Well I took the plunge and will be getting the Journeyman X50 in just a short couple of months! So I have begun planning my table. My main requirement is mobility, as my space is multi-use and crowded so I will need to be able to move it out of the way, and preferably even store it vertically on occasion.
I am getting the QCW frame and the leveling feet so that is what will provide the main rigidity, I believe, but it is pictured in the model. I’m planning on 2x6s and 1/2 inch plywood. The wheels are spec’d for 190 pounds each and are locking.
Is there anything else I should be considering? Thanks!
It looks like the 1F is down at ground level? It will work but will be very uncomfortable to use. I would want some kind of legs to raise it to a comfortable height
You are missing height. Changing bits (something you do frequently) will be a pain.
I’m assuming you have it this low so you tuck it away under a bench. Is there someway you can add a lifting mechanism under the platform? I’m thinking of something like a Hydraulic Lift Cart.
You are also missing any cable and hose (vacuum, cooling for spindle) management. You need a boom arm or something to help with these and they need to be mounted somewhere.
I don’t see any accounting for the space and bulk of routing the wires or a drag chain setup. If your using an actual spindle you may also have cooling to manage. Your controller is mounted to the base where everything plugs in. The actual controller has mounting flanges on the sides so unsure how you would mount yours if its the Onefinity controller.
I would also note, 1/2 ply will not be sturdy enough. The machine itself is very heavy and will sag under the weight. Your wheels too appear very small, and unlikely to hold up to moving such a heavy object. Wheels are problematic overall, so you want to be able to lock them.
I have a full inch of ply under a 3/4" mdf for the top of mine on a steel tube frame. If space and mobility is a problem, consider making storage under the frame for other things.
Looks like he has the feet directly over the 2x6’s, so the plywood’s not going to be much more than a skin on top. I’d be more concerned about getting the 2x6’s square and symmetrical and then the associated wood movement in them going forward
Thank you all for the input! I knew I wasn’t considering a number of things, not having the object on hand.
In terms of strength, flatness, and squareness, I am getting the QCW frame. Given that they sell folding legs and a way to wall mount just the frame, my assumption is that would provide the structural needs and the table just needs to be strong and sturdy enough to hold it up. Is this not a correct assumption?
Is the height an issue simply since it would require crouching down to change the bits? Or is there something else about height I need to consider?
I would mount the controller to a piece of plywood that is mounted vertically to the table and was planning on running the wiring through the interior of the table. If that is not practical, how much lateral space is required around the rails?
I do certainly need to consider the boom! Does anyone have any examples of extendable/foldable systems?
Many people like to clamp workpieces vertically, as shown here and here. This would not be possible with such a low table that you show above.
If you think of an enclosure, I find this concept rather mature, see also here and here for its integrated dust outlet. I would make it dust-tight and isolated against noise. What this enclosure takes into account and what I find important, is what @cyberreefguru stated in Cnc Table Hindsight 20/20 :
I would go with the tilting table over the wall mount (as nice as that is!) since I don’t want to sacrifice the wall space. I’ll have to see if I can think of a variation incorporating the QCW without the time and expense of building a torsion box. Or perhaps look more carefully at the 1F folding table and see if there is a way to adapt that to hold the control box and accessories and avoid having to attach everything each time.
That cover looks great! While it is overkill for my applications, at least initially, I will extend my design (whatever it ends up being) to accommodate adding it and also add room for drag chains. I’m not even 100% on a boom since I should just be able to put my vacuum in front and hang the hose, if needed.
Thanks again for all the links!
Edit to add: I understand I will need to change the front edge of the table to give access to the router, but is there any reason I couldn’t just tip the whole thing on its side to do so, excepting the weight considerations of doing so?
Edit 2: Nevermind, I am using the QCW which would preclude vertical use anyway, no?
Aiph5u
(Aiph5u (not affiliated with Onefinity))
10
Aiph5u
(Aiph5u (not affiliated with Onefinity))
13
Hey UltrafoxStudio, hey all,
well the thing with the third dimension, I think that’s a bit in theory. Unless you have a robotic arm that puts your workpieces on your vacuum table, you’ll want the machine at a height that suits your spinal disc pain and with a bunch of space above it to lean over for manual clamping.
“Yeah the machine is going to sit a little bit lower than normal working height, but when I really think of it, I don’t actually need it at normal working height. The time I’m up close and personal with the machine is when either swapping out material or changing bits, so it’s really no biggie to kneel down for a few minutes at a time.”
Hahaha! You can only say something like that because you don’t really have to, and you have to when you really need to get work done with the machine. You say that if you are young (obviously), or because you are Japanese who are used to working on the floor. It’s a bit like when young people are unable to believe that they will become presbyopic at 45 until they do.
A drawer with the machine on it would be nice though. Would appreciate suggestions for drawer slides that support a Journeyman (weight), extendable by its entire depth
I’m 50, so I recognize the disadvantages of going low. But I am also a fit fifty (going DH MTB tomorrow), and work on the ground pretty damn often. Last major project was a series of 4’ x 4’ paintings on panel that had snap-line grids on them in repeated layers, and gold leafing. The snap-lines, for various reasons, had to be done on the ground. The gold could be done at workbench height. The gold was definitely more comfortable, but the lines were plenty doable, and I won’t have to manually crouch over the table during the whole cut, unlike snapping 200 plus lines while crouching/kneeling and stretching across a 4 foot surface.
I know at some point (and probably within 10-15 years), I will need more height on it. But for now, space is more of a premium than comfort. Just one of those trade-offs.
Aiph5u
(Aiph5u (not affiliated with Onefinity))
16
Hey Patrick,
That’s good. Actually, leaning forward over the machine is always harmful to the intervertebral discs, whether you’re standing or kneeling. And it’s always a workout for the back muscles. I was also serious about the video of the Japanese who are used to working on the floor, I once set up my woodworking workshop this way some time ago and also made a workbench that low and also have planes that work on pull. Of course if you keep fit like living on the floor then it shouldn’t be that bad no matter how old you are. In fact, I had my apartment set up Japanese a few years ago, living on the floor. At the moment I live in an interim solution, I am not really furnished, let’s see how it will be when I live in the final place.
By the way, I’m closer to trying this out with the machine on the floor than I’d like, because I haven’t been able to realize my design for a machine base yet and will still have to assemble and test the machine before the warranty expires
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Aiph5u
(Aiph5u (not affiliated with Onefinity))
17
Hey UltrafoxStudio,
yes that’s what I like on this forum, I got a lot of inspiration when I dived into it and it still persists.
Thanks for that really cool video! My wife did a lot of woodworking back in the day and got very good at doing dove tails and various other forms of joinery with just eye and hand. I’ve never had the knack.
Aiph5u
(Aiph5u (not affiliated with Onefinity))
19
Hey Patrick,
you mean the working on the floor video? In fact, the original is this:
