Hi, I decided to abandon my prior approach to a fixed gantry system and am trying again. The main problem with the last attempt is that I failed to think through the real impact of the build on the space I had available to work with.
So - trying again, but with more "experience"
This time, I would like to attempt to build the following:
Total Size
- Can be reasonably loaded into the back of my minivan by two people
- Approx. dimensions 39 in x 24 in x 84 inch (max space available ) including the dust / noise enclosure
- No table - it just sits on the concrete floor when in use
- Can store on its smallest end with the 84 inch dimension vertically up
Uses Planned
- Able to work with mostly plywood sheets (possibly up to 5 x 10 ft), 2 x 4s, and 6x6s, and down to 2 x 2 ft sheets
- Ideally, use my existing bosch 1617 evs router
- Cutting plywood sheets to size, shaping board ends, making some decorative around the house items
- Teen projects for school and education
- Wood, plastics, foam, r/c parts
- I might attempt an electric guitar body at some point - mostly for fun, not for sale
Performance Expectations / hopes
- Over an 8 ft board length, I would be very happy with consistent +/- 32 inch results, and 1/16th might be acceptable (about +/ 1mm). +/- 1/8th is not ideal, but it is still far better than I do by hand now.
- For holes that are 6 inches in diameter, I would be happy with +/- 1/32 inch between the x and y dimension, and possible happy with lesser results.
Obviously, better results are always welcome, but I am trying to be realistic so that I can actually afford to build this thing.
Idea so far:
Y axis
- Fixed gantry for the Y axis
- Possibly a bearing based solution, but the semi - DIY ones so far were not up to my expectations
- I am fairly convinced that to make skate bearings work correctly, I would need to use the swiss style skate bearings rather than the abec 7 style bearings, and those are not inexpensive at all.
- Close to 6 ft long axis
X axis
- some method of moving the wood through the unit, similar to how a planer works.
- Will take in the wood and move it through the router about 8 - 10 ft, so it has to be robust
- Ideally, easy to store in a garage with an 8 ft ceiling and limited storage space
a) Link to a sears wood planer
Sears: Online department store featuring appliances, tools, fitness equipment and more
b) Not ideal, but I suppose it is possible to use a table that is removable and attach a pair of racks to it for insertion into the router. Then I could just attach the blank wood to the table and push it in to start.
c) Very Open to ideas on this
Frame / Enclosure
- I am considering to make the final version from Al honeycomb panels like these in a 1 3/4 in thick version for light weight and stiffness. I need to see how much they actually cost first of course.
Honeycomb Sandwich Panels | Honeycomb Sandwich Panels
Thanks for looking and for any suggestions.
Harry