I found these awesome extrusions on the shapeoko forums http://us.misumi-ec.com/vona2/detail/110302261820/?HissuCode=HFSQN4-15250-[50-3000%2F1]&SeriesSpec=D001%3A%3A500&PNSearch=HFSQN4-15250-500&KWSearch=HFSQN4-15250-500&searchFlow=results2products. However they are only 250mm wide by 500mm. I don’t want to get two extrusions because there can be leveling issues and the single piece will add a lot of rigidity to the machine.
Anyone know where I can find a 500mm x 500mm extrusion that is similar?
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Eric
Because of the cost of a extrusion die and the size of the extruder needed to make an extrusion 500mm wide I don’t think you are going to find what you are looking for.
If the base you are going to attach to is flat and square you should not have a problem using 2 pieces.
Dave
Hey Eric,
I use the items you found on both my Shapeoko 2 and now on the new X Carve. Short of milling a bed out of tool plate, you will not find a “flat” option for a full metal bed. Like David speaks about, the die size is just too much for such a small demand and if you look at the specs, the pieces have a “large” allowed tolerance any way. On every project I do I mill a pocket into a throw away piece of scrap wood (often 1x8 pine) which i then mount my aluminum to be milled to and go from there. This allow you to make sure every time you mill something that your work piece is 100 square to the spindle since it now sits in a pocket milled by it into the scrap wood. I know this adds time and such to each project but with a mill like the Shapeoko or the X Carve it is the only way to do a full bed for now and in the end it yields a great product with just one extra step.
I use the same bed as well @EricDobroveanu and I love it. I have the 1000mm upgrade kit for my X-Carve upgrade (whenever that ships) and I’ll be buying the 1000mm lengths in the next few weeks. The company was very helpfull and shipped to me in two days! In my experience, the two pieces bed is a non-issue. it’s far flatter than MDF. I would just do.
I’m going with a completely different direction for the bed of my machine. Because my machine will be a 1000X1800 so the standard wasteboard would not fit to begin with and because I am making Y axis end plates that are 50mm taller than the standard plates and made of 1/4" steel.
I will be using a piece of expanded PVC foam board 25mm thick. This is a very ridgid material.
I will also build a special mount for my electric hand drill that can be offset both left or right of the center of the Z axis that I will use to drill a hold down bolt grid and a dowel pin location grid in my machine bed.
Dave
1000x1800! wow! Mine is going to be 1000 x 700 because that all the room I have. I’m going to re-make the y-axis end plates as well, but I’m using 1/4" tool-plate alu, using the designs someone else posted (probably you!) to the forums. I’m also doing the plate between the X-axis makerslide that you talked about here I had a piece of 6mm tool plate machined down to 0.163" so that should fit well.
Clever idea with the drill mount! What I wish I had was a universal spindle mounting plate that mounts on the Z-azis, then additional plates that you use to mount whatever tool you want. This plate would be pin registered with the main universal mounting plate, and locked down with four socket head cap screws. Something I may have to work on when I get my X-Carve upgrade someday…
John
One thing to remember is that by raising the Y axis you will need to figure out how to extend the Z axis also.
I am custom building a whole new Z axis that is reversed with the Z axis stepper traveling with the spindle up and down and the equivalent of the V wheels fixed to the carrage.
Dave
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