@geodave, I am responding to your comment here:
The pictures may be hiding some things:
- The glass and the gantry is pretty heavy. The EMT is stronger than it needs to be for this size. I thought about 3D printing some new glass holding brackets, but I worry they will sag unless I make them too big. I would be willing to try it, but special attention needs to be applied to make sure the glass is held rigidly w.r.t. the gantry.
- The bevel (or whatever you call the non-glass surface area) is pretty large. More than 4". That is partially because the machine can be made dining room table sized, and partly because of the chunky legs I made.
- The LED cavity geometry is important. The LEDs were a soft glow and the baking soda made crisp shadows. There may be other ways to achieve that effect, but building it in 3 layers is a very effective way to mae it.
Overall, I am really happy with the table design. There are a few nits that could get better (the bottom glass mounts, the internal cable channel for the B motor, the controller needs automation and/or a screen). But this should be a good starting point for a more standard, accessible design. I really like the size of the glass panels, and I hope they are identical across the world. The smaller commitment of a table top version makes it much more accessible.
Building it from baltic birch is not the cheapest way. But it would have looked sharp if it was made from painted MDF too. Once the leds are on, no one looks at the woodworking anymore.