Track Turns Any Torch Into Stright-Line Cutter

Track Turns Any Torch Into Stright-Line Cutter WELDERS/TORCHES Welders/Torches 26-5-39 Anyone can use a hand-held torch to cut a perfectly straight line through steel plate using this new "track torch". Kyle Palumbo, Welding Contractors, Union Bridge, Md., sells the "RK Torchmaster", a 4-wheeled "tractor" that attaches to the torch. It measures 6 in. wide by 8 in. long and is fitted with four grooved steel wheels that ride on top of a piece of 6-in. channel iron which the buyer supplies. The Torchmaster is powered by a gear drive DC motor that runs on standard 110-volt electricity. A control box clamps onto the torch's on-off lever, which is normally thumb-controlled, and is used to regulate the tractor's speed as it goes down the track. "It cuts a perfectly straight line which is virtually impossible to do freehand. It's much less expensive than other commercial track torches because it doesn't have a built-in track and torch," says Palumbo. "I came up with the idea a few years ago for use in my farm repair shop and have even hauled it in my service truck out to farms. It works so well that I decided to manufacture units for sale. "The machine travels at infinitely variable speeds from 6 to 160 inches per minute in both forward and reverse. The speed you use depends on the thickness of the material you're cutting. The torch can be adjusted up or down to fit any handheld cutting torch." Sells for $495 plus S&H. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Kyle Palumbo, Welding Contractors, Box 452, Union Bridge, Md. 21791 (ph 410 775-7003).

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