Adding weight to help absorb vibration?

Do you think there is an advantage to adding weight to the support table of the woodworker cnc

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I would think that if you are resonating bad enough to want to add more mass to your table to dampen it you may need to tweak your feeds and speeds instead

Thank you so much for your comment Nick. I currently designing my table and have granite slabs . I was just wondering if placing them in the table would help in anyway.
Dave

I should clarify that my above statement is only true to a point. If your machine is on a folding card table then the weight would help!

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There are some that have made their entire CNC structure from both natural or epoxy granite. Benefits include stability of material - resistance to temperature and moisture - as well as vibration and force dampening (like when the 1F jogs rapidly with new firmware - unless modified). Perhaps even using your granite slab as a base, not just for added mass, might interest you. I have Piotr Fox Wysocki through his CNC mill upgrade with interest. Mind you, he is a machinist, and has built his with exacting tolerances to mill metals. Still, was enjoyable to watch what he created.

Thank you TM I appreciate your response. I was considering using a layer of granite 1.25 thick and one layer1ā€ melamine as the table and then a 1ā€ mdf waste board.
I am not sure this is my final plan but your comments reflected my previous experiences.
Dave

I added 240# of sand in my torsion box top when I built mine. I do believe it helps especially with the more aggressive jerk/accl settings in the firmware update. It was an inexpensive add on and Iā€™m glad I did it.

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Iā€™m going to throw a different point of view out there based on my personal experiences and observations.

Disclaimer I am NOT a Physicist OR Engineer :crazy_face:

As most of you have seen in my posts my OF utilizes a flip table with a single 2"x4" for legs in the base and 2 fold down legs that do not even lock open (gravity does that work for me). While I do utilize a very stiff torsion box for my deck, the rest of my machine stand, while sturdy can be flexed, leaned and sways during carves as it desires.

I have absolutely zero issues with repeat zeroing, accuracy, cut quality, and overall machine performanceā€¦ I even left my 1.0.6 Jerk rates at the 20K the BETA firmware shipped with. I can tell you that each depth of cut is clean, concise and nearly non-discernable and a quick hit of 220 grit makes it smooth as a babyā€™s bottom.

My machine sways slightly on full speed direction changes and smoothly sways back. I will say I have 1" clearance around the machine to accommodate this motion. If it were knocking into a wall or other table on that sway my opinion would be completely different as that slam could likely cause issues and skipping.

The Theory:

The Facts:

  1. The OF is rigid and stiff as Hercules
  2. The OF is securely screwed to the table top
  3. The Table Top is (see #1)
  4. The workpiece is securely clamped and fastened to the Table Top

The Hypothesis:
A body in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an opposing force. If you have removed the ability to slam into a wall or cabinet, then inertial is slowed by the opposing forces introduced by the woodsā€™ natural desire to remain in its shape. These forces ā€œslowlyā€ (key point) counteract each other and bring the sway to a controlled smooth stop then back slightly in the opposing direction, with the OF and its payload all secured to the platform that movement is aligned and harmoniousā€¦ Thus yielding clean milling results.

(sorry this is what happens when I have have an extra cup of coffee in the morningā€¦ lol)

I totally get as an arbiter of the ā€œBrick $#!+ Houseā€ Principal the desire to build everything as strong/flat/level/rigid as humanly possible. I am a guy that built his BBQ Island out of 14 gauge steel studs which only holds a 72lb Blaze BBQ, I do get it!

The reason Iā€™m posting this more than anything is I want to share with (more the newbies) that yes a lot of these mods are absolutely amazing, and inspiring there is nothing wrong with bolting your OF down to a piece of 1" MDF on a 2x4 built work stand and have amazing cuts & carves. I do not in any way, slight or dismiss those who have gone above and beyondā€¦ conversely I admire it. Butā€¦ you can have a happy CNC life simply out of the box.

Speaking of Boxā€¦ Iā€™ll get off mine made of Soap. :slight_smile:

Hope that helps, makes you smile, and encourages your CNC journey wherever that may lead.

-Alex

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Rick ,that is a great idea,I love the cost factor.
Thank you
Dave

Wow Alex you got on a roll.
I will take this to heart. Rock and Roll
Dave

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Alex I did look back to see your table support system. Now that you have had yours for a while do you fold it up or leave it in the down position 95% of the time

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Hey Dave,

To date I have left my table down 100% of the time. For the 3 years I had an X-Carve on a v1 version of my table I flipped it up only once during the crazy Ice Storm we had in Dallas 5 years ago. Had to get my F-150 in the garage and the flip allowed me to make that happen. So for me the flip was more for the ā€œJust In Caseā€ scenarios.

-Alex

Thank you Alex I have tried to look at many different setups I am leaning in 10 different directions at this point. Iā€™m not even sure what utilities I will need at this point or even where in the shop I will put the unit.

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My pleasure, just a remember to take your time, its a journey not a race. Trying to tackle every detail at once can be very overwhelming with VFDā€™s, Alt Controllers, Bit Changers, Spindle Mods, Bits, Waseboards Mods (list goes on) it can feel like a monumental task.

Hope my view above helps ease a bit of that stress as there is absolutely nothing wrong with the OF out of the box. :slight_smile:

Cheersā€™ :beers:
-Alex

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Wow, I canā€™t add much to this conversation as Alex has covered it nicely (btw Alex, Iā€™ve got a FB buddy in the Richland Hills area of DFW and I recall him mentioning that ice storm).

In the realm of machine tools, mass is your friend. In the case of the Onefinity, it has sufficient mass to do its thing. If one were to do a great deal of metal machining, there may be merit to adding mass, however I donā€™t think itā€™s really necessary for most wood carving. IMO, the most susceptible location for machining vibrations would take place in the Z axis due to the fact that the rails are smaller & less supportive than the X & Y rails. This is not to say they are ā€˜too smallā€™ by any means, it just means that itā€™s the most likely place for vibrations to take place.

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Thank you Bill,
I am amazed at the wealth of knowledge this forum has and how willing you all are time spend the time to react to a posting.
I have decided to leave out the granite slab.maybe I will find a use someday. The table top will be three layers
1.25ā€ melamine 1ā€mdf and a 1ā€ mdf waste board.

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You are very welcome @Dustydave, most of us are more than happy to share our knowledge & thoughts, hoping to help others along the way. The Onefinity is a new machine, but so many of us come from a background of experience with other machines (such as x-carve or Shapeoko), but have made the jump to Onefinity by recognition that it is indeed a superior machine.

Are you a current owner, waiting for your order, or just browsing?

I am waiting for my unit should be early may. I am trying to prepare. I just started clearing out a location for the unit. I am setting up utilities, compressed air , dust collection, lighting,110 and 220 outlets .I am also looking into sound blankets that I can surround the unit with. I am also hanging sound blankets around my dust collection. Can you tell I am a little hyper focused.

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Excellent! Itā€™s good to be a bit hyper-focused, with so many bases to cover! My Onefinity was a transplant for an x-carve, so I had everything pretty much in place. But come May you will probably be ready to roll!

Bill,
I hope to be . I will be leaning on this forum for it wonderful support.