largest footprint DIY router & cost?

[autobot]

What was the biggest footprint DIY router that you have built and what cost do you project them (mechanics only).

I want to build a router for furniture cutting so it has to at least accommodate wood equal or larger than a typical table. Preferably even bigger so I am not limited so i can say maybe cut meeting room tables too (can do them in sections too I suppose but they are wider).

Or is it better to buy commercial routers? How much do those go for, 30k?

[alan_3301]

I think 5'x10 is a common very large work area size, but usually a table top is glued together from smaller pieces right? I don't think you will need a table this large, I mean you won't be cutting a table top from a larger blank of wood. I don't think you can even get wood that large, if you could, think of how expensive it would be. If you were planning on spending 30k, look at used industrial machines. you can get huge ones for that price, but that is out of the diy scope, and you would need a very large space, and high power requirements. If you were talking about engraving the top of a large table, you can get a very wide or large machine, but I would have a 4x8, manageable size machine, for doing 90% of the work, and a smaller one to sit on top of the table and engrave whatever designs I wanted.

[vtx1029]

I would also say 5x10 would be about the biggest most shops would need unless your stock comes in something larger then that.

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Or MechMate CNC Router - Build your own with our detailed plans

IMO when it comes to cnc you either pay in $, time, but mostly both! If your a production shop and can afford a commercial router then go that route if you have more time and less $ go the DIY route there are tradeoffs to both. Figure out your needs and budget. That should lead you on what direction to go.

[jckstrthmghty]

IMO when it comes to cnc you either pay in $, time, but mostly both! If your a production shop and can afford a commercial router then go that route if you have more time and less $ go the DIY route there are tradeoffs to both. Figure out your needs and budget. That should lead you on what direction to go.

We have a saying in the programming industry that applies to all others.

Fast, cheap, and good. Pick two of the three.

[autobot]

I think 5'x10 is a common very large work area size, but usually a table top is glued together from smaller pieces right? I don't think you will need a table this large, I mean you won't be cutting a table top from a larger blank of wood. I don't think you can even get wood that large, if you could, think of how expensive it would be. If you were planning on spending 30k, look at used industrial machines. you can get huge ones for that price, but that is out of the diy scope, and you would need a very large space, and high power requirements. If you were talking about engraving the top of a large table, you can get a very wide or large machine, but I would have a 4x8, manageable size machine, for doing 90% of the work, and a smaller one to sit on top of the table and engrave whatever designs I wanted.

Yeah I know large wood pieces (real wood planks) are glued together for building larger furniture or door etc.

I mean after they are put to size, the CNC can help square edges, face off surfaces to flat them out, and mill patterns into the final product rather than do it by assembly and then manual work. Makes furniture building more precise and more automation than manual labor.

Plus if you are not using real wood, say using MDF or plastics or other materials you can get larger pieces

[autobot]

so a DIY large footprint (5'x10') router with all the spindle, vacuum and steppers, something like 5Kish then?

It looks like some of the ones you pointed to uses rack and pinion for linear actuation. Do they even make ballscrews that long (10') and if so it'd be super expensive I'd imagine? I know they do since they are often based on an extrusion roller of a round stock and then ground and cut so it can be any length, but how much does a 10' ballscrew cost? Also will it bend easily etc, perhaps even by its own weight?

[jckstrthmghty]

so a DIY large footprint (5'x10') router with all the spindle, vacuum and steppers, something like 5Kish then?

It looks like some of the ones you pointed to uses rack and pinion for linear actuation. Do they even make ballscrews that long (10') and if so it'd be super expensive I'd imagine? I know they do since they are often based on an extrusion roller of a round stock and then ground and cut so it can be any length, but how much does a 10' ballscrew cost? Also will it bend easily etc, perhaps even by its own weight?

Even if they did make 10' ballscrews you would experience whip at higher revolutions. You would need more power to drive them as well due to the increase in weight. I think r&p would be the way to go.

[TechGuy5002]

Is this big enough for you?
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/diy-cn...ml#post1031843

[autobot]

Even if they did make 10' ballscrews you would experience whip at higher revolutions. You would need more power to drive them as well due to the increase in weight. I think r&p would be the way to go.

Yeah, i'd imagine it needed to be higher diameter but it may not be offered conventionally. Or you can dampen it out a bit.

The biggest problem with rack and pinion might be resolution and backlash, though furniture work certainly doesnt require low tolerances so they may be ok from a practical perspective.

Are most of the large footprint routers rack and pinion? What other mechanism do they use to get motion?

[ger21]

so a DIY large footprint (5'x10') router with all the spindle, vacuum and steppers, something like 5Kish then?

I'd figure double that for a 5x10 machine, but there are really too many variables involved to really get a good idea of price.

We have a 5x12 router at work that has ballscrews, but the long screw (about 14ft) uses a rotating nut. The router is about $150K.

[vid1900]

so a DIY large footprint (5'x10') router with all the spindle, vacuum and steppers, something like 5Kish then?

I built a 5x10 Mechmate and it came to a little less than $5k.

Keep an eye on ebay for echain and spindle, tell a worker at the scrap yard you will tip him for putting clean steel aside for your build.

Stick to a proven plan. Let others waste money trying to build crazy designs. If you can weld, a steel router will be much cheaper than aluminum and much stiffer.

Forget ballscrews, get rack and pinion in your head for a router that size.

[arizonavideo]

For the 10 foot axes you could save some money by going to a twin drive chain setup driven by a single servo.

You can get good performance and save a lot of for the long axes.