I left the three cross-members on, do people take those off? I think I’ve read that people remove them.
@Julien from your picture it looks like you don’t use those three cross-members underneath your baseboard? That’s a great way to re-purpose the baseboard and commemorate its service.
@WillAdams was definitely the one I saw mention the HF mats; and I meant anti-fatigue, could you imagine mats that induced fatigue? probably a tough sell haha. When I had my SO resting on my work bench without the mat it was significantly louder.
I put adhesive rubber feet under my XL and was surprised how much quieter it is.
Probably also as good as the other mats mentioned. https://www.mcmaster.com/95495k722
The Misumi T-Slot HFSQN4-15250-500 was very popular for the Shapeoko 2 when two pieces fit the machine as if made for it:
(esp. during Misumi’s “Reddit-150” promo)
I don’t know that anyone has done it for an SO3 or XL or XXL — the cost stacks up pretty quickly — I believe that in addition to the pieces running front–back you’d need additional structure going side–side. I tried working up a B.O.M. for extrusion and parts available from Fastenal/Grainger (trying to avoid the added expense of shipping) but have instead continued w/ my weird T-track/MDF/PVC hybrid (at least I went to the effort to spray my MDF baseboard w/ spare urethane).
Yes. I actually have 4 of the Misumi 250mm wide extrusions leaning up against the wall in my shed because I was going to go that route before I went all in on the Ohio Diesel Parts bed. I think it would have worked well, but I do not like the “traditional” way of clamping using really long t-nuts and knurled nuts to clamp (like the Incra Build it clamps do) , so I bought Misumi T-nuts that fit the extrusion and then went to McMaster-Carr and bought 3/4" long all thread and ~7/8" long threaded couplers and was going to make an adapter so I could use the many 1/4-20 SHCS I already have.
I am debating whether to sell all of the Misumi extrusion as a set to someone who wanted to use it for their bed, or keep a small piece for really small work and make the adapters so I can precisely clamp things that are difficult to clamp with 1.5" hole spacing.
EDIT: If anyone was wondering, it was $59.98/ea for 1,066mm (~42.00") long pieces of the HFSQN4-1520 Extrusion plus ~$38.00 shipping to Washington state.
Yeah, the side–side arrangement is probably easier to make work, but I find it less pleasing aesthetically (as well as from a practicality standpoint).
While I’ll be getting some more expensive setup, I am going to try a budget-friendly, non-committal solution that will allow adjustment.
A bolt threaded through the bench-top right under each of the supporting steel planks making the base of the Shapeoko should allow easy adjustment of sagging with a twist of the wrench.
I figure two bolts per plate for a total of six should allow me to make fine-enough adjustments. Only add another nut right before threaded plate to keep bolt in place…
I used 1 1/4” MDF for the top of my table that my XXL sits on. It stays dead flat. Add a piece of that to the top of your table and then secure your Shapeco to that. My XXL, after surfacing has stayed flat within .003”. Flatness measured with a dial indicator in the collet over a 2” square piece of tool steel moved around the table in 6” increments.
That makes a lot of sense! Your table provides good and stable support for the already compressed and stable MDF (unless it gets wet!). Did you actually surface it or a spoil board that sits on and is totally supported by it?
The top of my table is 1 1/4” MDF. It’s coated with deft, top and bottom. I have installed another layer of 3/4” MDF(as a spoil board)and t-slots on top of the stock MDF panel that came with my machine. I then resurfaced the t-slot top to within .003”. The machine is heavy enough that careful adjustment of the leveling feet and careful surfacing will yield a flat and parallel surface to the carriage travels!
