I’m a new member to this forum. Just bought a Shapeoko 5 Pro and I’m at the start of a three-month waiting period for delivery. I’m a recently retired civil engineer and an experienced amateur machinist. Have been using CNC mills for about 20 years. Have been using AutoCAD Civil 3D since 1985. Currently using Autodesk Fusion360 for design and manufacture, and for toolpath layout and G-code generation. Long time woodworker and furniture maker.
While I’m awaiting delivery, I plan to build a workstation for the Pro 5 in my full-but-not-yet-too-crowded workshop. I have an adequate space picked out, and I need the exact dimensions of the completely assembled Shapeoko 5 Pro. The colorful sales brochure webpage states that the footprint is 60"x35"x21", but is that the actual size of the actual footprint of the actual assembled machine? Or, is it the suggested size for a tabletop to accommodate the machine plus “a few extra inches around the sides to allow space to put tools, pencils, and a cup of coffee”?
Welcome to the community Robert My machine is a SO3 XXL, so can’t help you with the sizes. Searching the forums you’ll find lots of ideas on tables and enclosures.
I built mine to be a pivoting torsion box so I can stow it away when I need the space.
I don’t have the 5 either, but a lot of owners are getting the Kreg Table. If do a forum search a lot will come up. Here is one link that may help out:
That is the size of the actual 5 Pro (2x4) footprint. If you plan to enclose it I would add 4 -6" to each (2 - 3" on each side). Using the Sweepy can extend about 3" beyond the published numbers in front.
I looked at the Kreg, but there didn’t seem to be one in the size I want. (BTW, I’m getting the Shapeoko 5 Pro 4X2.) And with the additional framing to support the plywood top, I figured it would be just as easy to build the whole shebang from scratch.
Here are a couple of Acad sketches showing the dimensions and the layout to cut out pieces from a single sheet of 3/4" plywood.
As a new member, I’m not entirely sure how to attach images or files, or what file formats are supported. At any rate the forum-auto-robo-moderator said I could only attach two files, so we’ll see if this works.
The images in the previous post appeared to go up, so I’ll try to see if a .STL file can be attached. In this view, the plywood table top and the bottom shelf are not shown for clarity.
How are you securing your gantry to keep it from falling to the bottom? You design is interesting. My SO3 XXL is sitting on a 4x4 table and I like your idea to make a smaller footprint when not in use. How do you pivot the machine, just dowels or some other mechanism? Do you have a plan for this setup? A lot of questions but your setup seems quite good.
I got a gift certificate from Rockler for Christmas and I bought these.
If you ever plan to enclose the machine I would add 3" to each side or 6" to each measurement. The Sweepy extends about 3" in front of the footprint. It’s also nice to have about 12" on the right side to lay tools and or supplies like tape, caliper, etc.
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").
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?
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.
My machine is a SO3 XXL, so can’t help you with the sizes. Searching the forums you’ll find lots of ideas on tables and enclosures.
