Tool Reviews

Stainless steel cuts cleanly with a plasma cutter, but it is less forgiving than mild steel. The correct travel speed depends on thickness, amperage, torch height, air pressure, and the…

Cutting thick plate with a handheld plasma cutter is possible, but the machine’s advertised “maximum cut” is not the same as a fast, clean production cut. A compact cutter may…

Aluminum cuts well with a compressed-air plasma cutter, but it does not behave like mild steel. The metal conducts heat quickly, reflects some arc energy, and produces a wider, less…

Accurate plasma cuts start with accurate layout. A plasma cutter can follow a line quickly, but it will not correct a line that is in the wrong place, a marker…

Dross on the underside of plasma-cut steel is usually a process problem, not a defect in the steel. The small ridge of re-solidified metal forms when the cut does not…

Square tubing makes clean, strong frames, but it is less forgiving than angle iron or flat bar. A small gap, a crooked cut, or too much heat in one corner…

Plasma torch standoff is the distance between the torch tip and the workpiece during cutting or piercing. Set it correctly and the arc starts reliably, the hole opens cleanly, and…

A backing bar gives molten metal somewhere to stop when you weld thin sheet. It reduces burn-through, supports the joint, and helps keep two panels aligned. For occasional repairs, you…

How to Choose Plasma Cutting Amperage for Steel Gauge Plasma cutter amperage should match the thickness you cut most often, not simply the maximum thickness printed on the box. A…

Copper backing is a simple way to support a weld on steel, especially when you need a clean root bead on thin sheet or a joint with an open root.…