Water is pretty much a must have.. I only ran mine a handful of times on smaller (not 2 hr) cuts and the smoke that comes off is horrible for you and your stuff. If you haven't got water in yet it's amazing both how much dust it traps and how cool the part stays when the water kicks back up onto the part.Got the table Dialed In Today.. THC is working perfect , little cable management and it is ready for some water.