Router Build number 2

[charlieuk]

I know it may not be exactly the perfect way to do it but I'm still trying to think of ideas to allow me to achieve both goals and was wondering about doing something like in this pic wether its from ali or steel and that is to have some removable plate that bolt to the side that interlock into the frame that would give extra stiffness for when I want to cut ali however could be removed as and when I want to cut ply. This would also allow me to use the narrow gantry layout.

is it a workable idea or not worth the effort?

[routercnc]

Hi Charlie,

That closer plate would be very expensive, especially aluminium. Is the idea that the ply panel would hang out through the gap?

The problem with that approach would be making sure that the rails mounted on top of the long extrusions did not see any load / deformation when the closer plate was added. I think if you put a DTI onto them and mounted / demounted the closer plate the rail would move as you tighten the bolts. Best to get it all rigid, using epoxy levelling if desired, then leave it alone.

The other issue would be the stiffness in the lateral direction (i.e. towards and away from the other long side) would still be low, even with the closer plate. Usually this is helped with supporting posts which have some section in the Y direction - for example short extrusions of the same dimension as the long extrusion but turned on their end . . .or if done in steel then box sections turned on their end.

Google 'Joes 4x4 hybrid' (cnc zone) for machines in landscape format rather then portrait format - not saying I'd go with a machine like that as I'd say some of the features are a bit out of date now but worth a look over, plus the gantry gets quite wide.

[Boyan Silyavski]

Charlie,

Use 100x100x3 or 4mm box section, weld it and you dont need any diagonal bracing and similar. Just a simple table. Cheapest and strongest.