since this is my first post, please let me know if I should include something to make it more precise.
I am in the process of ordering part for the Lowrider 3. Everything is printed and just waiting on couple more things to start building.
I am gonna be cutting 99% wood, sheets, solid wood. You name. Well that’s the idea anyway.
The supposed height in which LR3 can operate is 80mm, I would want to be flat surfacing some taller pieces - mainly cross cut slabs for coffee tables and so on.
Has anyone here designed / made a simple lift incorporated into the design of the table for the LR3 so there is some are that can be sunken into the table and there the piece can be moved towards the machine?
800mm of Z travel is very tall for an LR3, especially if you intend to be cutting solid wood with that much Z travel.
LR3 is most rigid at the bottom of Z travel, and there are things you can do to make better use of that rigidity. (E.g. make a drop table, or have elevated strips for the Y axis to ride on when going tall.
Maybe as a first step you should tell us more about how you’re planning to build your LR3, how you plan to lay out your table, and what your normal workflow and project types are.
How often would you be need that height? Could you create a table that has two tops? One that is fixed to the table and is low enough to allow you to put in those taller materials for surfacing. Then a second top that can be slid in and secured in place for ‘normal’ cuts with sheet material? A wooden frame that holds the second top. Slide it out for surfacing thick material and back in for sheet material cuts. I suppose that also depends on the thinkness of that material needing surfaced. If it is the same thickness usually that might be ok. If it changes you are going to need some different filler tables. I can try and draw something real quick if that doesn’t make sense. Picture worth a thousand words and all.
In this way you don’t have to create some sort of complex lifting and lower mechanics to move the table around. Your LR3 is then also just a default size and the rigidity that MakerJim was talking about is still in play. It is the table that has adjusted down, not the Z axis going way high.
A regular LR3 has Z range of 80mm ( https://docs.v1e.com/lowrider/#geometry ). With the right bits, should be able to cut 1.5" depth using a standard LR3 build. Is this enough room to accommodate the thickness of the slabs you want to surface? If not…
A few people have built taller YZ plates, sacrificing speed depending on material and Z cut height. Using a stock LR3, can make a “drop table” (forum has a few posted examples), and/or Y rails that overhang the front of your bench, and/or raise Y rails on top of a solid platform (e.g. stacks of MDF strips under the Y rails) are possible options.
Have seen people that surface lots of slabs end up building a dedicated jig/machine instead of using LR3/Primo.
Not exactly what you are asking about, but I built a tilt-away table that can be set for a range of working heights…
I’m sure with a bit of imagination and ingenuity, you could come up with a design that used electrical linear actuators to move the table bed straight up and down, while leaving the sides where the Y Rail and rollers at a stationary height.
Thank you very much everyone for replying and suggestions.
The 800mm was a typo, of course I meant 80mm. (I edited the original post)
I have available area in my workshop that has 2500mm x 1300mm. I think I won’t be able to cut full sheets as they are, but almost. The idea is to have the mechanism somewhere in the middle or end of the table.
Of course, as someone suggested, the best would be to have a dedicated machine for this. But I will be overwhelmed with building this one, so taking on another one wouldn’t be so resources friendly (budget, time, effort).
I am not sure yet how often would I use that. I reckon like 20% of the time. The heights of the pieces wouldn’t be larger than 250mm. And I think I’d need a 80-1000mm diameter max or so.
The other use is mainly cutting parts out of sheet good, cutting solid wood into shapes, engravings, and so on.
Again, not even sure if the LR3 wouldn’t be appropriate for this with such modification. The idea would be to take off say 3-5 cm at time and the lift the work piece (or turn it around), establish new “zero” and go from there.
I know that there are mechanisms for workbenches that can be adjusted by a pedal. There might be also something with a hand crank. Not sure about that.
Anyway, will leave it at that. Maybe someone will have some idea how to incorporate something simple, I worried about stability and accuracy of the machine by having such modification done. But I believe this can be done.
I’m one of the people that have a taller LR3, mine is a bit shy of 130mm (50mm extra Z.)
A drop table will let you work with thicker material, so long as you don’t need more than the 80mm of travel. The LR3 will remain stable with that.
I have heard an idea to make a frame that held the rails for a LR which could be placed over an object to let the machine carve something in place, with no spoilboard at all. It of course depends on your fabricstion skills for that, I might try to weld a steel frame to do it, if I were to go that route.
That could be used with a table as well, if you could keep everything level while raising and lowering.
Sorry for my late response, Dan. And thank you for the message.
What are you cutting with that extra height? And has it had any downsides?
Drop table is the right word I could have used for the thread and that’s what I meant, yes. I would be using that drop table just for flattening, there for 80mm of travel will be more than sufficient.
Your input about the metal frame is interesting but I do not have experience with welding. Not that I couldn’t learn that but I think not at this point.
Anyway, I’ll keep looking / thinking. I just got last part for the LR3, so I think i’ll start building soon.
