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Thats not good enough for sturdyness.
Take a drawing of a bench to a local welder and ask hime to knock you one up a 50mmx50mmx4 box section bet yer it will be stronger than that and probably cheaper?
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I'm in the market for a good sturdy bench which will be capable of supporting my current mill (Seig X1) and further down the road a larger mill.
I've seen this on ebay: NEW All Steel Heavy Duty Workbench 1200 x 600 x 840mm | eBay
And thought it looks pretty nice, but I have concerns about the thickness of the top, and about possible noise amplification from the sheet steel.
Has anyone used this kind of bench for their mill, or am I better off with a sturdy wooden (self built or otherwise) bench?
Thanks
Thats not good enough for sturdyness.
Take a drawing of a bench to a local welder and ask hime to knock you one up a 50mmx50mmx4 box section bet yer it will be stronger than that and probably cheaper?
That will be fine for the X1. It may wobble a bit, but you can eliminate that by bolting it to the wall.
Later on, with a larger mill, it won't be very good.
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Having a welder make one up out of heavy square tubing would be a good choice. Honestly you could build one out of wood that would be stiffer. Surprisingly the metal bench will likely be cheaper than a DIY wood bench, you can also buy better commercial options. The commercial options might not be as cheap but are ready made.
A third option is to build something out of extruded aluminum. There is a bit of a learning experience here. However you can DIY a bench with a little planning.
In any event a few key points. The bench must be level able. The bench should be braced to prevent wobbling. The bench top should also be stiff to the point that it isn't springy. Depending upon the design the table top can be stiff itself or it can be supported by a frame. You have lots of options.
Originally Posted by HorridHenry
My previous post above was based on the thought of the machine being CNC'ed. The problem is we really don't know how the bench is constructed. If the bench is too thin or not heavily braced it could vibrate excessively. Effectively you are buying an unknown example here.
The X1 will probably sit on the bench fine for Manual operation. For a larger mill you may have trouble. Actually I think you will have issues based on the photographs.
You may be able to cut the top off and place a few layers of MDF under it.
There is nothing wrong with wood if it is constructed to avoid seasonal distortion as much as possible. Steel or Aluminum can also be used for a DIY bench. Wood can actually be pretty expensive.Has anyone used this kind of bench for their mill, or am I better off with a sturdy wooden (self built or otherwise) bench?
Thanks
Memran,go with mild steel box section 50mm x 30mm x 3 or 4mm.
Buy the box section yourself from a local steel stockist and cut it yourself with a angle grinder(if you have one?) to the required dimensions and then find a local migwelder who will probably charge about £40 or £50? this price might vary regional.
Use a kitchen worktop as the table top.
If you want a drawing of the table box section,just let me know?
After playing some with a dial indicator and base and considering the intended use of the machine, I'm probably going to end up building a cage around it out of mild steel... Not quite a "gantry" setup, but close for supporting the vertical column, and tying it to the base, which is probably gonna be a couple of large pieces of 1018 on square tube legs, large enough to hold a drip and chip pan. Gonna have to get motors on, etc., before I block out where the steel is going to be - been too busy making parts...
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