Hi everyone,
I have found myself with a small dilemma. The footprint of Carlos is 1524x1200mm, not including the overhang of the Y axis motors at the back and the cable chain overhanging on the right. The bench was originally going to be 1800x1200mm but I increased the width to 1800x1400mm to allow some additional space to build an enclosure in the future. I have two pieces of 1800x1200mm form ply intended for the bench top and shelf below but with the increased bench width one sheet of ply is not enough. So I am deciding how to cut the two sheets to cover the bench top. I have some smaller sheets of melamine chipboard from an old kitchen which will suffice for the shelf. Image "1" is my first choice because the sheet width will equal the machine width, then I can use a couple 100mm strips either side to fill the gap. Option 1 will also allow me to use the second sheet of ply for the shelf. Is there any reason to consider options "2" and "3" other than aesthetic appeal, such as structural integrity of the bench?
Option "2" is also appealing for a very different reason. The machine itself has two sheets of ply above and below the Al channels in the base which I forgot to order back when I ordered the other ply, so now the parts need to be limited to what can fit in my car. My thought is to reallocate the 1800x1200 sheets of form ply for use in the machine base and have some new ply sheets cut to 1800x600 for the bench, which should just fit in my car.
Not really a problem, would just like to hear thoughts/ideas before cutting up the two sheets I have.