Mornin', Jeff! I'm gonna type some more, so get your readers on.
This morning, I remembered that I meant to address your statement above and had forgotten to do so. I had a plasma table on my list, too, but I've moved away from that. I have a Hypertherm plasma torch that is CNC-ready that I rarely use because no matter how much I work to prevent it, the dross that forms means a lot of extra work grinding edges to get clean welds. With a plasma table, you do have more control/consistency on the cutting speed, which seems to be the way to eliminate dross, so I think you can fix that. However, I'm in the same "I just want to cut stuff, not fiddle with my plasma cutter" camp as I am with 3D printing.
What's pushed me away from buying a plasma table is SendCutSend's ability to blow my mind with what they can do for reasonable prices. Laser cutting is so much more precise than plasma cutting, and I can't afford a laser cutter. As long as SendCutSend continues the way they operate (high quality, reasonable prices, and fast service), I have put the plasma table way down the tool list. I do have my doubts about SendCutSend being able to continue the way they operate. I'm convinced they are like Amazon, operating at a loss to gobble up market share in an industry they've invented. However, I'm going to ride the wave until it dissipates and worry about a plasma table later.
As a side note, I'm anxious to try
SendCutSend's CNC machining service that they now offer. The capabilities are pretty limited currently (only aluminum, and with a small part envelope), but they are good at expanding services, so it might end up a better option than Xometry, which is who I used to make the
steel recovery points for my rear bumper.