newbie needs some help - What Machine to Buy

[muzza]

First up a bit of an intro.
I'm murray and I've had a bit of a look here a few times as this site has been recomended to me by a fellow Aussie mate who's a member. I'm new to this plasma side of things and looking to purchase a system to compliment our outdoor furniture and home and garden metal products side of things.

The main question is " what should I buy?" probably a question asked many times over.

I'm not flash on drawing, either CAD or by hand and would be largely relying on available artwork.

I've looked at Plasmacam via the internet and this is the system used by my mate Phil, main negative seems to be the size restriction but otherwise I've only heard good reports.

Was suggested Sampson as this is an 8x4 table, but unfortunately they haven't returned my emails.

Also looked at Torchmate on the web and probably swaying towards their Torchmate3 at this stage.

Being down under getting a demo or walking into a showroom to look at anything is pretty much out of the question so any help or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Another one I'm trying to find artwork wise is clock face templates, again any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Murray

[mattinspokane]

I'll chime in with this (based on my limited experience) - get yourself a decent CAD program and learn how to use it. The art CD's and other sources for files online are OK, but you will need the ability to resize and add text, etc. A little time invested in learning CAD has really made the difference in the items that I can produce. I am running Bobcad and have had good success with their customer support. I purchased 4 hours worth of training and had the 2D stuff figured out after only 1 hour. Plan on using the remaining time to learn the 3D side as I am looking to get a mill in the future. Good luck, hope this was helpful.