For those of you that have both machines which do you find yourself using the most? I already have an MPCNC but I’m considering cannibalizing it in order to make an LR4. Anything I’d miss about the MPCNC if I did this?
My MPCNC is about 4’ x 4’ and I have it setup with a laser and a 55mm spindle if that matters.
Your MPCNC is arguably too big for the design. So a LR4 would probably be a nice upgrade.
I disassembled my Primo for the LR3 after considering the pros and cons for a year and never regretted it. Now with the LR4, there hardly is a question in my eyes. I‘d even build the LR4 over a smaller Primo for the same build size, just because I like not having the rails in my face. 
I had an MPCNC for years. I had everything ready for an upgrade to the “Primo” as my “Burly” was getting to the point of needing a significant maintenance overhaul.
I ended up building a LR3 instead and never looked back. I don’t think I lost anything in my gamut of use cases by going with a lowrider configuration.
However, I will say that having two machines would be way better than one, and if you have space you will probably appreciate the ability to move work between them and being able to do multiple types of work without reconfiguring tools…
I agree with this. If you have the space for it keep the Primo as just a laser and build you a LR4 for the router.
That is what I did. I had a LR2 and then built a primo for smaller more precise things. Then sold the LR2 and built a new LR3. Once I had that I never really used the primo anymore, so I stuck a laser on it and its perfect for that!
My first build was a MPCNC Primo. It worked great, however size in my workshop was a big concern at the time, and the general layout of the MPCNC wasn’t as suitable for me. I switched to a LR3 and it is a great improvement due to the actual machine really only being the size of the gantry, since the y rail is just a small tube on the table. I personally think the LR3 is a bit more rigid than my MPCNC was, and is overall a more convenient machine to work with.
Okay thanks for the input, definitely good for thought. Think I’ll plan on keeping my mpcnc for the time being and see how it goes. Keeping as a dedicated laser machine isn’t a bad idea.
I took mine apart to make lr4. No room for both!
My primo was later resurrected as a plotter.
Great Thread, I am pulling my MPCNC apart this weekend. Planning on building a 4’ gantry and initially only using 30" for Y. Should keep a relatively small setup and allow me to expand easily if needed.
I think it’s just the standard build size, so 550mm X & Y cutting area (ish) which I guess makes it more like 3x3.
This is where I got that from
Yeah I think I’m at the max of the recommended dimensions, but it’s definitely not particularly rigid, so perhaps best suited to a laser or vcarve type setup.
closing old topic to help fight spambots