Wondering how the plywood is holding up
And what kind of ply did you use thinking of doing same
Very happy with it! I canāt recall exactly what type it was but any 1" marine grade ply would do. It is far more rigid than the mdf was, I can stand on the bed and get less than 0.001"flex.
Iām still looking for steel options, but havenāt really needed to change it so itās not something Iām pursuing heavily
TY Sir.
Now I am off to find Marine Grade Ply
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Not interested in an aluminum bed? Not sure how much you have been on the forum, so I thought Iād let you know that you can get an aluminum bed for your XXL.
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This is an awesome option, more rigid than ply and waterproof. itās on my upgrade list, being in Australia the cost is significantly more so Iām running with ply until I get the funds together - the ply is working well so an HDZ got priority over the ALU board
Yes, the HDZ is absolutely higher on the upgrade list. I had the original SO3 flat plate, and when I upgraded to the smaller, curved plate it was AMAZING how much more rigid the Z-axis became.
When I upgraded to the HDZ it happened again!
To be clear - I really like the SO3 and I understand why design decisions were made, and the original design worked well for me for 3 years, but the HDZ is just something else. @Luke did a great job designing it.
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Thatās good to hear, mine just turned up. I also had the original Z on a small SO3, then when the XXL came out I bought that and the new Z was a huge improvement!
I have cut a fair bit of aluminium with my 1" ply base and have not had any flex or issues with it, so my drive to change it isnāt that high. Iām still actually looking at 8-10mm mild steel plate then sacrificial hdpe or mdf on top, the reduced thickness combined with the HDZ would allow me to work on taller material
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how much does that cost?
The HDZ is - as of now - the ultimate Z-axis upgrade to the SO3. The Z-Plus is an upgrade to the stock Z-axis, and it is more than enough to handle everything but the most aggressive cutting feeds and speeds without issue.
I went with the HDZ for two reasons. First, the Z-Plus didnāt exist, but second, I saw the rigidity improvement from the original flat plate Z-axis assembly to the curved Z-axis assembly, and I wanted more rigidity, so I went with it.
Now, with the Z-Plus available, I would probably still go with the HDZ because thereās no kill like overkill. 
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