Resurrecting my MPCNC - how to affix wasteboard?

I have a basement now instead of just an apartment! So I’m finally setting up my MCNC I built around 2 years ago for woodworking. I never got a chance to use it for wood, so I never properly affixed a wasteboard to it.

Do you all have any advice on the best way to solidly attach the wasteboard? Should I just screw it into the main bottom board with wood screws? That doesn’t seem like a good long term solution.

I’ve attached a photo of my wasteboard system complete with M5 threaded inserts for clamping - hooray! It’s sitting on top of the main board that I previously used. What would you do? I’m probably overthinking this…

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Mine is screwed down. Just countersink the screws about half way through the board. I only have them in the corners.

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Mine is just screwed down, countersunk but also outside the reachable area so i dont have to worry about hitting the screws with the cutting bit.

Your inserts don’t look too deep so be careful you don’t cut much below your workpiece.

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I put inserts into the table top and used button head 1/4" x 1 1/4"bolts in a pocketed slot of the waste board. Used the router to cut the holes in the table and in the spoil board so I can repeat it for replacements. Seemed like it would be a bit better at distributed more evenly than just smaller screws.

Why not just make your main board the wasteboard? Not the whole thing but just in the cutting area.

I used 18mm ply as my base to which the CNC is attached, fitted another board on top of that which is screwed to the base. Then I added another board (my true sacrificial waste board) on top of that. Sounds ridiculous but it works for me.

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Could you provide a picture? Sounds like my solution with 2x12mm plywood base screwed to the frame and then the spoil board on top of that. I am currently deciding on how to attach the spoil board which have like 8x7 inserts. I need to drill as many holes in the ply so that I can use clamp screws and then I think I’ll attach the board to the ply and not the frame. Ah well…

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Sure, but no laughing, I know it’s not very elegant!

I have small pencil marks to help me to only fix outside the working area

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