Re: suggestions for largish gantry for laser (and possibly router)

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "skykotech" <rick@s...> wrote:

> >
> > Whew, you had things pretty easy to design until you threw in
> > the "cut through a full sheet of 3/4" plywood" clause. Do you

mean

> > in one pass? If so, that's gonna take a lot of router and a lot

of

> > motor torque to shove it through without burning. If you can

live

> > with multiple passes then I can stop hyperventilating!
> >
> > <good stuff snipped>
>
> Thanks for the long reply! I will have to think over things a bit
> anyway. I don't really have room for two 4' x 8' machines in the
> garage shop, so i really do need a machine that could hold a decent
> (3-5HP?) size wood router AND perhaps move the optics for the

laser.

> Actually, making a mounting plate that would allow me to bolt on
> either a router or the laser would probably work. It is pretty

easy

> bolting the laser to my shizuoka mill currently. The big problem

is

> now I am having to cut all sorts of stuff for my wife on my mill

and

> can't use it to cut metal :-/
>
> Rick

In the design of a CNC machine you always are working with speed,
torque and cost. You can pick any two. Also consider that a machine
with a 4' X 4' working area and a way to index the material (slide it
along and out either end) will allow you to cut bigger pieces like 4
X 8 or 4 X 12