My lame idea was just insert your screws partially and it will stay on that temp bracket just fine. As in, it will not slide off but it could actually move.
That seems much easier and more temporary then actually screwing it in.
I like people to know it is temporary, as some people run the LR3 with temp plates still. The machines are drastically better with real strut plates.
I need to think about this a bit. Maybe I just add one hole.
Because it works fine for them.
My advice is for you to build in reasonable mounting accommodations and don’t try to penalize someone who finds their machine is adequate for their immediate needs. We can always point out to each other when we post that we should take the time to finish it correctly. (Spoken as an offender that hasn’t yet finished rebuilding everything to released specs)
My RC builds used my own design segmented temporary printed plastic strut plates based on Jamies’s SCAD strut plate generator. (Each span has 3 plates, because that’s the biggest I can fit diagonally on my TAZ printer)
Ganted- they have full-span support, and excess braces.
I can’t tell any rigidity difference between that and the janky MDF/Tightbond III coated plate I made. If anything, with full-span plastic strut plates it’s better than with the MDF.
suggestion the skr control box could be about 10 - 15 mm wider on left side to allow for connectors to reduce pressure and lot swearing
hgeef
It will not work. The brace spacing works out to the very edge of the box in some situations.
I have not released the SKR LCD holder or box info yet but it will include the statement to bend up the wires if you are using a crimp connector. I did show this int the box pictures on printables though.
Unclear to what this means.
You should 100% install the strut plates before the box or wiring as shown in the instructions.
yeah guess it would with a shorter x axis
my x is 1300mm , so i have bit more room between braces
forget about bottom message that was meant to be replied elsewhere ill delete it
Big progress yesterday. Got all the ribs and struts cut for my portable (if there is such a thing with a full size machine, lol) table top using the table saw and a dado blade. Set the on 15/32s and it was a fantastic perfectly snug fit. Can’t wait to do the glue-up after my Saints get their asses kicked by the dirty birds.
On another note, before breakfast, I ran a test on the Primo for cutting the strut plates. I use Lightburn for most everything DXF so after using the calculator and creating the SVG file, I imported it to lightburn then figured out placement of register holes, broke it into three parts, exported DXF then set the tool paths in Etslcam (or whatever its called).
I had some 3.25mm melamine backing laying around from prior cabinet build so I used that to test the files on the Primo. I was very happy with the results…
I suppose 1/4” material would be better but maybe this will work just fine.
better than fine, that should work great. If the backside is bare MDF, consider coating it with tightbond III before assembly.
as in paint it with TB3? thinned ?
Yes, and no- just spread it on thin.
It’ll seal the MDF and add a little bit more rigidity.
Good advice and I’ll add the following, This is not a “must do” instruction - just a bit of a brain dump:-
It’s important to coat both sides with the same stuff as you will get differential movement between the two sides. This goes for any timber - if you are going to paint the exposed face you really should seal the concealed surface as well.
Depending on the breed, MDF doesn’t like water, or water based coats as a primer - PVA glues (like tightbond) are water based, and you’d probably what to thin it a bit, and use a thin coat so it dries very quickly. It works a treat, but be aware that the edges and surface could get a bit thicker as they soak in the water.
You can get shellac based primers or lacquer sealers which dry almost instantly.
I’m a big fan of clear shellac sanding sealer - it’s as dear as poison (more than twice the price of Titebond 3) , but it’s meant for the job and you get what you pay for!
I’ll have to do a comparison on some scrap MDF. I happen to have a can of that very product sitting on a shelf in my garage.
I’ll still assert that in my tests the difference on thin MDF is strinking between coated and non-coated with TB III.
Absolutely!
It will be interesting to see if there’s any noticable difference in finish. I use the sealer often on MDF before slapping on a coat of water based satin clear (which takes longer to dry and can have a bit of a swelling effect).
48-in x 96-in Smooth White Hardboard Marker Board Wall Panel from Lowes is what I used as a back to some kitchen cabinets I made our son. So, it is not really MDF, it is that tempered hardboard stuff with smooth white melamine on one side. I’m just going to install the strut plates as is. I’m sure it will hold up fine since there was no issues using as is in a kitchen that gets a ton of use in terms of temperature and humidity. 
I started gluing up the table ribs. Broke a couple which didn’t need to happen. The work table i use to build cabinets on when I tapped the ribs into the slots, there was too much vibration, long story short, hammering or tapping them into place was NO BUENO. I wish I had figured it out sooner (before rather than after I broke a second rib), that I only needed to gently press them into each other with clamp. It was soooooo easy to get the last long rib in I laughed at myself for aggravating over the others.
Those little corner clamps worked great and when I check the overall grid for square, it was within a 1/32 so… happy so far.
Looking good!
on the table top, I will be using the M8 x 1.25 nylon bolts and threaded inserts. I’ll need to glue blocks on inside corners of the “grid” to accept the threaded inserts. all will be glued and thus far I have not used any fasteners… just joints and glue. I have drawn a grid and created the dxf file with the assumption that the machine will function correctly when powered up to mark the holes on the table top that will need to be drilled. I’ll use the LR4 to locate the center of the holes using that dxf file so I can mark new spoil board in future (again I am using Ass U Me). I’ll come back and use a forstner bit to drill 3/4" relief for the bolt head and 5/16 for the M8 bolt ( or if i am confidend, i’ll have the LR4 do all the drilling). this dxf grid will also mark the hardboard so I know where to drill the holes to thread in the threaded inserts. if all goes well (and that’s a BIG if), I will be able to bolt down the 3/4" MDF spoil board using 28 nylon M8 bolts. probably (no definitely) overkill for sure and I will likely reduce that to like 6 or 8 nylon bolts actually holding down the spoil board if I take it off and on very often.
Couple of updates.
Strut plates, I recalculated using 7 brackets and made new files. Still needed to use location pins to cut such a long piece on the Primo.
It was not as ‘perfect’ as last time, but it worked.
Both strut plates are now on the gantry…
Moving back to the table, i began installing the 90* triangle blocks which the threaded inserts will sit in. 28 of these suckers. LOL. I love overkill.
I am building the entire grid without fasteners, just glue and clamps. The top & bottom hardboard will be glued and likely brad nailed albeit to a thin 1/2” ply edge. Probably better off using lots of glue and weights 
These will also keep the grid sturdy and square.
I really wished I had check to see how much bow I had in the table I build the torsion grid on. When I laid the grid on the shop floor, it really showed quite a bow. I wonder if gluing 3/4” ply on the bottom weighted would force the grid to be at least as flat as the concrete…. 
When I laid the Y runners down and sighted the corner of the 1x6 that is when I noticed the bow. Almost quarter inch so that is not gonna fly. I might just start from scratch with 3/4” and glue it up right on the slab floor… probably should have done that to begin with but was trying to save my back working a bit higher…
So I am thinking out loud while typing. I will attempt to glue the hard board on the bottom side (lots of titebond ) and tons of weight and see what happens… that will be the next move before I go and repurchase new ply and start again.
Don’t do that - hold on for a sec - I’m sure I’ve got some photos in a couple of posts.
