I have a SO5Pro on order as well. I ordered the 4x4.
For my workbench, I went with 2 of these.
Industrial Packing Table - 60 x 30", Composite Wood Top H-1135-WOOD - Uline
I added the Wheel kit so I can move it around.
I will bolt two of them together. If It’s a bit too small in one direction I can add a spacer (2x4) to make it a little bigger.
Welcome. Those size dimensions on the product page are accurate. My table is based on the Rockler Rock-Steady 54x54 bench kit with a 60" deep and 62" wide top.
Hey Josh-
Thanks for the info. I looked at the Kreg frames, but they didn’t seem to have a suitable option for the 4x2 5 Pro. I think I could take the Rockler components and assemble a frame that is 56" wide by 32" deep by 32" high and then overhang the top by 4" (2" all around), which is pretty much exactly what I’m looking for.
Here is the table and enclosure put together for our 2x4 5 Pro that is 65" x 38" x 30". As I mentioned earlier believe the ideal size would be an additional 6" to the footprint, I had to shoehorn into a small area in my retail shop so it is a bit smaller and necessitated shortening the gantry travel to accommodate the Sweepy in the full forward position. Since the display cabinets were already there, used 3/4" ply that the 1" angle iron frame lays on top of with a rubber mat between both the cabinet and machine. All will eventually rest on a Husky roller box. In the case of the cabinets and the roller box, the machine sits 40" off the ground eliminating most bending over to operate.
Thanks to everyone for the input. Here’s my current thinking . . .
Using the Rockler Rock Solid 56" wide by 32" deep steel frame system and attaching a 66" long by 40" wide piece of 3/4" plywood as the bench top (stiffened/supported as required). The plywood would overhang (cantilever) the sides by 5" and the front and back by 4". That should give the Shapeoko 5 Pro 2.5" of additional space for the front and the back and 3" of additional space for either side. The plywood and plexiglass enclosure would be supported on the extreme four corners (right now the thinking is using nominal 2x4 columns long enough to give internal vertical clearance of 32").
Here’s a rough sketch:
Shapeoko-Table-02242023.pdf (113.2 KB)
I think the only additional input I would recommend is laminating 2 sheets of ply for the bench top. Other than that…rip it out. 
Having some room at the front of the table is nice. You need a place for bits to fall so they do not hit the floor. You need a place for wrenches and calipers. I have about 8 inches in front of my machine and love it. I have a 12" X 2" plastic tray under where I change bits. It is nice for the bits to fall into the plastic tray and not the floor. In that plastic tray I store my 1/8" collet, most used bits and my scraper for removing painters tape/Superglue from the spoilboard. So having a little room in the front is nice for a lot of things.
Thanks for the info and the photos. Do you have a large (60"x35" or so) rubber mat that the entire frame of the Pro 5 2x4 rests on it? What kind of rubber, and how thick? I’ve seen large rolls of 1/4" thick ‘foam rubber’ made of closed-cell neoprene that look like giant mouse pads. Is that the kind of rubber you used?
What is the purpose of the mat? To compensate for any surface irregularities of the table so that the frame of the machine isn’t stressed or distorted by bridging from high point to high point? Or is the mat there to absorb any noise and vibrations that can be amplified by the ‘banjo effect’ of the plywood tabletop? And did I read that you use two mats, between table and plywood and between plywood and Pro 5 frame?
A lot of questions, I apologize.
There are other replies to your question in this tread.
Thanks for your prompt reply. There is a ton of mixed info in that thread alone.
Which brings up the point . . . I’m the new kid here, and I tried to at least peruse the archival forum topics to get a general feel for the place before asking a bunch of questions. But, it turns out that there is still a lot of stuff covered in a lot of threads over the past coupla years that I should maybe research a bit more. I certainly don’t want to be the guy who keeps dragging up a dead horse that the . . . ummm . . . more senior forum members don’t like to keep rehashing. I hope that is not the case in this instance.
Folks were just trying to be helpful by pointing out that this topic had been covered before.
It’s very hard, esp. when one is just starting out and is uncertain of the terminology to find stuff.
There is no stupid question, and it’s not an inconvenience at all for a new user to ask anything — folks who don’t want to answer can skip over it far more quickly and efficiently than a new user would struggle to find the answer in old (and buried) threads.
Thanks. I understand completely. AlphaHD Tim has been very helpful, and I appreciate that.
I have actually seen that thread he linked. But I quickly glanced over it because I thought it was a perennial Speeds and Feeds topic or maybe a Loose Collet or Spindle Runout issue. Had I delved more than a couple of replies into it, I would have encountered a half-dozen or more questions I have in my head right now by the time I got to Reply No 46 (by AlphaHD Tim). I guess it’s kinda comforting to see that fellow hobbyists have concerns similar to mine.
I’ve been searching the archives of this forum as well as googling the web to find information about using toolpaths and g-code generated by Fusion360 with Shapeoko 5 Pro. I’ve downloaded the latest versions of Carbide Create and Carbide Motion. I probably won’t be using Carbide Create very much because I design stuff using AutoCAD Civil 3D and layout toolpaths and generate g-code using Fusion360. Because I am still many months out from getting my machine, I cannot open Carbide Motion to familiarize myself with its functions and/or get moving along the learning curve. When I open it, I get stuck on the opening screen with a big button in the middle that says “Connect to Cutter”. I have no cutter to connect to.
Can anyone explain their experience using Fusion360 as a design tool and a g-code generator? Or suggest a few links to videos or helpful websites? I plan to use Carbide Motion to simply feed g-code generated from an outside CAD/CAM system to the 5 Pro controller.
Thanks.
I’ve always found Winstons videos quite helpful overtime. He had one a while back as a primer:
I’d also highly recommend Winstons channel as well:
Lars has been my goto for fusion as well:
I use F360 daily. It is absolutely awesome for practical/mechanical projects. But as much as I love it for all the mechanical stuff I do, it is absolute garbage for most decorative stuff.
I use Carbide Create Pro or Vectric VCarve for decor and 3D mesh stuff.
I also second Winston and Lars, but also add NYCNC.
I just got notice that my Shapeoko 5 Pro 4x2 has shipped. I ordered it Feb 14, and at the time the projected shipping date was May 28. The prospect of a 3-1/2 month wait was a bit excruciating, but I still placed the order. Having it arrive about 2 months early is a relief. Of course it isn’t here yet, so it’s a little too soon to celebrate, but overall this is good news.
In the meanwhile, I assembled the table. I used the Rockler Rock Steady metal framing system instead of the Kreg. The Rockler is plenty sturdy and powder-coated and cost about $100 less. Of course, any savings was swallowed up by the plywood that cost about twice as much as the steel frame.
Here’re a coupla photos . . . ¾” AC plywood for the bottom shelf, full-size side panels, 16” deep back panel, and 6” deep front apron. Double-layer plywood for the 64” by 37” top. Everything is bolted to the frame. The side panels resist front-to-back racking of the frame, and the rear panel resists side-to-side racking. The open space below the rear panel will allow space for wires, pipes, tubes, and whatnot, and will be covered with a heavy drape or something. Swinging double doors will be installed on the front to (more-or-less) seal the lower area. And by the way, AC plywood is not nearly as good as you think A-rated plywood should be. But apparently $80 dollars only gets you so much . . .
60” by 36” rubber-and-fuzzy-polyester heavy-duty door mat on top.
I like the side panels on that table. Those will do a lot to add stability when the gantry moves back and forth.
Yeah. In addition to providing a stiff membrane to provide lateral support for the steel frame, the 3/4" plywood side panels will provide a solid surface to attach shelves, supports, brackets, and/or outriggers (such as a pulpit for the laptop or controller, or some sort of derrick to loop the vacuum hose over the top). I thought about using 1/2" ply, or even 1/4" ply, but I am trying to anticipate as many situations as possible. And that’s the whole issue with trying to design a workstation for a machine that isn’t onsite yet. Hopefully, according to the shipment tracking algorithm, that issue will resolve itself by Friday March 24. And then there’s still the thing about designing and building some sort of dust enclosure for the upper table . . .
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