Hi! I’m looking to build my first CNC and am looking for advice on planning it. I’m thinking of building a Low Rider and later reusing some of the components to build a PrintNC after I learn more.
I’m looking to be able to work on quarter or half sheets of plywood if possible as well as 2”-thick hardwood and 2x4 construction lumber.
Because I don’t have a dedicated dust collector setup, I’m thinking of building a torsion box base to put the Low Rider on so I could move the CNC outside my home when I use it, and bring it back inside when I’m done. Is this a bad idea? I figure that 3D printers can be moved while fully-assembled, so why not a relatively small CNC.
I was thinking of building a torsion box workbench that can sit on top of metal sawhorses or a knockdown solid wood base like Rex Krueger’s “Quick-Stack Workbench”.
If the idea of making the CNC portable is not a good idea, do you have recommendations on controlling the dust when using it indoors? Dust has a way of wandering throughout the space and I figure I’d have to build a wall, enclosure, or something similar to keep dust from spreading in my basement while I wait for the dust collector to do its thing.
Dust collection is integrated with the LR design. (At least look at some pictures. You will need a vacuum cleaner/dust collector for the task and the recomended flexible hose
Do a quick search in the forum, there have been some portable machines around. Thise pist will get you in the right direction
Don’t overthink the table. The CNC can be mobile. No problem there. The important thing is that it needs to be reasonably flat. But 1/4 inch over 4 feet is not a huge deal. Especially for through cuts. I would build my first table like a wall. 2x4 frame and a thick waste board on top. Put it on whatever base you want.
The dust should really be wood chips. A bit cuts bigger chunks than sandpaper does, by two orders of magnitude. A shop vac does a good job of keeping the chips collected and cleaning uo afterward. But rolling it outside is fine too. I like to use my leaf blower to occasionally dust the garage. It takes a lot less time than dusting the house .
The PrintNC is not an upgrade, IMHO. The LR4 is a beast.
IDK what your use case is. But if you want to start with an easier machine and move to a more capable one, I would start with a half/quarter size LR4 and upgrade to a full sheet if you want to start cutting big stuff. A 2’ work area LR4 can compete with a lot of CNC machines 5x its price.
Wonderful, thanks! Also, is it straightforward to use a Bosch 1617 router instead of a Makita RT0701C? It would be nice to be able to use 1/2” bits. Plus my Makita is the cordless version (XTR01) instead of the corded RT0701C so I might need to get one if the Bosch doesn’t work. Not sure if it’s as simple as designing an adapter to mount it.
Thanks, I did see that the Low Rider allowed for attaching a vacuum. I was looking for ways to control dust/chips even more. I found that on my makerspace’s Shapeoko with a shop vac (or even the big CNC with its dedicated dust collector), there’s still plenty of dust/chips to clean up even with the vacuum setup.
Otherwise I can’t justify to my girlfriend why I’m using a CNC in the basement just a few feet away from our clothes washer and dryer .
It will depend on your build size. You can build an enclosure to contain dust even more. But every cnc will leave some uncollected chips/dust. If your woodwork leaves a lot of dust your feeds&speeds are wrong
Okay, why would you advise against it? Is the Low Rider not suitable for a router capable of using 1/2” bits?
Also, which 65mm spindle would you recommend and why would you recommend it over a trim router which seems more affordable? Would that allow for later adding an ATC like the Rapid Change?
A router that could take a 1/2” bit is about double the size of the recomended router for the lr. I would assume it weighs more too.
A 65 spindle with vfd (the spindle would work with the router mounts for the makita or kobalt out of the box. A 65mm spindle you can get it up to 1.5kw. with the 3/8” limits of the er16 collet. And yes if you plan your table accordingly you can have the rapidchange atc the spindle have reverse and takes standard er collets/nut. Those are the basic requirements
The bosch is 4.5 kg. The makita RT0701C is 1.75 kg. I doubt it would make a good replacement. The makita is recommended because 1) It was a bit arbitrary, but having many people using the same router means fewer surprised. 2) It is built for constant use. 3) It has a great power per pound/diameter.
You can use anything on it. It is your machine. But sticking with something that is already pretty common can save you headaches. The other common solutions are the kobalt and carbide, both of which are no longer in production.
A good compromise is a 65mm 800w spindle with vfd. It will make it possible to upgrade to the rapidchange atc down the road. (An aircooled spindle kit will cost you under 250usd (please get a tested vfd/working config for fluidnc aka HY vfd)
I have considered a project to put an LR4 on a Ryobi Speedbench. I think it looks like a cool way to have a CNC plenty big enough to do cutting boards and inlays for me. I think someone on the forums has already tried it, but I imagine there are multiple ways to do it.
I also think a router is probably easier to make portable than a spindle setup. My VFD is mounted to my table, while a router is self contained on the LR4. So picking up and grabbing the LR4 before folding the table would be a bit easier if you didn’t have to worry about the spindle wires. (Definitely not a deal breaker though.)
I got it totally done and working. Interesting thing is, quite a few of my projects are too big for the portable build, so my big fullsize LR4 keeps getting used instead. But at some point I may need to actually carry the small one to a remote job site!
in the forum, there have been some portable machines around. Thise pist will get you in the right direction
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