I wouldn’t want to bang on the table surface with the CNC hanging below. Seems like an opportunity for bad things to happen.
Instead of a cavity in the wall which would require a good bit of reframing many just a framed cabinet on the wall that the machine flips up into. It would only be as thick as the top of the Z plate.
But, you would have to deal with power and vacuum lines being detached reattached probably.
I used to have a 1200 sqft workshop but can’t in our current neighborhood so my shop is a slightly oversized (and air conditioned) garage. I have never parked cars in garages and luckily my wife does not have that expectation (And she is from Vermont). Garages are for stuff and workshops in my opinion.
One thing I love about the CNC is that I can spend an hour or so and do something with it. If I had to spend 20 minutes on setup and takedown I would use the machine less.
I appreciate that not everyone has the luxury of having it available all the time but it would really put a crimp in my activities.
Flipping is ok for me since I do need tables in the house, I just can’t afford to have a static cnc-only table.
I did consider a bunch of weird things (didn’t develop flipping idea much but would like to see someone else try it )
(one of my requirements was a full enclosure for dust collection in the future)
I considered bulding an elevator within a table, so that the top of the table is just lifted, revealing enclosed cnc underneeth.
or a table that has two sets of wheels, one set height adjustable, and an enclosure for cnc between the legs, and you can just roll away the top and the enclosure.
Generally yes, I’m 100% sure my productivity is hampered with size of my workshop area. In case of these enclosures, deployment can be quite fast, you press a button, but yeah dust/power etc needs to be routed better in my case to make it as convinient as a static setup… For me it’s hours of work to design the part and the production process, when working also tool changes etc so cnc work is always a long commitment and setup time itself is negligable.
I find myself needing to reach in from the sides to insert clamps at the back (I am short) or adjust them all the time. I thought about an enclosure but for me it would get in the way too much. And with my dust collector it wouldn’t really add much. Probably just corners for material to accumulate in
Having something raise it up from below with a top that can provide an assembly/finishing area could be nice though. I have a desk for my computer that goes up and down on 3 stepper motors so why not. Maybe some pins to lock it in place when it gets to the correct height so you are not relying on the motors to hold it.
Or, have the top already integrated so that in the lower position you have a work surface and in the upper position you have the CNC with a hat
That would require lights under the work surface. I still wouldn’t hammer on it but assembly and finishing would be good.
Bonus, you could raise the table up, set up your job, start it and lower the table to do other things if you are confident and brave.
That would make the enclosure easy. Just wrap the lower section in plexiglass or whatever. In the Up position, no enclosure for east access.
Get outta here!!!
Money can at least buy you cnc’s, ill find hapiness there
Great find!
I need to get a hustle on my own enclosure.
Starting out, its a little difficult to know what you may want yourself. The pics on here that people have shared have been very inventive. I guess part of the fun is always adding and adjusting. Aslong as its not on the floor im happy. No doubt im going to see pictures of units running on the floor now hahaha
Haven’t figured that part out yet! Just recently got it all assembled & both machines in - then started figuring out how I was going to run all the cables & vac hose, where to place my rPi controllers/screens, etc. Then I actually had to take the Pro out for some summer air…and machine some maple slab for my brother!
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