I have a hundred half-finished projects around my shop. I guess I am that guy. 😕 The one that starts projects enthusiastically, and then loses interest in them before completion.
They are ALL still on the drawing board, or in some phase of completion, but ... life keeps getting in the way.
Currently, I am developing a new pipe and tube cutter for my PlasmaCam and Samson 510 CNC tables. It is my own design, and FAR from anything else out there, as far as I can tell. It will not only allow me to cut pipe with a plasma cutter. I can also mount a router, and carve a cylinder, or a pole, or whatever. I can also mount a low power blue laser for marking and cutting some materials.
Most pipe cutters are limited in size or length, but my design has more freedom. It will handle anything from 1" in diameter to 48" in diameter or larger. There is also no real length limit for the material. The design works outside of the constraints of the physical table, so I could theoretically carve a phone pole into a totem pole 😎
It is my intention to COMPLETE this project, and then have them made by a local corporation to sell as either kits, or fully workable units. They will also work on other CNC tables with just a little bit of backyard engineering. Basically, you would have to remove the proprietary PlasmaCam servo motor, and replace it with your own stepper motor. Also, you would have to reconfigure the torch mast to fit your particular machine and gantry tube.
I have no photos or such, yet. I am working to get a functional prototype together. The parts I ordered off of Amazon and so forth are coming s-l-o-w-l-y. I have re-designed it seven times now, and I think I have come up with the perfect design. Once I finish building the prototype, any "OOPS!-es" will be come apparent.
I also broke down and bought a 30 Watt fiber laser. I did not intend to do it, but the deal presented itself, and I could not pass it up. This thing is amazing. I have to learn the software, and then experiment on a lot of junk silverware and light switch plates and such. When I can successfully engrave 20 or 30 things without ANY errors, I will begin engraving guns and stuff.
That song keeps rolling though my mind ... George Burns singing, "I wish I was 18 again..."
Joe
