For those interested in “silent” enclosures try these links;
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Switch to a proper spindle and not a router. They are much quieter.
Russell
Hi all ( yet another new guy)
I’ve completed my enclosure and wanted to share it with the community. It’s a design based on all of the great ideas I saw for work tables and enclosures.
7 Likes
Nicely done. I see you printed the motor and gear covers, Z axis cover etc…
Any lessons-learned on the enclosure design \ build? I’m looking to create my own similar to this, but with replaceable panels for the front when the laser is in use, and doors in the top and sides for access…
Thanks for sharing!
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Darryl
Yes, I 3D printed the covers ( I own a Lulzbot TAZ6 and Lulzbot Mini).
I used 1" t-slot framing (McMaster Carr) so I could swap out panels. The top back and side panels are inexpensive plywood (painted).
The table itself measures 48" wide x 46" deep. The table legs are from Rockler. I added shelving, brackets etc.
I designed the vacuum port in Fushion 360 and fabricated it on a 3D printer.
The gotcha! I ran into was adding the a dust boot. I didn’t leave enough space between the doors and the front edge of the X Carve.
Fortunately, I have enough space to reset the X Carve to the back of the enclosure so this should solve that issue.
I hope this helps
Chris R
Wow. These are super nice and a lot better than mine. I threw this one together in a couple of hours.
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Wow! What a great deal of information and ideas for enclosures. I have an x carve in an educational setting (middle school makerspace) and am interested in an enclosed for noise, dust and safety reasons. Any info on the hinging of the enclosure or ideas for managing the load when lifting it (hydraulic lifters, like the kind on the back of an SUV)? What size hinges should I get? Also, the enclosure and table will get mounted on an existing countertop that is not quite deep enough for the machine, so I will be extending the countertop to create the base for the x carve and enclosure. Any advise, materials lists, etc, is appreciated!
Hey guys!
Where is everyone finding there print files for the covers?
Try this
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I all! I’m new to the CNC world and purchased to 1000mm. I built a bench for it, made it 48"X48". Silly me. I was reading posts about X-Carve and thought that would be a good size, I didn’t add extra for the side board! No worries, I’ll and an extension on each side for the cover to rest on.
I had a pretty easy time with assembly so far, don’t have the controller yet though. So I am already starting to see rust on the screws. I live in the Florida Keys and my rather large shop area is under my stilt house. I guess I was so excited about being able to purchase a CNC machine I didn’t stop and ask about the materials it’s made out of!
Building a cover is the next step, but does anyone have any suggestions about rust?
Thanks!
I live in south Louisiana very similar to Florida and have not had a problem with rust. Could it be a problem with salt from the ocean? Check with the inventables support team to see if they had a bad shipment of parts.
Salt air + humidity is a recipe for rust on the black oxide screws. I’ve slowly changed some of my screws out for stainless screws not because I’m in a salt environment but it gets humid and I like the look better.
what is the height of the enclosure base, I’m building an enclosure but not sure what the interior dimension should be to accommodate dust collection, any help?
The surface where the X-carve sits is 28" (by the drawing posted in my first post).
I’ve since abandoned the enclosure and suspended 4" dust collection hose from the ceiling attached to a “Suck-It” dust shoe on my router… it’s in my garage, so noise isn’t a concern, any longer.
The bigger your dust collection hose, the taller the enclosure “top” needs to be … to provide flex distance for large hose.
Good luck with your build! 
Post pictures!