Water table and small parts

[BensPlasmaAu]

Hi all. Im almost to the point of filling my water table and starting a whole bunch of cuts. They are small parts which love to fall through. I was wondering how people might have solved the problem of retrieving small parts from the bottom of their water tables? I was thinking abou making a frame which raises and lowers the slats out of the water with a screen on the bottom to catch the parts.

[Capstone]

I use a telescoping handle that has a super magnet on the end. It's small enough that I can reach in as the cut finishes and the part never drops in the water.

That may not be practical for large batches, but it's what works.

You could of course use the same tool after the job is finished, but that would take as much if not more time.

[OTHill]

Cover your table with heavy raised expanded metal.

[tnbndr]

I have an LDR table. Able to lower the water level after cutting and retrieve the parts that fell in.

[acourtjester]

The caveman’s approach just dips in pick up the part and dries my hand and the part with a towel.

[abmetal]

I have the magnetic pickup tool mentioned above and I LIKE IT! I use it around my drill press and lathe more than anywhere else. Being able to release the filings from the magnet is handier than pockets on a shirt.

Allen

[Ziggy.]

I built a water table for my plasmacam table. 12'' deep and it uses the factory slats. used some 1' square mesh left over from a job to make a grate that set just below the grates. When small parts fall through, they only fall 5-6 inches below the top, so I can just reach in and get them without my sleeve even getting wet.

[gamble]

I stick my hand in and grab them but I can tell you what I really hate is when it's cold outside; like winter. That water gets FREEZING.

I wish someone made a water heater just to bring it up to 60* or so.

[WyoGreen]

I use the magnet idea also. No cold water on the hands in the winter.
(One would think if you cut enough steel at one cutting that it would warm the water up some. )

[tnbndr]

wish someone made a water heater just to bring it up to 60* or so.

check your local aquarium shop!

[tjenus]

I'm using a Flow Water jet, table is about 3 foot deep, filled with sand and sludge, losing small parts suck, finally just learned how to put very small tabs on the small stuff, then after all the cutting is done I brake them apart, cleanup is only a few seconds for each piece , if I even worry about it, most customers don't mind it, a few do, thanks KHJ

[gamble]

wish someone made a water heater just to bring it up to 60* or so.

check your local aquarium shop!

I bought one off ebay for $10 that is supposed to treat a 100 gallon tank. it sucks. doesn't do anything

[abcofab]

I have an Omax waterjet which also has about 30in water & sludge, I tab small parts at about 10% of thickness and taper tab wider at connected end. Been doing this for years ,started when programmed for cnc turret punch and made "shake outs" with small tabs that would allow part to be released when you shook blank on table. Tabbing also helps keep part from any movement when cutting profile which is a consideration with a waterjet. Here is sample file for a small part with tabs.

[sawdust1]

How deep is a normal water table? I built mine 6" and it has 5" of water in it. If I were building another I would drop that back to only three inches of actual water. Is there a point to having it deeper?

David

[yroc fab]

Mine is only 3 inches deep with about 2" of water in and i don't see the need to be any deeper. It catches all the smoke i'm throwing at it.

[SeanP]

I use a magnet from a old hard drive mounted on a handle for catching parts down to 1'' works well.

My tray is 4'' deep at most, more than deep enough for working I guess deeper might give you more space for gathering scraps, I try to clean out as I go along the slugs anyway then clean out the finer stuff once a month or so.
Good head of steam up that day!

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