Curious if anyone has used an Ikea BROR work bench or utility cart as a table for their MPCNC? Whatever I use will need to be movable, so this seems like it could work. The weight limit is 110 pounds, not sure what a MPCNC weighs but would think it’s under that (plus the weight of whatever material is being cut). Since the cart is 33" x 21", I expect that depending on the MPCNC size, it’d be simple enough to have the MPCNC mounted to a separate board or torq box that would then be fastened to the work bench?
I like the idea of using Ikea stuff. Mostly because it is so consistent across the world. And it is pretty good value.
The 21" dimension is going to the tight one. You can check the calculator, but you lose at least 10" to the mechanisms.
110lb is going to be a little tight too, especially if you add in the weight of the spoil board, and whatever you will add to make it wider. The MPCNC doesn’t weight much. The bulk of the weight is in the tubing (there are 9 tubes plus the Z) and the router (figure 5lbs). I don’t know how conservative that 110lbs is, or if you could reinforce it.
A simple 2x4 constructed table with some castors would probably be cheaper, more durable, and customized to the size you want. But it wouldn’t look as nice, or be as easy (depending on how much work you did on the Bror).
Thanks for the feedback. It also turns out that they are out of stock anywhere near me, and Ikea doesn’t ship them. So a 2x4 table will probably wind up what I use. Are there any generic plans for that sort of thing floating around or here on this site?
https://docs.v1engineering.com/mpcnc/Ptable/
You can make another shelf on the bottom and screw castors on there.
But anything like that would work fine. It is pretty forgiving.
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Another alternative to 2x4 construction is to use 1x3 and 1x4 (or even slices of 3/4" plywood) to make an L-shaped corner. Gets you similar rigidity with less material, and provides easier flat surface to which to attach shelf and top supports. Here’s an example (using plywood) on Instructables.
The 3/4" build like that is extremely light and strong, for sure.
Also, here is a recent table that would probably work well for your design:
A lot of good ideas here, thanks all!
Mine has a solid 2x4 base and it is very heavy! I wish I had used plywood or 1x. At current prices though I am sure I saved money from using 2x4
This plywood-constructed table looks great. One question though, would the single sheet of plywood top be sturdy enough, or would it be necessary to build a torsion box on the top to mount the MPCNC on?
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Glued together torsion box would probably be strogest, but supports on 16" or 24" centers across the table should be strong enough for the MPCNC.
My current dream table is a torsion structure with a removable center section “drop table” to allow for taller work pieces or cutting on ends of pieces clamped vertically.
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It doesn’t take much to make a quite sturdy torsion box. I have only a few ribs and spars in a box 45" by 60"
I have 72" rails along the box, so there’s a portion near the Y home that hangs out past the table. That’s nominally for working on end joints, though I need a good clamping system to really make it work.
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I’m not planning on making a huge table, looking at 24" x 22" cutting area, so the table will be ~35" x 33". So probably would need ~4-5 ribs/spars inside?
So then on top of the torsion box, if you want a replaceable waste board, is it as simple as adding another piece of 3/4" material on the top, and cutting out a rectangle for the cutting area that you can replace as needed, while the outside perimeter stays firmly attached to the torsion box and that is what the CNC feet mount to?
I did it even easier than that.
My 3/4" spoilboard just screws directly to the top of my torsion box. I don’t bother to inset it into the box at all. It does raise the cut surface 3/4", so I extended the legs by the same amount. The Spoilobard is slightly larger than the total cut capability of my machine and I surface it using a surfacing bit.
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A replaceable spoilboard is a good idea. I have the feet of my Primo on strips of 3/4" MDF which is glued and screwed to the surface. Replaceable pieces go in between the strips. This is more than I actually need to do, since I have never needed all of the Z height that I have built for, and I built for minimum.
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