Any anecdotes about how much more rigid the track kit for the 3xxl is over the mdf spoilboard?

CNC Machines Shapeoko
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As the topic says. I am concerned with lag and am curious if the T track offers much in the way of an advantage in that regard.

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The t-track kit just went on top of the MDF, and I suppose could maybe reduce some amount of sag, but I wouldn’t expect it to conteract sag of MDF much. Especially since you’d be mounting the t-track ontop of the sagged MDF. The spoilboards that you put between the track getting leveled would be the main thing that I guess removes the concern?
I think the common solution was to put foam/yogamat/something squishy underneath instead of leveling feet, and then put MDF spoilboard on top and surface that down flat so you have a good starting workpoint. Though you could combine this with the t-track kit as well (foam underneath the machine).

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I built a torsion box that my Shapeoko 3XXL sits on. On top of the torsion box I placed a 3/4" rigid foam on top of the torsion box. I removed the leveling feet and sat the Shapeoko directly on top of the foam. This removed the center sag I had on my machine. The torsion box is not necessary but gives me a solid base for the Shapeoko to sit on.

Attached is my document on how to build a torsion box and how to make an optimized spoil board for the XXL.
spoilboard_considerations.pdf (1.3 MB)

torsion_box.pdf (2.0 MB)

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I already have the fett off and have it sitting on 2 layers of pink foam. Perhaps the table it is on isn’t so great or my issues are just the MDF swelling. Perhaps some tests are in order.

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I keep my XL in a basement, and the things I’ve done along these lines are:

  • sprayed the MDF w/ two coats of spare urethane
  • placed the machine on a piece of Baltic Birch plywood on a leveled table
  • placed two sections of Harbor Freight anti-fatigue mats covered by a thin Yoga mat (to keep debris out of the crevices) in-between the plywood and the machine
  • in addition to the standard T-track kit, I added in some additional pieces in-between to make it easier to clamp small parts and to make the spacing match standard lumber sizes
  • replaced the MDF filler strips w/ PVC lumber

I only level the PVC filler strips when they get beat up.

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