous! So interesting how this technology is advancing & how you have adapted it to suit your needs. I am in very early days with a hand held torch, but this now gives me a potential upgrade path to something super useful which is so exciting & I just need to organise my time to accommodate it & still keep up with other jobs. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you. All the very best. Cheers J
This is zhe easiest DIY plasma cnc what I seen in internet! Brilliant idea thx!
Thank you so much. Cheers J
Joshua this is an awsome project and a great path for a new cnc owner to take. Each version of the machine will teach you something different and give you more and more capability. What's also great about this approach is that you can have the older iterations of your CNC making parts for the new version. Some points to consider as to why more expensive machines exist. 1. the environment matters, cheap electronics are not meant to operate under extreme conditions (a plasma table or a CNC router or Milling machine are extreme conditions when talking about electronics). variables such as heat and dirt kill them, so you may get an amount of decent use our of a cheaply built machine, but eventually, you'll start to have to either repair or replace electronics which are dying. So commercial machines are built or meant to be built with minimal down time in mind. 2. A rigid machine is an arcuate machine. This matters more in a router because the spinning tool is trying to vibrate the machine to death. If you stick to simple shapes with good tolerances for error then a small cheap machine may be ok. But as soon as you move to complex parts or nested operations, having a machine loose its place by even a mm to 2 can be a big deal in a production run of hundreds of parts. That means you will not be able leave this machine alone to work on other things (which in a production shop is half the point of a CNC, increased operator capability), as you'll need to hover over the E Stop in case the torch heads off in a direction you were not expecting. 3. Power or torque. The more rigid your machine the heavier the parts like the gantry will be, so to run a heavier machine you need bigger motors. Bigger motors need more expensive motor drivers etc, etc etc. Basically you build a machine, understand its limitations, use that with in its capability, and when you grow beyond those, you'll build a bigger more capable machine that will cost you more money. Its a bit like owning Motorbikes, you have one and get the bug and that's it from there on out. You tell yourself and your wife the one you have it fine, knowing that little voice in the back of your brain is saying, "But if we had X we could do Y". Good luck and I am looking to Blacksmith build V2.
These are very good points to consider. Thank you so much for spending the time to share your wisdom and experience on these points. I'll certainly will reflect and refer back to what you wrote. All the very best. Cheers J
Every building site should have one of these.
Great idea! I've been looking at building something along the same lines as what you are thinking for your bigger table. A few comments based on my research so far. Flex of the extrusion will become a problem, you really need to bulk to extrusion size up or support it with other framework. Anything over roughly a meter long belt flex becomes a real problem, particularly if you are cutting thin material which requires quick moves and changes of direction. This is why nearly all professionally and homebuilt tables use rack and pinion. On shorter lengths, belts are actually more accurate than rack and that's why the really high-end machines use helical rack with zero backlash. Lastly your long axis will require dual drives to stop the bed getting itself out of square. I think it's possible to build something very usable, with some out of the box thinking for a fraction of the cost of a commercial machine. Keeping things lightweight but strong is the key I think!
Thank you. That's great information and I'll certainly give it some thought before attempting my big build. Cheers J
Andrew owens waste of time giving advice he's allready built it bet you haven't built a single thing
@@fredblair8694 you obviously didn't watch the whole video or read my comment correctly 🙄 Go back to sleep.
@@OwensEngineering lol
🤣🤣
Awesome build, I did something similar with my first cnc plasma. The thc will be a game changer if you install one, a water table also does a lot for material warping.
Thank you so much. I'll consider those. Cheers J
Absolutely fantastic! I've been wanting to learn how to make one of these for a good long while now. Don't have the space or the need for one yet but seeing that this isn't an insurmountable project makes me think that I need to have a go at it and just have some fun.
Thank you so much. Have lots of fun with your build. All the very best. Joshua De Lisle AWCB
Joshua always happy to see a new video my friend. Wow. Congratulations on your new tool / toy . Hopefully you get great use out of it for many years to come my friend. Always good to see a new video because you always explain everything in your videos. It's very informative and nicely useful and very helpful videos. Can't wait to see more videos soon my friend. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friend. Forge On. Fab On. Weld On. Keep Making. God bless.
Thank you so much for your support and encouragement. It means a lot me. God be with you also. Blessings J
@@joshuadelisle your very welcome
Great as usual Joshua, I really need to make one, so often I need to make missing or broken parts for the windows I restore. This would save all the hacksaw and file work!😉
Thank you Gary. Do it! I look forward to seeing your take on it. Cheers J
Man! That was interesting. Thank you. For my medium english language skills it was a pleasure to listen to you. Good explained, clear and understanable words. 👍
Thank you so much. I'm glad it was helpful. Lots more to come. Cheers J
Subscribed! Why ? ... because you just said and did exactly what I had in my mind for a long time. Well executed and it was a pleasure to watch this video.
Thank you
Thank you, your very kind. cheers J
I'm pretty sure this is the ultimate guide for getting started with CNC plasma cutting. I watched a lot of videos on the topic but your delivery of information is the best - no wasted ramblings. I checked out this video many times since it's all new stuff to me. I'm getting it slowly but surely.
I do have a couple more questions though. I want to start with a table having a Z axis. I'm assembling from scratch and I find myself ordering more parts than I probably need - but it's all a learning process and I figure it's okay to have some extra parts around. I ordered one nema 17 42mm motor to experiment with for fit but will need to order two more motors and a control system. I'm thinkng it might be easier to order a cheap laser cutter table just to harvest the control system off it. I hate to buy the table if I don't really need it but it might be cheaper than actually buying the control system separate. Do you agree or would you order just the control unit itself? Also - do you feel a nema 17 42mm motor would be good enough for the z-axis? Lastly, I made a DXF file of an old school Hot Rod car that I would be happy to send to you to cut and use as decor for your shop. If you want to email me at Robhoski@Gmail.com I'll send it over to you. Thanks again.
Hi. I'll be doing a follow up video on this soon. I'm going to build one from scratch using an esp32 controller and separate motor drivers. I'll include a z axis motor but keep the floating head. That way I don't need a THC and I can operate a pierce motion.
It's very easy to use an off the shelf laser CNC to convert. Building from scratch is more work but at least you get to have it exactly to your specs.
Lastly some people still get interference with HF so I've experimented with a ferrite ring around the controller wires which I think helps.
Cheers J
@@joshuadelisle I'll be looking forward to that video. Thanks again.
Just a thought about snubbing HF interference. Wrapping a couple turns of all the wires through “clip-on ferrite chokes”, available online from all the usual sources, can help a lot.
I do a lot of ham radio, and put them on all my data lines to prevent errant HF noise from messing up control signals. You’ll often see them molded into USB cables and the like.
Another amateur Mzero here I agree with ferrite chokes, I'd also put controller in a diecast box, because some circuit tracks will be resonant with random HF signals generated.
Awesome Joshua! Very relatable compared to many other channels splashing with moneys on equipment and tools. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thank you so much. Cheers J
Thanks for doing this, Joshua, I've played with a couple of these in the last two years, to learn the ins and outs of GRBL and the gantry's, but your video is definitely a good help in getting the hang of it all.
Thank you John. I'm glad it helps. I'll be putting Bluetooth on it next to reduce wires and preparing for my bigger one. I'll also do a plasma calibration and hone in the settings. Cheers J
I am mad that TH-cam hasn’t recommended you sooner, I love the content.❤
Thank you so much. Cheers J
Great as usual Joshua. You are a very resourceful chap! Very impressed!
Thank you so much. I try my best with what I can get. Cheers J
Seasons Greetings from Canada!...you have given me a light bulb moment with your vid clip, I have been planning to get me one of those machines.😉
I thought about repurposing a laser table about a year ago but then decided that I wanted something bigger...
I ended up at 1x1.5m but a very similar construction (extrusions, timing belts etc.)
Things I've noticed on mine:
Gantry (short axis) I used 20x40mm to reduce flex but keep it light. (I do have a laser module and plasma both mounted on opposing sides though and the pwm on a switch that directs to a relay (plasma) or to the laser. (Making cardboard templates for fitup is cheaper than cut steel)
The nema 17 is fine for the short axis but I have 2 driving the gantry, if I'm not careful with cord management it can miss steps. The next itteration I am going to mechanically link the two sides with a rod (like the orthur) but motors on both sides. This should help with keeping things square.
Question on the machine torch, I had previously purchased a 'non hf machine torch' but my blowback start plasma is unable to arc. I too am running a cheap,Amazon plasma (that works well) I'm curious if you had any trouble with getting the machine torch to work?
For reference I'm running everything with lightburn, it took some setup, but now it's rinning great
Thanks brandon
Hi Brandon. That's awesome information. I did have trouble with my longer lead, I switched to a shorter lead and the torch worked fine. I also played with the spacing of the HF arc contacts inside the machine as that makes a big difference. I'm yet to do a review video on the plasma itself but I'll include any problems and how I fixed them. Cheers J
Hey Joshua, I've been hand cutting with a plasma torch for many years. The massive dross you're getting can be eliminated 3 ways. Cutting at lower power, increasing the speed or increasing your air flow. Obviously you need enough power to burn through the material thickness you're using. You want to cut as fast as possible to keep the curve of the cut as narrow as you can while still cutting through and then you want enough air to blow the molten metal out. Another good tip for removing dross is to use a light hammer hitting on the edge of your piece favouring the side where the dross is. It pops right off. My cutter is not CNC ready otherwise I'd be buying a cheap laser cutter tomorrow.
I suspect you could minimize dross buildup by coating the nozzle with tungsten disulfide. It tends to cling to any metal surface you apply it directly to, so applying a permanent coating is as simple as applying the powder on a clean metal surface with a blast cabinet or tumbler. But, it's also got a lamellar structure similar to graphite, so it's imparts a very slick, nonstick quality to the part. And it's highly resistant to intense heat and chemical attack. It's not even terribly expensive for the amount of surface area you can cover with it.
I've never heard of anyone attempting it in the context of a plasma cutter nozzle, but it may be worth a shot. Less maintenance and fewer wasted consumables, if it works. Not a big financial setback if it doesn't.
Thank you. It sounds like an idea worth trying especially if I insist on using dirty material. Cheers J
I was thinking to by this cheap lazer cnc for plasma torch! I asked to me if the stepper engine would be powerfull enough...
So realy Thanks you, you try for me, for maker community. You win a follower
Thank you. I'm glad it's been helpful. Lots more to come. Cheers J
Your power is too high, airflow is too high and speed is too low. Your piercing commands are wearing your nozzle prematurely, always best to start at an edge if you can, or drill pilot holes at your start points if you can't. Obviously, a z axis would be a great improvement, you could start your pierce operation and then drop closer to the material, this will allow you to cut at muck lower power and help to reduce slag connected to the part. Dial down the power and your consumables will last longer. Also, invest in an air dryer. You can have a transparent tube filled with colour changing granules that tell you when they need to be replaced. They are re-usable if dried in an oven.
I forgot to say sorry for the essay type comment. I tend to waffle a lot when I've watched one of these brilliant videos bro.. Salute from Dublin..
This is absolutely brilliant Joshua! Really simple idea to get it going. I need a new plasma, I was going to go with an r-tech but they aren’t cnc compatible and now I want to keep my options open as I’m fairly au fait with cnc and now I want a cnc plasma! To go along with my current cnc router build.
Nice. Thank you so much Chris. All the very best. Cheers J
i manged to get my self a fairly new used hypertherm powermax 45xp with cnc port on the back. also came with cnc torch. but i had to buy a hand torch to use it normally. so looking forward to sorting out a table like this.
Aaaaaaand here we are......watching your other videos. Nice.
Brilliant!
And highly watchable content as always, even though I have no need for one of these.
Thank you Ian. Cheers J
Thanks
Well done, looking forward to build 2
Thank you so much. Cheers J
I have that same laser and I have to say this is a brilliant idea! If I cam find new a used (or cheap) better (newer) Ortur than what I have, I may modify my current one into this! Brilliant!
Thank you so much. I'll be building another larger one at some point when I get the time. Cheers J
JOSH I am old now,,,, but I did in fact run a MG MESSER 5ft X 10ft table with a roller ball head for several years and please forgive me for not remembering some of the important stuff,,,,, but I can help you a bit by telling you first that the oxides on the metal have a very detrimental effect on your cuts and the amount of dross that you get on the back side,,, most big shops will only cut on NEW metal,,,, but if you will take the time to remove the rust and crap front and back with a heavy wire brush and or a flap disc,,,, your cuts will work much better for you,,,, SECOND ,, your consumables will last MUCH MUCH longer if you place a very good air drier between your compressor and your torch head,, and be sure to drain the condensate from your compressor tank every day,,,, the refrigerated drier is by FAR the best solution, and use 3/8 ID hose to supply your head with air,,and if your compressor is not keeping up,,,, then you need a bigger compressor,,,, that air pressure at the nozzle is very important,, the cheap air driers are simply a waste of money, you will also find that the expensive plasma software will tell your machine to cut clockwise on an inside circle and counterclockwise on an outside circle and will slow the cut speed in a turn ,,,,, and resume speed on a straight run, but that speed change is not apparent to your eye,, and that software will tell the head to jump around randomly on various parts of the sheet to avoid warping the metal or even jump around the whole plate where you have many parts nested on the same sheet, you will also find that the SIZE of the orifice will vary depending on the amperage that your are running and is quite important for nice clean cuts and the life of your consumables,,,,, and on thicker material your CUT will be slanted on one side of a circle and the opposite on the other side of the circle ,,, yet 2 sides will be straight up and down... the way I said that,,,, probably will not make much sense till you begin cutting thicker stuff and observe your cuts on a circle OR a square that you have cut,,,, but I was running a 200 amp machine with a water cooled torch and that SLANT to the cut was very apparent on thick stuff. and nobody has found a way to stop it yet,,,,, and what you said about VENTILATION on that table is VERY important,,,,, those gasses and particulates that come from your table WILL put the hurt on you,,,,, my table was not a WATER table,,,, so I cant say much about that, and if you are trying to cut on old rusty , crusty , pitted sheet metal and expecting clean cuts,,,, it aint gonna happen. there are charts and tables ONLINE that will tell you the proper cut SPEED for various thickness and type of material including aluminum and they will tell you the size of nozzle orifice and the amperage to set your machine at,
Thank you so much for spending the time to share your wisdom and experience. This is great information and I'll be certain to reflect and refer back to it. I wish you all the very best and thank you again for you encouragement. Cheers J
NORMAL amperage settings per thickness of material www.eastwood.com/images/email_images/brand/cms_content/tech_article_content/Plasma60Chart.pdf
@@DOCDEVOE699 thank you. This will be helpful for Americans. I did find a metric table and I'll play with clean material and dry air. Cheers J
Hey, this is my plan- buy a generic cheap laser cutter and convert it. That's still a way down the road though. Thanks for the vid! I run an S30 Pro [10 watt] laser with the 1 meter expansion kit and a bunch of other custom upgrades and love the thing. I came up with this idea independently and searched for others who have done this. It'd be really nice to be able to use lightburn to plasma cut since I'm very good with it. This is a nice setup for learning!
OUTSTANDING!! You ROCK and your description is very understandable. Thank YOU!!!
That worked well. Great video.
Thank you. Cheers J
What a brilliant way to get into CNC. I was looking at renting a bigger workshop and throwing thousands at a large table. Now I'm considering doing this as an intro, as I have no experience with it.
Thank you. Yes that was my plan. I learned a huge amount making this simple version and now I know exactly how I want my big table to work. Bluetooth and everything. All the very best. Cheers J
“You too can save thousands of quid, only with 20 years experience… link in the description”
With tools as dangerous as these experience is probably a good thing before attempting to build one. Definitely saves a lot of money though if you're in the market for something of a similar performance. Cheers J
Love your burn table, which uses pins instead of rails!
You build some great shit man. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for watching and your kind encouragement. Cheers J
Just tested my plasma cutter (same as yours) and I'm happy to report that on 220 volt power it cleanly cut 13 guage (.09mm) plate using 35 amp setting and 35 psi air pressure. Cut speed was a guess of about 1 inch in two seconds which suggests the 2700mm feed rate suggested is probably right on the money. I tried 30 amps but didn't get a pierce when I quickly triggered the torch, but at 35 amps the peirce was instant. My air compressor is 110 volt 8 gallon 1.5hp and it claims it can provide 4.2 cubic feet of air per minute at 90 psi. So I think it will hold up no problem to the air requirements for thiner metal signs and probably be okay with larger steel as well provided the cut times aren't too long.
BTW, plastic does not "insulate" from HF waves. Just sayin'
WOW! Fantastic video! And putting all that information in the description is especially great! 👏 If I want to build one of these then I will refer back to your videos and donate to the cause. Thanks! 🤩
Thank you so much. All the very best. Cheers J
I'd not considered the idea of a lightweight portable gantry for taking large sheets and really like the concept, much better than marking out and hand cutting. Thanks for sharing 💯
Thank you. Cheers J
Hi. Awesome video! I think may you have some water in the airline, that's why nozzle is gone quickly.
I used to run a 5ft by 12ft long CNC plasma (Shopsabre) all the time at work and I could sometimes get away with not using the THC at all by raising the water level even with the sheet/ very slightly submerging the sheet. Although there might be slightly more dross on the cut from doing it that way, at least you don't have a wavy noodle to deal with! Just my 2 cents.
Thank you. That's great info. Cheers J
Don't really need to do that. Just having the water level close to the sheet is good enough. The air from the torch splashes the water all over the bottom of the sheet even if the water level is down a centimeter or two. This is obviously not going to work cutting 1" steel on a large machine, but warping is not really an issue there.
What an inspiration! Thank for posting such detailed video my man! I watched the whole thing in amazement.
Thank you so much. Cheers J
Great vid, I've done this cnc using a hf start and it played up, tripping out, lost it signal etc but then I wrapped all the leads with silver foil and it worked 50% of the time. My set up drags the tip across the metal and burn the tips very quickly.. Going to do what you said and get the pilot arc plasma cutter, glad I've found your vid very useful info.
Thank you so much. I'll also be making mine Bluetooth compatible next so less wires. Cheers J
Danke!
Great Video :) if you added dowels to each corner you could then drill holes in the material where the dowels are located, then by drilling other holes at the same spacing's, infinitely large designs could be made, by moving the device to the new datum points.
I have almost everything needed to build this setup. Just got the plasma cutter (same as yours) in the mail today. Built a frame 500mm x 1000mm using extrusions. Assembled one gantry but waiting for a few parts from AliExpress. I'm going to build a Z axis. Any suggestions for the Z axis movement? Also - ordered the plasma machine torch head. Hopefully I didn't need the whole torch setup. I'll be watching this video many more times. Thanks for the valuable information.
Hi Joshua,
I hope you're having a great day. I was making this DIY project like you, and I'm almost done. However, I have a question about the green wire that you connected to your torch mount for the HF.
One end of the green wire is in the torch mount, but I'm confused about where exactly you connect the other end of the green wire.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Very nice “Top-Notch” ✅
The explanation’s very useful ✅✅
Thank you. Cheers J
A magnet base for milling second hand is great for holding while you cleanup what you have cut.
Thank you bro for the chat, means alot big respect
Your very welcome. All the very best. Cheers J
I am not a metal worker or have a need for a plasma CNC, but totally enjoyed this video
Awesome thank you. Cheers J
It's just an ingenious, sensible and practical approach to the whole topic! Subbed.
Thank you so much. Cheers J
@@joshuadelisle Thanks to you I realized that i don't need big work area. How about plasma cutter - have you tried long cuts? I was thinking about Hyertherm 30XP or 45XP but hey... the price is ridiculos for a garrage tinker.
Out standing job!
First video I have seen of yours. Look forward to seeing more!
Thank you. Cheers J
Joshua, nice video! To save consumings, you need eliminate humidity from air. Water or condense kills ends of plasma torch.
Thank you so much. Good tip. Cheers J
Now I want one but don't need one. Great explanation!
Thank you so much. All the very best . Cheers J
if you use cambam(free software) you can scale your workplace smaller than your part which means you could cut a part and once your gantry is to small to cut anymore, just scoot the gantry over and tell the software where the cut begins now and normally after a few tries you should be able to cut designs into 10ft sheets
Thank you for this inspirational video. Everything worked exactly as you said. I used a Vevor laser engraver. I'm very happy with the results. Cheers Alfred
Well done. Cheers J
Josh great video its an inspiring piece of kit which i have made also. I did have issue with the yellow plasma cutter the pilot arc did cause some issues with the laptop seems to be some high frequency interference . I switched to an iyeah 55amp cutter non frequency pilot machine from Ali Express; It cost about 500 euro and is working a treat no issues what so ever Great idea already paying for itself; Keep up the good work mate!
@@DeclanKiernan-vb5tp well done. I recently added ferrite rings to the cable to reduce any HF for sensitive devices which I think helps but I wasn't having much problem before compared to other people. But that's what I suggest if you do get HF, large ferrite rings. Cheers J
Straight talking, well informed as per the usual. Sold boss 😁
Thank you my friend. I hope this information serves you well. Cheers J
Thank you for the idea. I was kind of bummed about the laser I got, but I can reuse the frame for this, which would be super useful.
Thank you. there are 20w laser modules that are interchaneable to other machines from comgrow, bit costly though. otherwise a plasma machine is awesome. cheers J
Thank you so much, and may I ask you to make water 💧 cut machine
It's on the cards for the future. Cheers J
Great job with this build. Our V-Slot building system works great in it!
Thank you so much. I'll check out what you have. Cheers J
If you have the ability to acquire it, Argon Hydrogen mixes will give you much cleaner cuts. The cuts you have now are admirable, but if you ever need or desire to take it to the next level, I would suggest looking into it, especially if you ever want to cut stainless. Just a pro tip from a life time welder and fabricator.
I forgot to thank you for the great work and information that you put into this video, so thank you. You got a new subscriber in me.
Thank you so much. If I can get hold of it cost effectively I'll give it a try. Cheers J
Sorry if already asked but for height axis control you could switch to a 3d printer frame. Same setup but would already have a control board and motors ready to go? Not sure how it would cope with weight but I'd be there was a mass of "spares and repairs" ones on some well known auction sites. Also vagging one with an enclosure would let you control temp/fume and so on.
A 3axis any type would work as long as the board can be read by the CAM software and as long as it's strong enough like you said. All the very best. Cheers J
@@joshuadelisle yeah I was just thinking from an "all in one neat package" type deal. One control board and what not. Love this though, 100% something I'm going to look to build at an exceptionally affordable price!
That's worth a sub, good job! Can you show it cutting some stainless steel maybe at different thicknesses? I agree the cutter is the business end, with a rigid stable frame and smooth movement the software side is ready packaged so building your cutter with generic parts just goes to show what quality can be achieved. Enjoyed that!
Thank you so much. Yes I've got some 5mm stainless and 1.5mm stainless I can test and dial in settings with. I'm looking to make it Bluetooth compatible so less wires too. Much more to come when I get the time in. Cheers J
incredible. you can buy 2x the length bracket for most of these laser cutters from most manufacturers and double the length of the part you can make!
Definitely. Cheers J
Mate, this is excellent and now I'm inspired to finish my own or just build a smaller one like your. One suggestion which I think I will definitely do is add magnets to the feet of the gantry so you can stick it on a sheet and it won't move. I theory you could also cut a vertical sheet too!
Thank you. The only issue with magnets is it seriously affects the electrical field of the arc. I used a magnet once to hold down some steel and it hated it. Cheers J
Ah yes, the electromagnetic interference would be a pain in the butt. I'm just about to pull the trigger on the same set up for my shop and it might help me finish the larger one I started building 9 years ago :D
I'm getting a ferrite choke for mine to help filter out any HF noise in the cables. Its normally fine but every so often the HF from the arc cuts out the gantry and I have to start the program again. so to not waste material and save on critical jobs I'll be getting one and possibly shielding the cables. Cheers J
@@joshuadelisle That’s a good idea, I’ve got some shielding tape I plan on wrapping the cables with and then earthing to the gantry which will be earthed itself. It’s all fun and games 😀
Was watching another vid and the guy was saying to cut 14-16 guage at 30 amps with 30 PSI for best cuts. He said no need for 50 amp cuts and high air flow when it's thin material. He felt this was overkill - like running a gas cutting tourch at max heat on sheet metal. From what I've seen 2700-3200mm per minute would be right feed rate for 14-16 guage mild steel. I'm gonna play around with my plasma cutter tomorrow and try some different temps and speeds manually as best I can. 30 psi would be great since I have a smallish compressor and it may struggle to keep up with 70 psi flow rates. Also got my 220v to 110v adpater in the mail the other day (can't believe the plasma cutter didn't come with one - but it was cheap). Had to touch the tip on the metal when plugged into 110. Guessing this was a power issue, so looking forward to trying it tomorrow on 220 volt. I look forward to cutting on a cnc machine but still some weeks away yet. Peace!
I scratch built a CNC plasma cutter and it cost me in excess of $400 three years ago and isn't as good as this. Definitely going to think about picking up a cheap laser engraver and doing the conversion.
thanks for the video!
Im building a diy CNC plasma cutter for the final year project in college and I was searching online if there are any cheap plasma cutters that I can use (everyone else recommends some expensive cutters that will leave my wallet completely empty) and I found your video
Thank you. All the very best. If you get stuck or need any advice feel free to get in touch. Cheers J
Tack!
Thank you so much for your support. It is much appreciated. All the very best and have a great new year. Cheers J
Joshua! can you go a little more in depth with the relay control? I have an 11W 600mmx600mm laser engraver, the 3 pin connector says 24V+ // 24V- // PWM I connected the relay and the power comes on but I cannot get the signal to work. Tried fiddling with it a little and blew the control board in my 10W machine, got a replacement so wont be trying that again but I really want to try and get it working on my bigger table.
Thanks!
wonderful video!
I used a 5w laser and so the power outputs are 12v I think. You need to make sure the relay can cope with the input. It may be that in your Gcode the spindle speed/laser power is set to the minimum so not to over power the relay. It maybe that the relay was cooked and stopped working. Let me know if that helps. Cheers J
You can change nozzle size according to the thickness you are cutting. I don't know if your torch has this option. This helps the cut quality.
Thank you for your videos. To protect your electronics, if no one mentioned, build a small faraday cage, basically metal screen door screen in the shape of a box and run a ground cable. Used them in radio work in the military and civilian side.
You need a very dry air supply for super clean plasma cuts. The rest is just air volume, amperage, and travel speed settings. There are free plasma cutting spec sheets available online. Easy to program.
Thank you I'll look into how I can dry my air cost effectively. All the very best. Cheers J
excellent job! thank you for sharing! would you please add List of all materials (LOM) needed for assembling?
Hi. Thank you. There is a considerable list of parts and other options in the description. Cheers J
I subbed your channel for the diesel heater videos, but this is another interest I have.
Lots more on this coming again soon. Cheers J
Hi Joshua,
This is by far the best tutorial about building your own CNC plasma that I have watched. Congratulation!
Could you please tell me where exactly you connected the other end of your ground cable. The location seems to be somewhere at the machine' s rear but I am not sure about the area. Many thanks for your contribution.
Regards,
Hi. Thank you so much. The casing of the machine should be earthed and there is normally a little bolt at the back to connect to with an earth symbol sticker next to it. Cheers J
Thank you very much Joshua for your rapid feed back. Regards.
Nice to meet you. I am Korean. I'm not an expert in this field, but I'm doing it as a hobby and have a lot of interest. It's not different, I think your video is good because it's easier to access compared to other people's videos. I can't speak English, so I leave a translator. There is a relay dc12v that I bought before, so I'm going to do it like your video. I want to know if it is correct to connect the switch +- wire to the relay in your video. My plasma cutter, like yours, does not have a red wire, but consists of a switch and a main cutting torch wire. The ground is separate from the back. I'm commenting on a video from a year ago, so I don't know if you'll check it, but I want you to reply. And thank you for making your video so that professional elements can easily access the necessary things without burden.
Hello and thank you for commenting. You plasma may not work if it doesn't have a pilot arc. It is correct that the relay is wired to the finger switch on the machine. You can try it and if you need more information please feel free to ask anytime. Cheers J
Thank you. I want to know more information, but TH-cam comments are limited because they can only be delivered in text. I would like to receive information shared by e-mail. Can you tell me your email address??
@@박요셉-v3b Hi. My email is on my TH-cam bio alternatively contact me through my Etsy shop in the description. Cheers J
@@joshuadelisle I sent you a mail Please check once.
@@joshuadelisle Email not delivered? I'll wait for an answer if it takes time.
the bevel on the side of the first peice you cut is showing wear on consumables.
second tip-when grinding plasma cut parts-dont grind on the flat back side, grind on the cut edge-barely. youre gonna 'cut' back ever so little till you undercut teh slag/dross and it will just fall off-saves your grinding effort and tools...