Cutting metal is no picnic. Thinner metals can be cut with hand tools, but once the material thickness starts to build, so does the difficulty of cutting—and more drastic tools become necessary.
These heavy-duty tools usually involve a saw blade, an abrasive wheel or directed heat. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, but directed heat is probably the most versatile.
Historically, oxygen/acetylene torches were the preferred method for cutting metal with heat, but they weren’t the most accurate tools and they left a lot of damage and cleanup in their wake. Today we have something better: the plasma cutter.
Most plasma cutters blow compressed air through an electric arc. The arc ionizes the air and turns it into a very hot, very tightly directed plasma arc—ideal for cutting metal. These cutters cost more than a basic welder and most also require that you own an air compressor of sufficient capacity.
Few tools match the plasma cutter. Its…
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