Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: 18ft Router

On Wednesday 04 February 2004 17:23, Neil Gillies wrote:

> Hi
>
> I've made some test bases for (smallish) machines in concrete as an
> experiment - very cheap, as is the shuttering (I used granite dust
> rather than gravel mix as it was smoother).

I've used 40mm MDF board on top of a 80mm box section steel base for a
router. its was great.

You just drill 5mm holes in the MDF and then use M6 bolts and so long as you
have at least 30mm of depth into the MDF, its just like bolting into steel.
All the router parts (bearing supports etc) where mounted direct onto the MDF
this way. MDF is dimensioanlly stable under various temperature and moisture
conditions, its uniform and *heavy* .. makes an ideal machine base ..
remember to seal it if you are going to get it wet or oily though ... mine
was for a 3 axis wood router, so that was not an issue. The only thing I
would change if I did it again was using aluminium rails for the T slot table
(they where screwed straight down into the MDF) ... I'd use steel as the
aluminium tended to mark some woods with a balck mark if dragged across it ...

the other downside is a 40mm sheet of MDF (even a 1.2m x 1.2m half sheet) is
very, very heavy ...

no, really heavy.

and I'm not joking abou tthe heavy bit either.
--
RapidCut CNC Technology

CNC Plasma Cutter
http://www.rapidcut.co.uk/