Table and cabinet for Shapeoko Pro XXL

CNC Machines Shapeoko Pro
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I have been reading through some of the threads. I just purchased a Shapeoko Pro XXL and it just arrived a couple of days ago but I do not have a table for it. Reading through some of the different posts it looks like I am going to need to build a table and enclosure. I had a few questions

  1. Should the top that it sits on be a torsion type table ? is this necessary ?

  2. Should I use 2x4 or 4x4 for the legs of the table?

  3. I do not own a planer do I need one to build one of these tables ?

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  1. a torsion box is preferable, snce it will be more rigid, but not strictly necessary – my own Pro XXL is on two really rickety tables
  2. 2x4s would be fine, but 4x4s would be more rigid, and more importantly, would add mass, dampening vibration
  3. No, not if you’re using finished lumber — if working w/ rough lumber then you’ll want to smooth the stock somehow — a planer would make quick work of that, but there are lots of other options, including using the machine to face off stock.
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If you want to make a torsion box I have a document that is a how-to to build one. My example if for a Shapeoko 3 XXL so adjust your measurements for your machine.

torsion_box.pdf (2.0 MB)

As Will said it is not necessary but you get a stable base. Before I made the torsion box my machine sat on a 4x4 leg with 2x10 aprons and a doubled up 4’x4’ plywood top. I would recommend any table you build have wheels so you can move the machine for cleanup and maintenance.

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Thank you for the document. Unfortunately I am missing some of the required tools such as a Dado, Rockler Half Lap Jig, and router, I also have no experience using these tools either…

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Could I use a couple of 3/4 sheets of plywood doubled up to give me 1.5" top and use a kit like this ?

https://www.lowes.com/pd/2x4basics-Black-Polyresin-Workbench-Brackets/3536338

Would that be stiff enough and sturdy enough until I can use the Shapeoko to router the wood to build something like this:

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My Pro XXL arrived this past week, it is on a piece of good one side birch 3/4 plywood, 48 x 60, which is sitting on a square tubing table that is 55 inches long, 36 inches wide, and 36 inches tall, with four small screws coming up into the plywood from underneath, through the tubing.
I am not sure why you need 4x4’s, or so many special tools to come up with a table, unless of course you are loading huge slabs onto the machine and then running very jerky movements in your tool paths.
I own a few smaller CNC machines, and a small CNC mill, and nothing I have ever done requires such a substantial table. I will admit that if you have this machine inside your house, on a wooden floor, you may want to consider something like a horse pad. They use them in horse trailers so the horse cant damage the floor of the trailer. 3/4, maybe one inch thick, and will for sure absorb vibration and sound.
The Pro XXL has a substantial frame, but the entire unit weighs less than 200 pounds as I recall.
Remember lighter is better in all things. Good Luck.

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