X axis pulleys, front or rear?

[Edward]

I suppose it depends what you call the front or the back as you could operate the machine from the side. I don't see any difference where you mount the motor. Depending on the layout it could be mounted underneath the machine.

Hi Clive,
Quite true. You would also have to define which side, as there are 4 sides to a rectangle:) By the "rear" I mean the side behind the gantry (behind the spindle), although that could also be misinterpreted, if you want to be precise.

Ok, semantics apart, by placing the pulleys at the rear and having the front clear, the front plate, if suitably designed, could occasionally be used to clamp a long piece when you needed to drill for side tapping, as an example. Provided the spindle reaches (overhangs) that far.

On the other hand, with pulleys at the back, access for tensioning may be more difficult, depending on how you place you router, for instance, if the back is against the wall.

Other than these considerations, I can't think of anything else.

Edward