Last Water table build

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acourtjester
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Joined: Sat Jun 02, 2012 6:04 pm
Location: Pensacola, Fla

Last Water table build

Post by acourtjester »

Here is the last water table I built for a 4' X 8' table, I used a 5' X 10' sheet of 18 Ga steel. I cut 9" off one end and cut and removed from each corner a 4.5" square. I had a sheet metal fab shop bend up the 4 sides to give a 4.5" depth for the water table. Each corner seam was welded and a 3/4" pipe was welded near one corner for a drain valve. The pins for the slates were 5" apart as shown in the image, the first and third cross support started at the edge for the first pin. And the second and forth cross support the first pin started at 5" in from the edge. The pins are 1/4" rod and the slates are 8' X 1.5" X 1/8" flat stock, when slate are mounted form an "S" shape which hold them so there can be not wiggle of the slates. The support frame was 2" X 2" X 3/16" angle and formed a 48" X 92" base for the slates.
stephen's water table (5).JPG
stephen's water table (6).JPG

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Jaffakatie
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Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2020 6:15 pm

Re: Last Water table build

Post by Jaffakatie »

Hi Tom
Lots of newbie questions here
How do you prevent the steel water table from rusting - what coating can be used inside it that will also stand up to the plasma environment?
Aside from the cut and folded sheet, are there lengths of half-inch SHS welded along the outside top of the long sides of the water table for strength?? (I can see something attached in the top photo, obvious at the bottom right corner)
Re the S shape of slats, some confirmation, please. I can understand that the pins on the 1st and 3rd crossbars are offset from the ones on the 2nd and 4th. To keep the slats from moving I gather they are simply stood up on their sides and then "wound" around the alternate pins and the stiffness of the slats keeps them in position because the pins simply stop them from straightening out? Is that correct (they don't need to be welded in position?) Does this mean any damaged slat can easily be removed and replaced?
And then I assume the whole slat frame just sits inside the water table? (Again I assume it is coated somehow to prevent rusting)
How high from the top of the slat should the water be filled to?

Regarding a water table, is this what it does?
The slats are in the water and the workpiece touches the slats, therefore heat is drawn out of both by the water.
The plasma going below the workpiece is quenched by the water. (does it actually hit the water and splash??)
(So I assume the water gets warmer [hot??]).
Are these correct? Anything else?
Is there a lot of steam generated?

Is there also smoke generated from the plasma cutter itself, or only from the burning of the material it is cutting?
Does the water table somehow reduce this smoke?
Do you also need either big open ventilation, or a fan, or a fume hood?

Are slats easily damaged? I assume the plasma cuts them too as it goes over. I assume if you had a lot of repetitive pattern cutting and positioned the next sheet the same, with the same cuts, it would damage the slats faster in certain places, but the more varied the cutting patterns the more even the damage would be across the slats and so slats would last longer.

thank you
Deb
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