X axis pulleys, front or rear?

[routercnc]

Thanks, Clive. I think I'll go for rear pulleys, all being considered. I think the tensioning will be done by just sliding the motor downwards a little, when necessary.

Drilling to the side of a long plate can be awkward, often requiring fixtures. Normally I use a little mill where the head can be swivelled 90 degrees, but it's still a bit of a hassle.

Edward

Do you have a link to the thread where you saw it being discussed?

Other things to think about are:
Position of motors and length of cables back to control box (shorter could be preferable)

If you tend to cut in one location on the machine for most jobs, or at least in one half of the machine, then a pulley mounted at the same end will reduce the amount of twist in the ballscrew on rapid changes of direction. This in turn gives a minor positioning error but I would guess this is very small and could be ignored on DIY machines.

[Edward]

If you tend to cut in one location on the machine for most jobs, or at least in one half of the machine, then a pulley mounted at the same end will reduce the amount of twist in the ballscrew on rapid changes of direction. This in turn gives a minor positioning error but I would guess this is very small and could be ignored on DIY machines.

Thank you. I tend to read the forum posts from all over the place, using the search function for whatever interests me. I just read and keep it in my mind, I do often bookmark, but I have hundreds of bookmarks and trying to find the right one eludes me;)

I think I intend to use the router for larger pieces, so they would tend to be centred on the bed, no area being predominant. For the smaller pieces I think I will tend to use my milling machine.

Yes, I will seek to minimise the length of cabling to the control box. Initially I thought of placing it under the table, rather than fixed to the wall, but I have to think of the pros and cons about that one. One thing is certain, the VFD will be separate from the control box.

Edward

[magicniner]

If your machine will end up in a static location where all round access might be a problem aim to locate electronics, drives and motors where not only will they not be subject to cutting debris but where they will be accessible for service and repair,

- Nick