Hey Everybody, I recently purchased a Tormach 440, and decided to build an Enclosure for it. I wanted to save money (the commercially available version is around $1650), and I hoped that I'd be able to design/build something that was easier to assemble & disassemble than the version Tormach sells. I've watched a video on the commercial version, and it seems like taking it off will be a very time consuming process. I imagine that it's not something you have to do very often, but still...it didn't look fun. That said, I've started my build and am almost complete.
So far, I'm very happy with it. It consists of 5 lightweight panels, and can be assembled or disassembled in about 5 minutes. I've deviated from the original design by making the door opening wider, and one of the doors smaller (so it doesn't swing into my control console area too much). It appears as though it will do a good job of blocking chips and coolant, although it's not quite done, so I can't be 100% sure just yet. I've got a good feeling about it though ;-)
One of the biggest challenges was making something on a budget that would hold up to the moisture of my chosen method of coolant, the FogBuster. I decided to make it out of 1/4" Baltic Birch Plywood, and the windows/doors out of Polycarbonate. I coated the wooden panels with MAS Penetrating Epoxy, then Rust-Oleum Topside Primer, and finally Rust-Oleum Topside Paint. I think the Topside will hold up pretty well, but only time will tell. I've also considered adding adhesive backed sheets of PVC film, available for cheap from McMaster Carr. My thinking is that the PVC sheets would give the "blasts zones" a little more protection. It should take the chips a little longer to eat through a PVC sheet. When it does, I can replace the sheet, lengthening the lifespan of the Topside paint.
So in terms of budget, I think I'm coming in at right around $300. The most expensive items so far have been the MAS Epoxy and the Polycarbonate windows/doors. I could have spent less by buying a large sheet from McMaster Carr, but decided to just go with pre-cut sheets that were close to the right size (from Home Depot). The Epoxy was about $80 (from Rockler), and the Polycarbonate was about $84. The Topside Paint & Primer together were about $45, and then there were consumables (brushes, drop-cloths, etc.). The plywood used is probably around $50 worth. Lastly is hardware...probably $20 or so.
I'm also very thankful to the community here for all the information that has been shared. I'm along time reader, and have only recently started to post. My last post was a request for help, and the community came through in excellent fashion. That said, I really wanted to share the info on my enclosure here, hoping that it helps somebody else out along the way. I'll provide dimensions and am happy to answer questions.
The process went something like this:
Day 1: Design the enclosure to be made from plastic panels. Took about 8 hrs. Then, scrap the entire design and start over with plywood. Took another 40 mins...haha. Day 2: Finish the plywood design, took about 3 hours. Day 2 (continued): Cut and assemble the panels, took about 5 hours. It's important to note here that my goal was to see how fast I could build this thing. I figured if saving money was one of the main motivations, then building it slow would defeat the purpose. I made almost all my cuts freehand with a circular saw and jig saw. I have a tendency to build things "perfectly", and this project was a deviation from my norm. Again, the goal was to blast through it as fast as possible. So my lines aren't exactly the straightest on this build ;-) Day 3: Add hardware and make adjustments to the enclosure as necessary. This means cutting notches, finding out where tubing will fit, making sure everything that needs to fit will, even when the machine is moving through X, Y, & Z. Took all day. Day 4: Add Epoxy. Took about an hour. Let it cure overnight Day 5: Sand, add primer. Took about 2 hours. Let it cure overnight. Day 6: Sand, add Topside. Took about 2 hours. Let it cure for 2 days. Day 7/8:....Well, that's where I'm at now. I'm debating on adding another coat of Topside, but honestly, it looks pretty good as it is, and is getting nice and hard. I'm thinking I might just add some color to the outside so it's not so stark white and call it good. Especially if I'm going to protect the inside with PVC anyway.
You'll notice in the pics that I glued strips of polycarbonate to create the overlapping "door flaps". For this, I just used superglue and butterfly clamps. You'll also notice a shot of the bottom edge of the door opening. That is there to show that I planed and sanded that edge to slope downward into the enclosure. This should help to prevent chips from building up on that edge.
What do you guys think? What color should the outside be? I've thought about painting the outside gray to match the new "MX" versions that Tormach is making. Thoughts?
Generally, when a thread starts "I wanted to save money (the commercially available version is around $1650)" the expected outcome is "... but then I had to give up and buy the ready-made solution anyway" so I'm glad you managed to avoid that fate :-)
Did you make the left/right windows openable? They are on the factory enclosure, and I've used that to put large workpieces in a few times (drilling/shaping ends of various tubing and such.)
If you didn't yet, maybe it's not too late to make an affordance for that :-)
Thanks! I made the windows removable via one small machine screw. Basically, the window pops up into a slot at the top, and the machine screw goes through at the bottom and fixes it in place. I thought about making them sliding, but the extra work involved for what I'm pretty sure I won't use too often didn't seem worth it. I guess time will tell. I have more photos on smaller details like that, and if there is interest in this thread, I'll post those as well. Thanks again!
Here's the latest pic - I decided to go with a blue, but also left some white accents. Once this is dry, I'll need to touch up the white (where I got sloppy with the blue), then the next step should be the final assembly. After that, I'll finally be able to actually use the Tormach!
EDIT: The blue paint is Behr Oil-Based Enamel. Had to stick with oil-based since the Rust-Oleum Primer and Topside are both oil-based.
Okay, the enclosure is done. I decided to go ahead and line the inside with PVC film, which took about an hour. I was cognizant of water flow direction, and made sure to build from the bottom up so that overlaps would allow the water to run down (think shingles on a roof). I also added a light, which really makes things easier to see inside. I'm not 100% happy with how the super-glued door overlaps turned out. The glue created a haze and it is uneven. If it bothers me enough, I might go back and sandblast the seam to hide the glue. We'll see. Other than that, I'm pretty happy. If anybody wants to know more about it, let me know.
Tormach 440 DIY Enclosure
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