Stainless steel water tray

[edclayton1]

Is it a good idea to construct a water table using stainless steel?
I was thinking about purchasing a water tray from Avid CNC but theirs are made from Aluminum and im afraid it wouldn't last very long until it starts to corrode. It seems like regular old steel wouldn't really last that long either.
It looks like I could buy a sheet of 12 gauge stainless and have it bent up for around $800.00 for a 5' by 10' sheet but it would still need the corners welded up and some slats and slat holders built up and installed. I was thinking maybe some stainless rails and some stainless posts for the slats and then just using mild steel for the throw away slats. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[adbuch]

Depending on your budget, stainless steel may be the way to go. Depending on your construction, 16 ga. may work well and be less expensive. Keith Fenner used a fabricated stainless steel water tray for his Plasmacam build.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVzdzHFGK5k

I didn't want to spend over $300 for a sheet of stainless, so I went with 11 ga cr steel. It has been in service for about 4 years now with no problems. I add Hangstefer's s500 water soluble coolant to the water to help prevent corrosion/rust. It is the same stuff I use in my cnc machining centers. Here is my build in case you are interested.
David

https://photos.app.goo.gl/h8LHufi6frttfGNQA

water tray.jpg

[Rodw]

I had this stainless tray bent and welded up 12 months ago and its still in good condition. Used 0.9 mm sheet from a 1500mm x 3000mm sheet and the 1500mm side was just long enough to make this in one piece.

water tray.jpg

[adbuch]

I had this stainless tray bent and welded up 12 months ago and its still in good condition. Used 0.9 mm sheet from a 1500mm x 3000mm sheet and the 1500mm side was just long enough to make this in one piece.
water tray.jpg

[Weldamerica]

That is a real nice set up adbuch

[adbuch]

That is a real nice set up adbuch

Thanks Weldamerica! I fashioned my water tray/draft system after a build by Keith Fenner on his DHC2 table. In fact, Keith was the one who inspired me to purchase my Plasmacam table. You can see some videos of his build linked below.
David

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udk-6cP ... 18294AC31D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVzdzHF ... 1D&index=7

keith fenner plasmacam.jpg