I’ve had the MPCNC for a few years now. It exceeds to recommended size and I’m likely impatient when it comes to cutting/'carving times. Most everything I’ve cut has been 3/4" or less so I guess I’m looking at the LR4 and it possibly being a better fit for what I want to do.
The problem is I don’t have a ton of space. I could build the same 24"x24" workspace that I have with the MPCNC, but maybe I can find a way of building a bigger size if there’s a better way to store it when not in use. I find that I’m constantly hitting the limit of the 24". Or maybe that’s always the case no matter how big the machine is.
I do have wall space. My initial thought was making a table that folds up against the wall. But looking at the LR4, it doesn’t look like it would support itself hanging on the wall very well. Actually I don’t quite understand how not being supported on both sides will be rigid, but that’s another question that obviously I’m wrong about.
Does the router/gantry have to be mounted at all times? How difficult would it be to remove when not in use and store it on a shelf? I wouldn’t need to worry about it mounted on the wall while the table could still be. And how time consuming would the process be for remounting everything?
The last question is do I really benefit from dismantling the MPCNC? Or am I better off starting from scratch and selling the MPCNC? It currently runs Marlin on the Einsy Rambo board (stolen from an upgraded Prusa). But the Jackpot controller looks like a surprisingly affordable option. Is it that much better? Yeah, the Wifi would be nice, but that’s not a must-have requirement. Does it gain me any better results than the Marlin board?
If I were building new and wanted the larger work area, I would build a 48 (or maybe 50") inch wide (X axis working area) LW4 gantry running on a Jackpot board, and buy belts long enough for a the longest table I could dream of. Then start with whatever length table meets your current needs (sounds like 36" working length might be a good fit if you’ve hit a limit at 24" in the past)but odn’t cut the Y belts to length, just coil up the extra belt length that you’re not currently using out at the far end. Lots of folks have posted in the forums how they dismount the lowrider gantry to store their setups, so pick whatever method there works for you.
When life allows you to expand the working footprint, all you need to do is extend your table and unroll the extra belt length.
The belts tie in to the belt holders bolted to the table and wedge into place with a belt tightening bolt. To pull the gantry off, you loosen the belt tensioner and lift the belt out of the holder and pick up the gantry. Can be done in a minute or so depending on how hard it is to get to the back tensioners → they are at y max on both sides.
I like the idea of leaving the extra belt coiled up. I was thinking a 4’x4’ cutting area would be doable. But the idea of expanding it later could be very useful.
Maybe I haven’t searched the right terms, but I wasn’t have much luck seeing other examples of how people stored their gantry by unmounting it. Or at least in a way that would work for me.
I just built my LR4 in December and I made it approximately 32" W x 42" L, similar to what you seem to be leaning toward. When in use, the whole thing sits on my table saw and outfeed table. It takes me about 1 minute to stretch and remove the Y-belts. I don’t unscrew the tensioners. The board then sits against a wall and the gantry sits on a work cabinet in my garage. It takes maybe 2 minutes to put it back together and it runs square without any fuss.
My LR4 uses a 36” hollow core door as the main structure of the table. The door sits on foldable saw horses. I get about 2’ x 5’ for a cutting area. The table is very light.
When I store the machine. I jog to mid range for X and Y. The Z I jog to near home. I do the Z axis this way so that the gantry does not drop when I pick it up. The Y belts are easy to un-hook, roll up, and store on the gantry. I pick up the gantry and store on a 3’ shelf. The door is light and easy to pick up and store against the wall.
It takes me about 5 minutes to store or setup the machine.
I’m also thinking about how to store my no yet built LR4. A torsion box table that folds against the wall (underside towards wall) has been my idea this far. But perhaps I should think about other solutions.
Those of you who have created a storage solution for the LR4, would you like to post some pictures?
I’m going to hoist mine to the ceiling as my garage has over 11’ ceiling. Plan on modifying a winch system from an overhead storage system. I don’t have legs on my torsion box it will sit on metal sawhorses so there will still be over 8’ of clearance when lifted. My table is 9.5’ x 5’ in case you were wondering. Not sure if that helps but maybe help with some ideas.