Help with plasma cutter and complex pattern…

I have a 4' high x 2' dia. cylinder and want to cut a very complex
pattern into it… i.e. a " Decorative French Ironwork Design"… usually
when using a template with the plasma cutter I just deduct the edge of
the tip to where it cuts and am good to go… but here I am dealing with
a lot of negative space with a fare amount of detail… ? how to
transfer the pattern… I would love to create a stencil and just spray
paint it white and cut out the white, but I know that will not work so
what to do, what to do… you all have been good in the past… Michael

On Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:19:10 -0800, gome@home wrote:

Help with plasma cutter and complex pattern…

I have a 4' high x 2' dia. cylinder and want to cut a very complex
pattern into it… i.e. a " Decorative French Ironwork Design"… usually
when using a template with the plasma cutter I just deduct the edge of
the tip to where it cuts and am good to go… but here I am dealing with
a lot of negative space with a fare amount of detail… ? how to
transfer the pattern… I would love to create a stencil and just spray
paint it white and cut out the white, but I know that will not work so
what to do, what to do… you all have been good in the past… Michael

Pantograph?

Don Foreman wrote:

On Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:19:10 -0800, gome@home wrote:

Help with plasma cutter and complex pattern…

I have a 4' high x 2' dia. cylinder and want to cut a very complex
pattern into it… i.e. a " Decorative French Ironwork Design"… usually
when using a template with the plasma cutter I just deduct the edge of
the tip to where it cuts and am good to go… but here I am dealing with
a lot of negative space with a fare amount of detail… ? how to
transfer the pattern… I would love to create a stencil and just spray
paint it white and cut out the white, but I know that will not work so
what to do, what to do… you all have been good in the past… Michael

Pantograph?

CNC would be how I would do it. It's just a 2D pattern wrapped onto a
cylindrical surface, so the G-code would be pretty simple and you just
need to substitute a rotary axis for one axis and regular linear for the
other. The other option would be to CNC cut it flat and then roll it to
a cylinder and weld it up.

I have the pattern ... but need to mark the steel in some way the
plamsa cutter will like and I can follow... I have always used a very
clean surface...


On Wed, 23 Jan 2008 10:58:33 -0600, Don Foreman
wrote:

On Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:19:10 -0800, gome@home wrote:

Help with plasma cutter and complex pattern…

I have a 4' high x 2' dia. cylinder and want to cut a very complex
pattern into it… i.e. a " Decorative French Ironwork Design"… usually
when using a template with the plasma cutter I just deduct the edge of
the tip to where it cuts and am good to go… but here I am dealing with
a lot of negative space with a fare amount of detail… ? how to
transfer the pattern… I would love to create a stencil and just spray
paint it white and cut out the white, but I know that will not work so
what to do, what to do… you all have been good in the past… Michael

Pantograph?

This is an art piece for 2 old propane tanks... actually its 2 lamps
by the gate entrance to his place... he owned a propane delivery
service and still does for eons. this is kind of a statement... so I
have no CNC machine... I would like to job out the flat CNC get er
done and weld it to the top of the cylinder... grind the weld...
patina with rust... and away we go... not a bad idea !!!













On Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:25:34 -0600, "Pete C."
wrote:

Don Foreman wrote:

On Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:19:10 -0800, gome@home wrote:

Help with plasma cutter and complex pattern…

I have a 4' high x 2' dia. cylinder and want to cut a very complex
pattern into it… i.e. a " Decorative French Ironwork Design"… usually
when using a template with the plasma cutter I just deduct the edge of
the tip to where it cuts and am good to go… but here I am dealing with
a lot of negative space with a fare amount of detail… ? how to
transfer the pattern… I would love to create a stencil and just spray
paint it white and cut out the white, but I know that will not work so
what to do, what to do… you all have been good in the past… Michael

Pantograph?

CNC would be how I would do it. It's just a 2D pattern wrapped onto a
cylindrical surface, so the G-code would be pretty simple and you just
need to substitute a rotary axis for one axis and regular linear for the
other. The other option would be to CNC cut it flat and then roll it to
a cylinder and weld it up.