Help me pick a 4x4 table please!!!

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Orangehd1
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Help me pick a 4x4 table please!!!

Post by Orangehd1 »

Looking for a 4x4 water table for general use. I wouldn’t have the need to cut anything thicker than 5/8 I have friends for that stuff. I have read quite a bit but there are so many options out there I need you guys to help me narrow it down. I have some Cnc experience in the past but it’s been 10 years or so. I know there is a learning curve with all the machines But I dont want to spend a month getting all the software to jive etc. Jd2 is within a few hours and I could pick it up from there directly which would be a bonus. But I really want your experienced opinions. Thanks for your time.
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Re: Help me pick a 4x4 table please!!!

Post by Capstone »

JD2.... search no further. check my sig for as link to my instagram for my experience with JD2
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Re: Help me pick a 4x4 table please!!!

Post by djreiswig »

Bulltear. If you have room, go 4x8. That way you can cut a full sheet without indexing. Definitely Hypertherm for a cutter.
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Re: Help me pick a 4x4 table please!!!

Post by Othog »

LDR has worked well for me
motoguy
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Re: Help me pick a 4x4 table please!!!

Post by motoguy »

I'm very happy with my Bulltear/Starlab 6x12. Bulltear/Starlab, LDR Motion, Arclight all typically have good owner feedback.
Bulltear 6x12 w/ Proton Z axis & watertable
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Re: Help me pick a 4x4 table please!!!

Post by DDamm »

We have the 4x8 Bulltear table with a hypertherm 85amp. It is about as rock solid as they come. I would highly recommend them, we went to the factory to pick up our table and get trained. All the problems we have had were entirely user error and fixed with a call to the owner Matt. I have seen a good number of table and none were as well built as the Bulltear.
BBmetal
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Re: Help me pick a 4x4 table please!!!

Post by BBmetal »

I'll second LDR. Dan was very helpful and the table has been great. Up and cutting within an hour of setting it up. P.S. The bladder for the water table is a must.
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Re: Help me pick a 4x4 table please!!!

Post by motoguy »

BBmetal wrote:I'll second LDR. Dan was very helpful and the table has been great. Up and cutting within an hour of setting it up. P.S. The bladder for the water table is a must.
That was the strongest pull for me to go with the LDR setup. I went with the Bulltear/Starlab table, and crafted my own water bladder from some $15 plastic drums and PVC pipe (placed under the table). Best of both worlds. :)
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Orangehd1
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Re: Help me pick a 4x4 table please!!!

Post by Orangehd1 »

Thanks for the help guys. Ldr, jd2 and westcott are my front runners so far. I’m also toying with bumping the size up to a 4x8. I have the room but no forklift for the bigger stuff. Thanks again.
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Re: Help me pick a 4x4 table please!!!

Post by motoguy »

If you can swing the 4x8, I would strongly recommend it. Most of the expense is in the "basic" package: electronics, rails, motors, etc. Generally, the larger the table, the better the $ per sq/ft value. That's largely why I went with a 6x12 vs a 4x8. The 6x12 was a better value on a $/ sq ft basis. It ended up (more) than paying for itself on a couple of jobs that needed a larger capacity.

In addition, the ability to cut full sheets is very nice. I can load a 4x8 sheet of 1/8" (10ga) myself, with just a drywall panel handle from Home Depot.
panel carrier.jpg
Otherwise, you're 1) paying the supplier to cut it down (unless they offer this as a free service), or 2) cutting it down yourself. #2 would seem to become a PITA quickly.

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Bulltear 6x12 w/ Proton Z axis & watertable
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Hypertherm Powermax 85 w/ machine torch
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Orangehd1
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Re: Help me pick a 4x4 table please!!!

Post by Orangehd1 »

wow I like that idea for material handling. Man now you got me thinking even going bigger than 4x8. There are so many choices as far as table brands is kind of mind boggling. Thanks again.
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Re: Help me pick a 4x4 table please!!!

Post by motoguy »

Honestly, I think a plasma table is like a shop building...buy the largest you can afford, regardless of what you think you'll need. Whatever you end up with, you'll wind up using it all.

FWIW, I have NO extra room. I have a 6x12 table in my residential 2 car garage, along with material storage, sandblaster, air compressor, etc. No room for a fork here, either. When I need to load larger stuff, I get out the cherry picker and vertical clamp and lift the big sheets onto the table.

That plastic handle is very handy, and fine for the 14ga stuff I normally use it for. I should probably cut/weld a metal version for the 1/8" stuff, or the (sections) of 3/16" I use it for...I'll likely end up missing some toes if I don't.
Bulltear 6x12 w/ Proton Z axis & watertable
CommandCNC/Linux w/ Ohmic & HyT options
Hypertherm Powermax 85 w/ machine torch
Solidworks, Coreldraw X7, Inkscape, Sheetcam
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Re: Help me pick a 4x4 table please!!!

Post by Rdwfab »

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Orangehd1
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Re: Help me pick a 4x4 table please!!!

Post by Orangehd1 »

Ordered a shop 4x8 Sabre sidekick with. Water table, engraver, pen marker, laser alignment. With a hypotherm 85. They have been fantastic answering all my questions and concerns. I Think I’ll be happy with this table and support. Now the search for a suitable compressor.
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Re: Help me pick a 4x4 table please!!!

Post by little blue choo »

Orangehd1 wrote:Ordered a shop 4x8 Sabre sidekick with. Water table, engraver, pen marker, laser alignment. With a hypotherm 85. They have been fantastic answering all my questions and concerns. I Think I’ll be happy with this table and support. Now the search for a suitable compressor.
I use a Quincy Q54 compressor 2 stage, 5hp, 60 gal. Reasonable price and great performance. Came with a 2 year warranty and got an extra year for purchasing a service kit of oil and air filters. It also runs very quite for a compressor of its size.

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