while still printing all the needed parts (Core printed 2,5 days at my Ender 3 V3) and waiting for the delivery of the ordered parts from v1e, i’m planning a table for the LR4 at my basement shop.
I’m not sure if i will build a permanent table where the LR4 sits and works on or if there might be a more flexible solution. As space is limited at my basement shop, it would be brilliant if i could place the LR4 at a table if needed and free up the working area if the LR4 is not involved anymore in building something.
What are your experiences with the LR4 if you often set it up and take it down again? Does it then have to be recalibrated each time, or is this comparable to setting up and dismantling a mobile table saw, for example?
I have already considered constructing a worktop on my normal workbench that I can remove when I don’t need the LR4. This worktop could then be stowed at a wall and doesn’t need that much space at the room.
Also is i’m really new to the project (still reading a lot every day), i’, asking if i can shorten the beams the core slides at to a length that it fits the available space at a worktop, or if i need to stick with some lenghts an adopt my worktop to that lenght?
i’, asking if i can shorten the beams the core slides at to a length that it fits the available space at a worktop, or if i need to stick with some lenghts an adopt my worktop to that lenght?
You can make it any size you want. If you need to configure it for a certain space you can use the size calculator and it’ll tell you what size the rails need to be for any sized work area.
The default configuration is that the Y axis is longer than the X axis - the shorter the X axis the stiffer it will be and in order to cut your X gantry strut plates in one go the Y needs to be longer than X.
I don’t know what the consensus on whether you need to re-square every time you unclip the Y belts and lift off the gantry - maybe someone who does that a lot can comment.
I was looking at finding a way to make it hoist up to the ceiling when not in use in my garage. It might be a little low-hanging, but I think it would work for me. Just trying to figure out what hardware I’d need for that.
I think some people use their LR4 bench as a workbench and just slide the LR out of the way. You could consider constructing a fairly permanent bench for it and just having dual use of it.
I think a hoist could be an interesting solution. I guess I’d look at what you’ll do with the space when it’s not occupied by the LR4. If you want it open, I think it would be neat to design some sawhorses that can lock in when you need it, but could be removed when it’s up (like a Paulk style workbench.)
But I’ve really been looking at lowering mine a few inches and making a “worktop” for it. It would cover the belts and attachments to protect them, but be flat on top. I could just slide it off the end and use the CNC, and slide it back on to use it as a work surface. (It would be ergonomically too high at the moment.) I built my table a bit longer than the work area and park the LR4 near Ymax when not in use. Unfortunately I have a tendency to bang the unprotected Y anchors with stuff in my hands, at least once causing the Y endstop to miss.
I’m a little worried that if I make it too much effort to set up, I’d use it less. I know that the flat surface of my table saw gathers cr*! stuff to the point I start looking for other tools so I don’t have to clean it off. (Probably more of a personal problem.). Hoisting it might prevent this.
I have my LR3 hoisted up to the ceiling in my garage. I have no problems with re-calibration when I put it back on the work surface.
You can see from the pictures that I added a board, attached to the ceiling studs, to allow me to position the lift point exactly over the ends of the LR3. The first iteration of this setup didn’t have that and it prohibited getting the system lifted high enough.
I also used two sets of pulleys per side and I needed the block and tackle approach to let me lift the whole assembly by myself. It still takes a lot of pulling to get it lifted and is always easier with another person.
Oh! That’s a cool solution. I was picturing a solution to lift the entire table without the legs.
I’ve found that the Y-rail isn’t really a problem. It’s sturdy enough that I think it would have to be hit pretty hard to be damaged. But the towers where the belts attach are a bit tall and I find I make inadvertent contact regularly. I need to either get them out of the way, or cover them.
I’m planning to hoist my entire 9.5’ x 5’ table to the ceiling using a modified garage storage lift. It should allow me to use a drill to lift and lower it. It will sit on sawhorses when in use. Hopefully I can get it modified and installed pretty soon.
I take my LR4 off the table pretty frequently, I think that is one of the great features is that the actual machine is not really that big without the y rail and belts. I have never had an issue with calibration after putting it back on the table, granted, I generally don’t do work that requires millimeter precision.
In terms of deciding on the size of your machine, I would really try and think about what projects you want to use the machine for. Through the several iterations my LR3 and LR4 have gone through, each time I make the machine a bit smaller because I find I am nowhere close to using the whole build area. While the idea of, “well it sure would be nice to be able to cut a full sheet with my cnc machine” is great, if you don’t have any projects lined up that require full sheet cutting or don’t really intend to ever cut a full sheet, you may end up making a machine with 48"x96" cutting area and only using 24"x 24" of it for 90% of your jobs. By no means trying to discourage you from making a larger machine, just a consideration as someone who has downsized after realizing I really dont need 4x8ft of cutting area
How easy was it to make the machine smaller? I’m trying to think back to the setup process of mine and I guess shortening the X and Y rails wouldn’t be that difficult, but it would be a pain to re-route the cabling. I’m actually having trouble getting the wiring done in my first build (sigh).
Yep, shortening the y rail is a piece of cake, you can even leave the pipe long, just have to move the belt holders. I am currently in the process of making my x axis shorter, and I’m starting by cutting new strut plates. It’s definitely more involved, I mean you are pretty much rebuilding the gantry.
