I ordered enough parts to begin testing the basic mechanical platform for the plasma cutter. I am going to limit the size to 24" x 48" (work area) for now. The primary thing I am worried about is strength of the gantry. That is being built full size. The rest is scaled back. My biggest concern is twist of the gantry. It did some experiments with some MakerSlide of that length that look promising, but I need to get a real feel for it.
I might need to double up on some of the corner brackets, but it would be nice it would be able to cut well enough where it would be able to make its own extra strength brackets and plates. I will also add some feet or wheels to the design.
Usually the work surface needs to be replaced on a regular basis, so it is designed such that the cutter can make it's own "consumable" parts.
I will probably use cable carriers, but I want to investigate a simpler overhead arm type like you see on "Plasma CAM" type machines.
The final design will incorporate a water table or down draft system to cut down on the smoke. I talked to many people at Maker Faire about that and they all liked the water table method the best.