A few people suggested I post the enclosure and cabinet I made for my new Shapeoko 3 XXL. It works really well and there are very few things I would change. Let me know what you think and I’m happy to answer any questions about it. Thanks a ton to Will Adams and several others of the C3D crew for answering my incessant questions during the build and assembly. Thanks for checking it out!! http://www.simplecove.com/695/shapeoko-xxl-cnc-enclosure-and-cabinet/
P.S. I was having issues posting the direct pictures so if there’s an issue with having posted the link, let me know.
Actually, my workbench is flatter than that torsion box, but that’s because I go at that with a straight edge and a jointer plane periodically. The torsion box is within 1/32 overall though.
Thanks for the sketchup model, I’ll use it for my n ext house, current home is 12’ x 20’ your’s might have more room. The best thing of my small house is that one person could visit but there’s no room for them to hang around. Have a cup of coffee, yak a bit and see ya later.
That’s a nice build. Add a cyclone upstream of the vacuum and you will rarely have to clean your filter. I use a cyclone plus a bag and filter in the shop vac and I’ve never had to change the bag or clean the filter and I’ve probably extracted 50 gallons of dust by now.
We had some discussion in an earlier thread about whether or not you can maintain a flat bed when you move the system. It would be interesting to see some dial indicator readings across the extents of the spoil board before and after moving the cabinet.
I have a dust collection system rigged for my other woodshop tools, so I imagine that at some point in the future, I’ll connect it to the CNC in some way, shape, or fashion.
As for bed flatness, I have to imagine its movement is negligible in this case. There’s a lot of center support under the torsion box and I surface the spoilboard after I moved to its permanent home and leveled the cabinet. I checked it with a straightedge right after surfacing it and did’t see a single gap. However, I’m also trying to manage my expectations as to the degree of precision I can coax out of this machine. I have the tendency to start chasing my tail when I want it perfect!
Actually, I wish it were 6" taller! It’s just the right height for the machine itself but I have to bend down and in to reach anything towards the middle or back, so that can be a pain.
As for the hose, mine is very flexible and stretchy and it doesn’t feel like there’s much torque when I pull it to the extreme end of the XXL’s movement. If there has been and deflection from the hose pulling, I haven’t seen it.
Jeremy, thanks for the Sketchup model. I’ve been dissecting it for ideas to match the enclosure I’ve been working on for another project. I’m trying to make an enclosure that will fit several machines. (Not at the same time! )
According to a response from Carbide3D, the overall measurement of the 3XXL is about 51" x 41" x 16". But then you came along with an enclosure close to what I was thinking. Fitting your machine into roughly 48" x 48".
The Carbide3D response suggested that “There’s also ~2 3/16” of overhang at the front of the machine which the router and carriage protrude into when fully forward at the maximum of the Y working area." This accounts for the 51" number in the Y direction.
Have you discovered a change to make your 3XXL fit?
I guess @JFischer911 is busy making sawdust, but in the meantime I have been adapting parts of his enclosure design to fit in my space. I’ve added the “New Yankee Workshop” style of lifting casters to the design and some openings for tools to sit. I’ll be glad to share these ideas when I can.
Sorry Tex, I was out of town for the last 10 days or so. I just went out and checked my machine and without the control box mounted to the side (it’s mounted inside the cabinet), it’s a 45x45x16, and that’s with the gantry pulled all the way to the front, (the overhang). The only time I run in to a collision problem (pun intended) is my dust boot hitting the front doors when the X axis rail is all the way forward. Other than that, I’ve had few issues. One thing I’m probably going to rebuild is the removable top. I want to make it 6" taller as it’s kind of a pain to reach deep into the work space. I practically have to crawl in!
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