Hi,

Thanks for all the replies so far. I haven't disappeared as fast as I came, just been doing a lot of reading and research.

This immediateley throws up a load more questions. I hope others will excuse a few really basic ones. For starters:

1. I originally suggested wood / MDF construction, but having seen the construction methods others have used and investigated various suppliers of extruded aluminium profiles, that seems a much better way to go. I have so far come across a number of such suppliers, having downloaded the Valuframe catalogue and checked out the Rhonmac (same system as Valuframe?) and Marchant Dice websites. I've also seen references to Bosch. Is there anything significant to choose between these, or other, systems / suppliers?

2. I've read through all the posts concerning HiltonSteve's very impressive build. If I've understood it correctly, Steve, you've used just one guide rail each side on the x-axis (but 2 for y- and z-axes). Your gantry appears to have additional rigidity through the Al plate that connects each side beneath the bed. At the sort of size table I'm considering (around 8' x 4') I'm expecting to need to use at least 3 legs per side (I envisage it being free-standing, not bench mounted) and, very possibly, at least one under the centre. These additional (non-corner) legs would preclude an under-bed connection between the gantry sides. I'm presuming I would need 2 guide rails per side for the x-axis and 2 for each of y- and z-.

3. Again with reference to Steve's build, the entire gantry / y-axis structure seems very solid with 15 / 20 mm Al plate throughout. Does it really need this for sufficient rigidity? I imagine I will have a greater need for care here with a 4ft + y-axis, but was hoping that the use of extruded profile with, perhaps, rather thinner Al sheet skinning would suffice. Am I kidding myself?

I will shortly be exiled from the internet for a couple of weeks, so won't be replying again for a while, but this will give me some quiet time for further planning.

Julie