Please review this router gantry idea

[Jonathan]

Your tube design would be hard to fabricate, particularly when it comes to getting the rail mounting surfaces parallel. However it would be exceptionally strong as a tube is the strongest shape in torsion.

To make it easier to make you could put the rails on the front flat surfaces, as they could be machined or leveled with epoxy. If you did this you'd want to use profile rails to reduce the overhang.

[mekanik]

Looked @ it earlier and liked it but as jonathan says its the manufacturing that's going to be a bit tricky, are you near any Engineering shops with a long bed surface grinder ?
Out of interest where in Cumbria is you @

[EddyCurrent]

In response to Jonathan's comments



mekanik, Cockermouth area

[mekanik]

OK how about this, if you have a lathe that will swing a couple of inches greater than the pipe you intend to use you could manufacture a faceplate mounted fixture that will hold suitable size blocks of steel, preferably machined square on all faces, set up in the fixture and produce the radius to conform to your pipe OD.
Then you want substantial section gauge plate to use as the mounting surface for your profile rails, drill&tap the support blocks rail ect attach the two end blocks to both rail supports & align them on pipe, tack them up and add the remainder of the blocks & tack also,REMOVE mounting rails to prevent twisting ect, finish weld the blocks to pipe, using your support rails and blue marker, file & scrape the blocks so you have a flat datum,fix one rail, measuring from that set to on the opposite side and finish the faces on the other blocks to bring them parallel, rail support beams can now be fine tuned with brass shim.
Does that make any sense ?
That's close enough, Stainton with Adgarley

[EddyCurrent]

mekanik, it makes sense but I think I am over exaggerating the pipe diameter, perhaps Jonathan could advise on what would be required for a gantry say 1m wide ( I am only intending to go 600m cutting width.)

Maybe this, I'm thinking the brackets would need to be welded onto the pipe to prevent crushing and slipping.

[~andy]

I'm guessing two pipes might be easier than one.

[Jonathan]

OK how about this, if you have a lathe that will swing a couple of inches greater than the pipe you intend to use you could manufacture a faceplate mounted fixture [...]
Does that make any sense ?

Makes sense, but I think pouring epoxy on to the surface and allowing it to level itself, like I did here, is much less work! I'll be impressed if you can achieve the same accuracy with shims, as it's hard to compensate for twist in the rails.