X3 Extended Table

[BrendaEM]

Couldn't the work envelope of an X3 be extended to 20"-24" ?

[Deviant]

I'm sure there will be an extended table kit at some point in time.

I don't seen any physical reasons why it can't be.

[BrendaEM]

I just hope they make them before I start buying ballscrews.

[There was someone on here cnczone who was making aftermarket tables from cast-iron billet. I think the tables were generic though.]

[BrendaEM]

I can't help but think that this would be a popular item. I thought this was an intriguing idea. I thought I would give it a bump.

[There was someone who was making milling machine tables, and selling them on ebay.]

[acondit]

Originally Posted by BrendaEM I can't help but think that this would be a popular item. I thought this was an intriguing idea. I thought I would give it a bump. [There was someone who was making milling machine tables, and selling them on ebay.]

BrendaEM,

WidgetMaster made a few tables out of cast iron (18" x 6" x 1 1/2" thick to start) and sold them on ebay. However, to replace the table on the X3 with a larger table would probably take a special casting. If you made the table wider you would lose Y travel. To over come this you would have to make a new base casting. You could make a longer table and increase the X travel. However, the cost of a casting large enough to give you 20"-24" of travel plus the machining would probably put your cost up in the neighborhood of an RF45 (which has a wider table as well and greater Y travel also). The table casting would either have to be machined on a much larger machine or multiple repositionings (which in an invitation to errors).

My RF30 has 22" X travel by 7 1/2" Y travel on a table that is 32" x 9 1/2" overall dimensions.

Alan

[BrendaEM]

I've looked at the RFs. The square columns are interesting, but the weight jump from an X3 to an RF45 goes 350 to 600 lbs, or more. I've seen some RFs weight quoted as 800lbs, but that perhaps includes the create.

I guess what I'd like is an X4 if they made one. Looking at my needs, I'm not going to be boring engine blocks, so I feel I don't need the heft of a RF45 provides.

Most of the things I want to machine are within the work envelope of an X3--except for guitar work, and some very light duty foam carving, you know, for making molds. It would be nice not have to make a machine for a task or two.

In the quest for work envelope size, I've looked at IH's. Nice big table and X/Y, but so much weight. The head weighs more than two people can easily lift.

The X3 head is available on LMM, but I don't have a machines to machine the rest.

[acondit]

I know what you mean. I have looked at an X3, the RF45 and IH. I have an X2 and an RF30 (round column). I wish that creating a square column for my RF30 wasn't such a large job. Actually creating the column isn't so bad, but building a head to work on a newly designed square column is a lot of work.

Alan

[askman]

I've had x2, and now have x3. love it. just very smooth and works well. 16x6 is fine for what I plan on doing. if I want to do guitar/foam, I would just use the cnc router. much better for that. much higher head speed.

[BrendaEM]

Originally Posted by askman I've had x2, and now have x3. love it. just very smooth and works well. 16x6 is fine for what I plan on doing. if I want to do guitar/foam, I would just use the cnc router. much better for that. much higher head speed.

For guitars, I'm thinking that it would be nice to be able to mill in the truss rod slots. It would be nice to not have to do that with a fence. The rods slots are about 1-4" / 5mm wide, and about 24 inches long--and because I'd be cutting hard maple, the machine would have to be pretty rigid vertical mill or "MadVac" kind of rigid.

The foam-thing would be better on a 4x8 router, but then I'd need to machines, one I have no room for. My thinking is I could cut foam into blocks, and reassemble it.

[askman]

I have linear rail on one of my router (cnc9000 from circuit specialist) with ball screws. it is really rigid. I am running taig spindle on it and works great. I think it is more than rigid enough to do the slot for the truss rod. it is till cutting wood after all.