table for 4x8 mill

[MH1]

Hi, new to the forum. I decided I wanted to build a cnc mill that will be able to cut 4x8 sheets of wood/plastic. First hiccup I am encountering, how do I build something that will keep the rails the gantry rides on parallel? I figure I would build a 10 foot by 6 foot table and im wondering what I can do to make it right. Also I see many of the DIY mills use extruded aluminium of some kind, would that be sturdy enough for a table this big?

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[KH0UJ]

Well a CNC router`s structure depends on what material you wanna cut with it, in your case it`s only wood and plastic, a C-channel steel would be a cost effective way to make it, coupled with 2 inch sized angle bars for the bed, steel is an easy to weld material and sturdy too or if you wanna make it more expensive use the stainless steel version of the material though I never built one before but I`ved built 2 units of 20 foot boat trailers, one using galvanized material and the other one pure stainless. so yes I think it`s sturdy enough to support a 5 pound moving router on my opinion.

A good example of a CNC kit it`s almost plug and play without breaking a bank I guess then it`s up to you on how you design your table with it, it can even just be bolted on a wooden table to get started cutting wood and plastic projects >>> LT4800G LT GANTRY | Pro Cut CNC

[ger21]

First hiccup I am encountering, how do I build something that will keep the rails the gantry rides on parallel?

You build it so that it's adjustable, so you can shim, or move the rails, until they are parallel.

Also I see many of the DIY mills use extruded aluminium of some kind, would that be sturdy enough for a table this big?

As with just about everything with DIY CNC, it depends on your expectations. If you want to build something comparable to a $100,000 machine, then no. But they can work, if the extrusions are large enough.

[MH1]

After shopping a few options looks like square steel tube is probably my best cost to strength ratio. I obviously don't expect this to be a 100k machine equivalent, but if it could cut dove tails or even box joints that fit together, I would be really happy. I also would love to have a saw head to rip plywood down and replace my table saw for many applications, like the home Depot panel saws. That's about the top of my expectations. I'm sure I'll be back with more questions thanks for the replies.

[ger21]

. I also would love to have a saw head to rip plywood down and replace my table saw for many applications, like the home Depot panel saws.

There's no need for a saw blade, as a router bit can easily do that.