Doug Joseph (Design8Studio) Full-Sheet LowRider 2 "Build on a Budget"

OK! I finally upgraded my LowRider 2 MPCNC from wooden side rails to the Superstrut metal rails I have had laying here for the longest time.

Through the V1 Engineering Forum I had found some awesome “endcap + belt tensioners” by pilotkip, however, I also wanted the “Primo” CNC style method of attaching the belts.

So I remixed “LowRider2 CNC ‘Primo’ Style Belt Stops” by cows2computers July 26, 2020 together with “LowRider2 Superstrut Belt Holders” by pilotkip October 30, 2021, along with some design innovation of my own.

These are made for M5 x 45mm screws and M5 locknuts. The screws should have at least 25 mm worth of threads. When they do, you gain the max of 2cm of adjustment range on either side, for a total of 4cm worth of tensioning available.

I have my printers setup so my 0.4 nozzles emulate 0.6 nozzles in output, so when I printed these with 3 (extra thick) walls (and at 30% infill) it was really like printing with 4.5 walls. These are good and solid.

These are designed to print without supports. Please note that the one screw hole on each “end cap” has a single-layer thick “sacrifice layer” across it to help the print go smoothly. You should be able to easily clear out that hole either with an Xacto knife, or by burning the hole open with a soldering iron, or even by using a drill & bit, though I recommend either of the first two methods over the latter.

STL files are published on Thingiverse:









Change log:

2022-03-14: tweaked an angle to make supportless printing work better. All four parts are affected (both parts and both mirrored versions).

2022-03-16 revised all four parts to allow the “end stop” feature to be fixed in place (not dependent on tensioner position). This is so that adjustments to amount of tension would not unintentionally change where the end stop happened.

Note: some of the installation pics were taken of a work-in-progress version that does match the latest improvements of the design. The 3D illustrations do match the latest improvements.

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TABLE UPDATE

Above I mentioned both that my table had some issues of being “not flat” and that I also realized I should have made the bottom / leg / support area open enough to store some 4’x8’ sheet goods on it. Also I recently added metal Superstrut side rails with new tensioners/end stops.

So, I decided take the table apart, replace the lower frame (mid section) that the legs attach to, in order lengthen it for 4x8 sheet storage access on the sides, as well as adding a more full upper frame to give better “center support” to the twin torsion boxes. Most of my “not flat” issues are because the bolts holding the torsion boxes together are not “enough” to keep the two torsion boxes from sagging a bit at the middle where they touch each other. That issue is compounded by a really sad oversight on my part, in which the upper cross bar supports (made of 2x4 lumber) were attached too low. By that I mean, the leg assemblies have tenons extending upward, that went into matching holes on the torsion box bottoms, and the “shoulder” on the tenons, was actually higher than the cross bar supports. Really frustrating oversight. It meant the outside edges of the torsion boxes were supported at a higher level than the inner edges of them (where they meet). I fully intend to fix that this time around. Actually, because (in the new design) the tenons are no longer going to fit under the torsion boxes and will now simply brace against the ends of the boxes, the new upper frame will be the only thing holding up the torsion boxes, so the low center issue really should disappear.

Below are some screen shots of my 3D planning, which was done in SketchUp Pro.

Caption/Note in image below:
Example 4’ x 8’ sheet storage on bottom shelf, accessible sliding in/out from the sides.
Side opening is 8’-1".
Note: Legs could be ‘notched’ to widen the opening even more, to allow for MDF 49" x 97" sheets to be stored.

PS: Before reassembling the new table, with my table saw I shaved 1" off the insides of each leg, widening the side opening by 2 more inches, so I can now easily store oversized MDF panels (49" x 97") as well.

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UPDATE re. “LowRider2 CNC Belt Stops for Superstrut metal, and in Primo Style”

I realized the initial design did not properly handle the “end stop” feature. Namely, when the tension was adjusted, it also unintentionally adjusted where the end stop happened. That was not ideal, and it’s not how the Primo style handles it. (It has a firmly mounted stop that does not move when you tighten your belt). So, I revised the design, and uploaded new STL files in the Thingiverse listing (latest as of 2022-03-16, 5:00am Eastern Time).

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Digging your table bottom. Waaaaay better than the 2x6 thing I made.

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@barry99705

Thanks! Probably my best word to anyone tackling something like this is to have lots of clamps of every size and type, and you will use them all. I’m seriously going to make either a t-shirt or sign that says, “‘I have too many clamps’ -said no one, ever.” In particular, I was really thankful for having sets of pipe clamps, two 5’ long and two 10’ long. When one of those big torsion boxes needs persuaded a bit on where to sit while you’re tying it down, having lots of 2’, 3’, 4’, and the big pipe clamps, was really the ticket.

@barry99705

Super nice MPCNC rig you got! Mad respect bro. Sharp.

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Here’s a pic of my newly remade table, with better support for the torsion boxes, superstrut rails, and storage underneath wide enough for 4’x8’ sheets and 49"x97" sheets. I’m just about ready to reattach my LowRider 2 and get back to cutting. The only 7/16" x 4’ x 9’ OSB I could find without driving an hour away, was the coated, exterior rated, “zip system” kind, which is why my under shelf is green!

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Had. They’re both in a box at the moment. We moved.

I hear you. Hopefully you can get everything set up again some time.

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These pipe clamps I bought off of Amazon were a huge help on getting my table redone. The price was great and they are good quality.

https://amzn.to/3K2Uck7
Bessey BPC-H34 3/4-Inch H Style Pipe Clamp, red & Tools VAS-23 2K Variable Angle Strap Clamp with 4 Clips, Black with red handle

Also, I’m thinking about buying the Strap Clamp made by the same manufacturer. Anyone used these? I saw one used in a video and was impressed.

https://amzn.to/3Lz9AoW
Bessey Tools VAS-23 2K Variable Angle Strap Clamp with 4 Clips,Black with red handle

*affiliate links

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Also wanted to say that I apparently overloaded the motor of my Makita router during a CNC cutting job. It actually seems to have happened while trying to resurface a spoil board after redoing my table. I made a mistake in my setup and had the thing trying go too deep/too fast*. I did not realize my mistake until too late. However, the good news is that although it was not a warranty repair, the good folks at Makita are fixing it for me at a reasonable cost, and they cover shipping both ways, and don’t move forward with repair until you receive their detailed estimate and approve it. I’m rather impressed with Makita so far!

*my mistake was actually in not accounting for how “out of level” (sloped) the board was (due to it being previously surfaced for the previous table which was much more un-flat than the new), in that while my depth of cut was fine for a while, the actual depth was increasing with each pass, as the thickness of the material was increasingly greater over a distance. Soon the thing was in over its head.

From YouTube description:

Get the free STL files: Printables

Amazon affiliate links:
• Printer I used: BIQU B1 - https://amzn.to/3rHIkwU
• Kreg ACCU-Cut XL (KMA3700) - Amazon.com

Other links of interest:
• How to build your own LowRider 2 or smaller MPCNC: LowRider CNC V3 - V1 Engineering Documentation
• My build of the LowRider 2 MPCNC and table for it: https://forum.v1e.com/t/doug-joseph-design8studio-full-sheet-lowrider-2-build-on-a-budget/

As some of you know, I upgraded my CNC from LowRider v2 to LowRider v3, which was chronicled over here:

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im trying to setup Gwizard. What machine profile are you using?

It’s been a while since I got set up but as I remember, I created my own profile in Setup.

Yes, here’s a screen shot. Notice the program line near the bottom:

Clicking the help button next to that message leads to this page:

Also, when I click the “Setup” tab (near the top right) I see this, which has the settings I manually inputted for my LowRider. The power settings and RPMs are based on my research for my Makita 700 series router:

Thanks so much!

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