How do you? Gear? track a flamecutter runs on?

[ibewgypsie]

I ended up with a flamecutter, the vertical torch. I had it on my rig but it sounded like a 747, the tip was a tad large to do what I wanted to do. It blowed a crack 1/2" wide. Popped and went out trying to set a lower flame.

The carrier, a variable speed trolley looking deal, it has geared wheels (serrated) underneath. Does it follow a magnetic strip? a straight track? When you turn it on it goes across the table, but needs some kinda track or something? What?

I'll look for a namebrand later. It sure would be nice to add to a torchmate kinda affair (pattern cutter) to make straight cuts. I got a bunch of floor-plates to cut for posts (shop addition). SO, I gotta get a punch and a pattern cutter going here beforehand. I guess this dealie would cut squares? Right?

I have been in construction since I was 16, just never slowed down enough to watch the other crafts tools at work. There was this fancy robotic welder I got a woodie over once at Sequoah. Around and Around it went. Remote camera like a video game.

[Ries]

My commercially bought machine uses a rack- long straight strip with gear teeth cut in it to match the wheel on the machine. You can get standard sizes from places like Stock Drive Products.
http://www.sdp-si.com/

A couple of companies that make self propelled cutting heads are:
http://www.bugo.com/
http://www.koike.com/
You can check and see if their track systems match your machine. Most of the newer machines are set up to use plain old flat bar for a guide track- cheaper, and more flexible for custom setups.

[wierdscience]

Wouldn't be a Union Carbide/Linde unit would it? Those don't use a track,just a section of angle iron for a guide.

[ibewgypsie]

been such a day, I forgot to look.. Geeze, two beers and I can't sleep, should've had six..

[mattc]

2 beers and I can hardly type think I should go to bed

[ibewgypsie]

Weird, you got it.. it has a sheet metal slot with two ramps on it.. it fits perfectly over a angle.. I'll try that ideal out tomorrow..

Geeze.. ya are a telephone repair man who repairs maytag washers... Yes sir it is plugged in.. Ha.. oops. nope... it ain't...

thanks buddy..
David

[Rich Carlstedt]

Dave
A friend of mine called me one day and said come over and see my new CNC torch..
I went over, and there was his CNC Bridgeport, with a 8 foot piece of 1/2x 3 CRS bolted to the table. at the other end 5 feet away was his torch, locked down with hose clamps..worked like a charm

rich

[ibewgypsie]

Rich, I tried that, it worked but smoked up my shop. A simple job is not worth the "destruction" of my shop. I have books on the shelves surrounding the cnc. One spark.
Also, the circles the cnc program is not look-ahead and it ramps up./down with each quadrant of the circle. DId you see the circle follower I built on a previous post?
Next? I am working on a $30 xy table to run my plasma torch. It'll run off one of the single board computers running turbocnc and freedos. The computer/box and all will be the size of a shoebox.
I thought I had a good plan on the pattern tracer (pantograph) like the torchmate, but the tubing got cut and is laying there waiting on me to slow down enough to hammer out the details.

David