All the rage today is about CAD and automated this or that. I can appreciate how nice it must be to be able to draw something in your computer and have it cut out on a water jet or laser machine, but I'm just too computer illiterate to get past that "computer" part. I like drawing on paper. Pencils don't have their hard drives crash or get finicky because the shop dust got in them!
Imagine my surprise when I saw this gadget on one of my favorite blacksmithing Youtube channels! Small footprint, easy to understand, and it follows the lines drawn on a sheet of paper! No idea how it's doing what it's doing, but it looks like it's built well and would last a long time. For a small operation like mine, one of these would be pretty fun to have in the shop!
All the rage today is about CAD and automated this or that. I can appreciate how nice it must be to be able to draw something in your computer and have it cut out on a water jet or laser machine, but I'm just too computer illiterate to get past that "computer" part. I like drawing on paper. Pencils don't have their hard drives crash or get finicky because the shop dust got in them!
Imagine my surprise when I saw this gadget on one of my favorite blacksmithing Youtube channels! Small footprint, easy to understand, and it follows the lines drawn on a sheet of paper! No idea how it's doing what it's doing, but it looks like it's built well and would last a long time. For a small operation like mine, one of these would be pretty fun to have in the shop!
Anyone ever use one? Were they common in the US?
ESAB sold one that did the same thing. Much less cost and pretty simple to run. Worked ok until a fly landed on the paper. Sillouette 500 or something like that. they also had one that had a knurled wheel that rode on your part while cutting another. Pantagraph or something like that? Both worked with plasma or ovyfuel
There are electric eye pattern cutters that follow a drawing. An Esab Silhouette 500 is this type of machine. The magnetic pattern machines are like this Airco Camograph. Victor, Koike and others also had versions of them.
SheetCam has software called "Scannything" that used a small camera mounted on a Plasma CNC table connected to the computer running their software to trace line drawing and produce a G-code for CNC plasma cutting. I think there are others too.
DIY CNC Plasma table USB BOB Price THC
Hypertherm 65
Everlast PowerTig 255 EXT
Miler 180 Mig
13" metal lathe
Mill/ Drill
ECT, ECT,
I have a machine like that in my shop. Mine is a C&G, which I bought new in about 1991. I have cut literally tens of thousands of parts with it. Never had an issue with a fly...
At the time I bought it, adding a computer to control it would have cost an additional ten grand, and then five grand for the software, and by now, 30 years later, I am kinda used to it. For onsies or twosies, its much faster to draw than to dick around with the computer anyway.
Mine is 4 x 8, and has access to forklift a 4x8 plate onto, particularly if its 1/4" or thicker.
Lowbuck tools used to sale parts to convert a pantograph into an automated pattern traced. Similar to what Rondo mentioned. I don't see Lowbuck's site anymore, though products are still being sold.
They make 1 torch and up
The I own had 5 torches and could cut 5' x 10' part and I cut up to 6" plate.
The one photo is small 24" x 24" they to work great but great for small shops
Dave
Originally Posted by VaughnT
All the rage today is about CAD and automated this or that. I can appreciate how nice it must be to be able to draw something in your computer and have it cut out on a water jet or laser machine, but I'm just too computer illiterate to get past that "computer" part. I like drawing on paper. Pencils don't have their hard drives crash or get finicky because the shop dust got in them!
Imagine my surprise when I saw this gadget on one of my favorite blacksmithing Youtube channels! Small footprint, easy to understand, and it follows the lines drawn on a sheet of paper! No idea how it's doing what it's doing, but it looks like it's built well and would last a long time. For a small operation like mine, one of these would be pretty fun to have in the shop!
Dang, no sooner do I find this video than a half-dozen of the more common modern types show up on bidspotter. Unfortunately, all of the more modern versions have the same problem -- way to big for my space. What I liked most about the cutter in the video is that it has a very small footprint. Sure, it limits you in a lot of what you can do, but it also means it'll fit in a very small shop like I have. As much as I'd like something that could cut larger sheets, they all require that the print you're following be set beside rather than over top of the cutting table. This effectively doubles the footprint so a 4x4 cutting table requires a 4x8 chunk of floor space.
Today building torch is option.
The electric eye type would hardest to build. The CNC/stepper motor is easy too build the parts are shelf.
I am suprises some does not have a kit.
Dave
Originally Posted by VaughnT
Dang, no sooner do I find this video than a half-dozen of the more common modern types show up on bidspotter. Unfortunately, all of the more modern versions have the same problem -- way to big for my space. What I liked most about the cutter in the video is that it has a very small footprint. Sure, it limits you in a lot of what you can do, but it also means it'll fit in a very small shop like I have. As much as I'd like something that could cut larger sheets, they all require that the print you're following be set beside rather than over top of the cutting table. This effectively doubles the footprint so a 4x4 cutting table requires a 4x8 chunk of floor space.
I never knew that existed. I've cut out art on old plow disks before for gifts and I use a kids projector to trace the pattern onto the not-flat plow disk. I'd love to have a machine like this, thanks.
WeldingWeb Artisan
Originally Posted by VaughnT
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