On Sep 7, 4:33 pm, djenyc wrote:
...For the amount
of cutting and fabrication I do, to justify the cost of $400 Homier
Speedway 30Amp plasma cutter I'd have to spread it over 10-15 years
time frame, ...

It's an investment; they don't lose value as badly as most adult male
toys do.

Mark - what you report on the circular saw is encouraging. So abrasive
disk with circular saw is the way to do it on the cheap. Is it better
then recip saw/sawzall? Do you have an idea how fast it will cut 1/16
metal or 12 gauge metal as far as feet /inches per minute go? I can't
find this information anywhere!

They all slow down as the teeth dull or strip out or the disk wears
smaller. Don't worry about it unless you're in production. Abrasive
grit wears the saw, which isn't important if you get them at yard
sales. Recip saws make poorly-clamped sheet metal vibrate horribly,
enough to lose control and snap the blade.

If you want to cut 12Ga steel quickly, buy a bench shear.

PS. Looks like I'll be returning 4*6 bandsaw to harbor freight for
refund, I haven't unpacked it yet. Just got it last week. Do I get it
right, that it's mainly for production work cutting tubbing/ angle
iron to length and it's slow and will not cut sheet metal due to 3
teeth on the work requirement - at 22TPI that makes 3/16" minimal
thickness. Thanks. Ross

You WHAT?! Those are about the best cutting tool ever invented for
hobby-scale metalworking, and I write that despite owning a plasma
cutter (which hardens the cut edge, even on hot-rolled steel)

An 18TPI blade cuts 1/8" steel just fine as long as you don't force
it.
It's slower than an abrasive saw but its slow on ITS time, not yours.
You can be marking out the next cut. I've used the same 18TPI blade
for 1/8" tubing and 4" wide bar stock as an experiment. It certainly
isn't the best blade for wide steel but it does keep chugging along
and gets through eventually.

I could manage with a drill press, a 4X6 bandsaw, a saber saw and an
AC stick welder.

jw