Looks great. I am just starting mine!
It looks great!
The holes are already drilled. I have install them temporarly… for the picture.
Only missing stripes and nascar stickers… vroum vroum vroum…
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This post definitely took a left turn, right?
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… ah a few times a year they go right. that is when it gets tricky ha ha.
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Hi Phil! I completed my waste board based on your design last week. I only broke two taps! Thank you very much for sharing your plans.
I have a few things to share about my build.
The plate I ordered from speedy metals was 1mm too wide on both dimensions and was slightly out of square. I don’t have any dedicated tools for working metal plate of that size. After a bit of research, I ended up using a 4 foot length of angle aluminum stock clamped to a table as a guide, then used a router and a flush trim bit to remove the excess metal. It worked like a charm.
After breaking two taps by hand, I switched to using a drill with a torque clutch. With the torque dialed down low, I was tapping holes in 5 seconds and never broke another tap. I was using Pneumatic tool oil as a lubricant. I wanted something a little more viscous than WD-40.
The taps broke at the worst possible point, and I could not extract them. The T-tracks I ordered were pre-drilled, but I noticed that the 3 foot and 4 foot tracks had different hole spacing. I chopped off a piece of 4 foot track to 3 feet and drilled new holes. The mess with the broken taps is hidden under a clean piece of track.
When assembling the board, I used a centering punch to mark the side of the tracks and also below the track so I knew where each one went. The board has a few small errors with some of the holes for the tracks. This helped me keep the pieces consistent as I dry-fit the component then disassembled for painting.
Painting the metal, I used Rustoleum hi temp flat black spray paint. It’s durable stuff and is resistant to hydrocarbons. I does have a flat, rough texture though. I decided to put a coat of paste wax over that to make it easy to wipe clean of dust. I think it has a great finish.
Now I’m starting on a torsion box table that will eventually become an enclosure. I can’t wait to have my machine up and running again.
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To the people that have completed this mod:
If you were to ballpark the cost, what would it be? after it was all said and done
So far I have an estimated cost tallied of around $350 USD
the best price I could find for the aluminum cut to size (with + 0.03"/ -0.00" tolerance) is $160.00 usd (local pick-up in San Jose, CA)
Speedy Metals cut to size shipped to me was $195.00 which I think is good given they have to move the piece across the country and still maintain a competitive price.
I called multiple places in San Jose and locations within 6min drive of each other varied over 100 dollars. My largest quote I received for local pick-up was $267.00 for a table saw cut sheet. =Robbery
Thankyou,
Eliott
Mine ended up around $280 total.
I bought the plate from speedy metals, shipped to Indiana. I waited for a deal on before pulling the trigger. $160
I paid way too much for the t-track at the nearby woodcraft store. 6x$14=84
I bought bulk screws from Amazon. $20 and tap/drill bit kits from Menard’s $20.
I had the tools, tapping lube, and finishing supplies (sandpaper, dish soap, paint, wax) already on hand.
how’d you get a deal from speedy metals? Also what grade aluminum?
Thankyou for your reply.
does your 280.00 include the following components?
Right angle gussets, 20x20 extrusion for cross bracing, T-Slot Nuts, MDF spoil board, etc
-Eliott
Where can I get one?
That’s not guessing is it. 
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same as it cost me??? 
But it does make it more rigid than ever.
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Its actually so brutal I can do hard drilling ops. To the point where the gantry and v wheels become the flex point. The wasteboard is no longer bowing up when I drill.
The underside is framed with 40x40’s
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I got a bunch of t nuts and a variety of clamps. I have not been doing much on the machine since my new shop is less than half the size of the old one and I have no shed to put all my stuff in. So still no shop for me till I buy one.
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Speedy Metals post discount codes on their facebook page during holidays. 10% off, free shipping, etc.
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Hi Eliott,
No, I only posted what I needed to build the wasteboard replacement.
There will be more to spend if you choose to further upgrade the x-carve frame, but it is not required. (I am doing about $800 of upgrades at once since my machine is apart: enclosure, 8" linear axis, Y lift plates, new x-axis single extrusion)
I use MDF frequently, so I make the strips from cutoffs. I also don’t plan on making full length strips unless I need them. Most of my carving can be done on half-strips. YMMV.
You don’t need to buy t-slot nuts. 1/4 hex bolts work just fine.
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Hi Eliott,
Where in SJ did you get the aluminum sheet? Company name?
Thanks,
Trevin