Bmwsyc’s ZenXY

 

First of all, thanks go to the folks that put this together and worked on this before me. The table went together quite easily, but I know that it is because of the people that worked out the bugs.

I picked up a Hemnes table (the square one) from Ikea.

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00381740/

I then printed the parts and after partially assembled the table top, I figured for a 19”x21” opening with a 20”x22” tempered glass top.

 

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I make an easy file for the Maslow and after some angst at the thought of screwing up a $150 table top, I pressed “go” . The cut went well, although you can see a scratch in the lower left corner where I accidentally drug the router bit across the face because I forgot to raise the bit to home in the center.

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I built a 1/2” space between the table and the sand platform and wrapped a led strip around it. The leds look more bluish than they are, they are a cool white, and it’s something that I had around, maybe I should have ordered some warm white leds, but that point is past now. The rest of the build is boring to explain, but I did have to play around with the motor connectors to get both motors to go in the correct direction.

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I used baking soda as recommended, but I’m not sure how happy I am with that. Even new, the soda was clumpy and would streak when trying to spread it smoothly. I tried to crush out the clumps the best that I could, but there is always more. Since the table will not fit through my workshop door upright, I will get to experiment more with the medium, I might try sugar sand, or process the baking soda more before adding it to the table. I will say that I like the smooth trails the ball makes through the baking soda. I had ordered a 1/2 ball bearing from the store, and they sent a slightly smaller one in addition for free, I think I might like the smaller ball better.

This was a wonderful project and was super easy to build, thanks again to the Creators.

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Looks good.

 

I made a little comb for the baking soda. I am not sure I added it to the zen files or not. It helps get it right the first time. The depth is pretty important, too deep and the peaks crumble, too shallow and you can see through. After a few runs it starts to level out a tiny bit but it really helps to start even.

I just started messing with mine again a few days ago. Of course I want to make some changes but, I have things I should finish up first.

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I printed a couple of zen rakes for mine, You want to keep your baking soda level pretty low, like well under the bearing radius, so the bearing can keep moving smoothly. Too deep and it ends up pushing the excess to the edges and risks the bearing getting stuck.

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I found some filtered black sand at Home Depot, but it made the ball travel too noisy, so I switched back to baking soda. I sifted the baking soda and that helped a lot. I made a new screed and I think I have the level just about perfect. I ordered a piece of 3/8” tempered glass and I think I’m finished with the project. I should have used warm white leds, but I can live with the cool white. I’ll post a picture of the finished table later.

If you don’t mind me asking, about home much was the tempered glass?

3/8ths, 20x22 tempered with polished but not rounded edges, from the internet, about $80.00 shipped.

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