I’m brainstorming ideas on how to raise the entire machine up and was just checking if anyone here had thoughts or maybe even tried something themselves. I have the elite foreman, with qcw and legs and was interested in raising everything 12 (or more) inches.
There’s a few reasons for wanting to do this, but the bulk of it is space. Like many here, i have a relatively small space and the area above the machine is more or less unused and dead space. The area underneath is usable, but I don’t have much that would fit well under there. A few other things of mine don’t currently fit under the table but would if it was a little higher. I am also a little taller 6’2", and generally like my table surfaces to be higher than average.
Has anyone done this? I suppose it could be pretty simple like wood riser blocks with a little foot retaining wall. Leveling the table would still be pretty easy this way. Or maybe I could do leg extensions of some sort. Or some type of threaded block that threads into the foot’s threads. 12in is a decent amount of standoff though, I might need to add some type of stretchers to keep the blocks from tilting or rolling. Maybe I could make a large rolling cart and add mobility to the machine too.
Hey Captain
Great topic, and thanks for bringing it up.
I have the QCW and the Rolling legs. I found the height to be way too low for my use, so I added 5” locking wheels to a piece of wood. I just added a couple of side supports to stiffen up the frame, and a shelf to the bottom of the stand for storage. 5” rise is pretty good now, but a few more inches would be better. I’ve been watching to see if anyone has come up with something cool that attaches to the bottom of the legs. If not, then I’ll probably just break out the welder and figure something out.
Such a U-shaped base could maintain the open character of the Onefinity machine for workpieces longer than Y worklength (tiling). Such a base could also be annealed for stress relief in a furnace to make a perfect machine base.
Interesting, thank you both for providing some insights. A horseshoe base is kind of what i was picturing, especially if it had casters because it really allows me to use the full area unobstructed under the table. I dont think I’ll be doing any work like this pretty incredible frog trunk, but I hope to have a 4th axis someday and I don’t think the normal z travel will provide enough swing to do what Id like. Having the ability to remove at least some of the table would be great.
@Bear, what do you think of those casters during operation? I was thinking of getting the lift type bench casters myself so that it would sit on the floor when I’m no moving it.
Captain
Funny you said that…. I use what you mentioned for my (table saw, bandsaw, joiner, etc)…. And I’m thinking that’s a better idea for the CNC. When I switched to the Elite, there was a lot more tork when carving, and the table moved all over the place on the wheels, locked or not. Adding the extra cross members and the bottom part cut the shaking down by 90%. I also use risers for the X rail (Rowdy Roman), and it was crazy how much things moved around. I ran an end grain board today, and it was far more stable than ever with the new setup…. Buddy with the open concept is cool (and I plan to run with his concept in the future), but I do different work. Like you, I need the surface of the table to be higher than what is offered.
Wow that’s great that you were able to reduce the vibration. I do a lot of 3d carvings and yeah it’s a lot of vibration. I’ve considered making cross members but your metalworking and welding skill looks a lot better than mine.
I’m the woodworker, and I cut the metal parts and “tacked” things together, but my kid is the welder (by trade), so he welded everything for me… I know, trades… who knew?
