[eloid]

Has anyneo got or seen good plans for a nice
mid side x,y table that uses rack and pinion ?

Looking for ways to make a fast machine for routering mdf doors with biggest
3hp router i can get or load which it can handle. kinda like the, muilt cam does in the below video clip
but not that fast ...I only wished...lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sflJe...elated&search=

[Treischl]

If you scroll down in this forum, you will see one called "Another Aussie built router" or something like that. Read through it, he uses rack and pinion and does really nice work. As to whether there are a set of plans out there, I do not know.

One thing you should know however, is that if you use rack and pinion, you will be able to achieve speeds like you saw in the video. That is the nature of R&P and belt drives, they can be very fast.

If I were running a business that needed a large router for cutting doors, etc and I did not want to pay the higher cost of off the shelf stuff, I would draw up my plans after doing a lot of research, then have a smaller machine shop do all the grunt work, like making the table, fabricating some of the sections needed, etc. Then I would purchase the parts (rails, bearings, etc) and do the assembly work. If I were using steppers, I would do the electronics too. If I used servo's, then I would find an electronic guy to do the tuning of the drives required.

Right now, I am building a medium size (which to me is a 28 X 38 machine). I am doing it all since I have the time. And it is definitely a homebuilt, MDF, hard maple, etc.

Good luck on your endeavor!

[Rypper]

eloid,

Check this site out, it has free plans and a great support forum also.

http://www.mechmate.com/index.html

The current plans are for a 4x8 machine but you could easily build a 4x4 .

Tom

[wcarrothers1]

That was sweet..

Personally I love having rack on my long axis 100" because you can move the gantry while it's powered down (if you have to) to get it out of the way of something while loading or something else. With screw based machines you could not move it with out rotating the screw.

That said my Y is screw and so is Z. Which helps Z not plunge through the table when powered down..

But Y limits my hi speed a bit (200ipm). I can do 6-800 if I want on x.. Some day I'll maybe switch Y to rack but not to soon. The thompson planitary that made my rack X possiable was not cheep (or should say would not have been so cheep if I didn't get it on ebay..hehe

b.