[Ozzwinkle]

I am a Newbie CNC hobbyist, with a nice woodworking shop. I also am an accomplished machinist, with a full metal welding fab/machine shop. Never done anything CNC. I am planning a CNC Router table, and would like any input as to the size I should build. I will NOT be doing any commercial work, and my projects are generally modest in size. I will be using (in some combination) linear slides and bearings, ball screw actuators, Nema24 steppers and driver modules, driven by Mach3. I initially thought that a 4' x 4' was a no brainer, but now it seems like overkill. I would like to know is 2' x 4', or even 3'x4' would be a better choice. My woodshop suffers from the proverbial "10 pounds of crap in a three pound sock" affliction, so a bench top unit would be preferable. A 2'x4' would fit nicely on one of my existing benches. Thanks for any input on size pros and cons.

Ozzie

[ger21]

I'd say go with 3x4.

[dsnellen]

Just know there is a big difference between table size and cutting size. For a full 24"x48" cutting surface, you will probably need at least a 36" x 60" table. Maybe a little larger to give the Z axis room to move. Add at least 12" to your cutting size for the finish table size. For a 3 x 4 size figure at least a 4 x 5 table.

Dave