New to CNCs, but lots of time as a woodworker.
My workshop is small (9’ x 9’). My work bench is 4’x2’ wide, in the center of the room, with space for a job site table saw at the end, level with the workbench top, essentially making the entire table 6’x2’. I thus have about 3’ walkway around three sides of the table. This works great for general wood working. The work bench is a torsion box with t-slots running down the length and replaceable 3/4" MDF on top.
I do all sorts of projects, ranging from simple toys and ornaments to guitars and ukuleles to furniture (dining room table, beds, etc).
I am looking to add a CNC to my tool set, and am debating between the machinist and the woodworker. While I would like the larger area, I can’t quite figure out how it would fit in my shop.
My question is, would it be stable enough if I put it on a 1.5" thick 4x4’ MDF base (2x 3/4" laminated together), which was then centered on my workbench. In other words, there would be about 1’ overhang on both sides.
Another option would be to make the base a torsion box, but that would start to make the entire thing pretty bulky and tall (the work bench top is already quite high).
Finally, the third option would be to go for a machinist… most of what I want to do is small enough to fit. I just can’t get rid of the feeling that for an extra $200, it doubles the size of your potential workpiece. I just need to figure out how to get it to fit.
If there was a 2x4’ option like the Shapeoko XL, I would absolutely go for that!
I would be interested in hearing from anyone else in a similarly small space, and how you set up your machine.
Thanks!