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Thread: reconfiguring my shop

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Noblesville Indiana
    Posts
    1,081

    Question reconfiguring my shop

    With my new cnc on the way I have been reconfiguring my shop alot (on paper) as to the best placement of all my equipment.
    I am wondering if I will need easy access to all 4 sides of the machine or can I get by on just easy access to just 3 sides? Any major disadvantages to doing it this way?
    I am thinking of putting an 8' side within 2 foot of a wall.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Camaster Cobra 408 working table size 48 x 98
    Wincnc,AspireII,PhotoVcarve,Cut3D
    HX6090SE 60Wworking table 23”X36”
    LaserCut 5.3
    Coreldraw X3, photograV 3.0, Photozoom3

    Sawmill Creek is financed in part through member contributions.
    Many members just like you have found extraordinary value in becoming a financial supporter of SMC.


  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Houston, Texas
    Posts
    948
    Hey James,
    The manufacturer should have the specs for you. Just make sure you have access to any part on the CNC so you do not have to cut a hole in the side of your garage to get access to it because you needed 32" and you only had 23 7/8".

    Sometimes you may need 2 or more people to load and unload a big 2" to 3"+ thick set of 36" x 108 entry doors.

    I built a vacuum lift, using PIAB cups, their venturi vac and barn door track, to load mine by myself but once you 3D carve you tend to loose your suction area, so an extra set of hands are helpful. So make sure there is plenty of room for someone to be on that side if you still plan to do those behemoths.

    On my old Digital 905 CNC, it had a 5 x 12 table top but I made a phenolic top so that the grids were set for a 4' x 8' area, I was able to access it from 1 side, the front, because it was a moving gantry table and I made a roller system on the extra 1 foot area so I could actually roll my stock into position without ever actually lifting the entire weight of the sheet. "Leverage" and smooth rollers. It did make it real difficult to replace bearings, belts and to re-square/align the table sometimes but I only had 1 place to put it and made the best of it.

    Call you Camaster guy and ask him what the bare minimum clearance should be and go from there.
    Have a Blessed day,

    Michael Kowalczyk

    Laser-Trotec Speedy II 60 watt with 9.4.2 job control and will soon upgrade to JC X
    Corel Draw Suite X6, FlexiSign Pro 8.62, AI CS3 and Lasertype6

    CNC Routers-Thermwood model C40 with 4th axis. Thermwood Model 42 with dual tables and dual spindles with ATC for high production runs,
    ArtcamPro 2010_SP4, EnroutePro 5.1, BobCad v21 & v24, Aspire v8 and Rhino 5.
    FOTC link
    http://www.sawmillcreek.org/friends.php?cp=210&lp=0&t=0&q=

  3. Space

    James,
    I had a 6X12 CNC in my 18 x 26 shop. I kept the long side about 18" from one wall and the short side about 3.5' from another. It was plenty of space for the operation. The machine I had was configured very similar to the Camaster I 'm getting. The no side rails and clear deck make sliding large flat work easy. There wasn't anything I couldn't do with the exception of high speed production where you are requiring all sides of the machine available for moving and cleaning parts and the table.You should be in good shape depending on how large your shop is. Most of the rest of my woodworking equipment was in an adjacent room so that was not an issue. I won't say I didn't want more room but I had to live with what I had. My new Camaster is a 5X10 with an ATC and a 4th axis so it should give me a little more space.

    Paul

  4. #4
    james, the camaster manual is on the website, there is an older and newer version.

    my bit loading end (SPINDLE) faces the back wall with 48 inches of clearance the computer is also at this end, the wall side has 24 inches of clearance and i will be moving it to 30 or so inches soon

    i just sent you the manual by email see page 12

    jim

  5. #5
    micheal, it was nice to meet you in atlanta, i wished i'd had more time to speak

    jim

  6. #6
    www.rbtoolsupply.com

    has bits on sale for one month at 70% off

    jim

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Noblesville Indiana
    Posts
    1,081

    70% is a nice sale

    But I am getting a set with the machine and untill that arrives i have no idea what i will need.

    Michael thanks for the advice as luck would have it Jim M. has seen your post and sent me a PDF of the manual and it does have have the clearance specs.
    Thanks Jim.

    Paul I'm with you on this space issue. With the open top design it should be ok if i leave 24 to 30 inches off one long wall. the open table design should make it easy to load and unload from the other 2 sides (the 4th being occupied by the gantry)

    Thanks all I am off to paint some walls to keep SWMBO happy.
    Jim J
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Camaster Cobra 408 working table size 48 x 98
    Wincnc,AspireII,PhotoVcarve,Cut3D
    HX6090SE 60Wworking table 23”X36”
    LaserCut 5.3
    Coreldraw X3, photograV 3.0, Photozoom3

    Sawmill Creek is financed in part through member contributions.
    Many members just like you have found extraordinary value in becoming a financial supporter of SMC.


  8. #8
    I am figuring out the same thing as we speak.. putting my 5x8 (table is 10' long) in my 19x24 shop. Wish I had more room, but it'll have to do for now. I plan on putting the control box and spindle changing side toward the back wall and I'm still debating how far to keep the gantry from the wall.. I' rather not be caught between the gantry and the wall.. but that being said, I probably won't put it too far from the wall.

  9. #9
    here ya go
    Attached Images Attached Images

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Houston, Texas
    Posts
    948
    Quote Originally Posted by james mcgrew View Post
    micheal, it was nice to meet you in atlanta, i wished i'd had more time to speak

    jim
    Yes Jim, Nice to meet you also. Sorry you could not make it for dinner.I guess for now we can type but you have my # if you should need it.

    It still amazes me how some of you guys cram so much stuff into a small space.

    Pictured below is as follows:

    on left is the twin head twin table Thermwood C42. it is in it.s own 1800+sf warehouse so space was not an issue for this one.

    In the middle is the Thermwood C40 with the 4rth axis mounted. We built this room just for the CNC so we could install a dedicated HVAC unit. What you don't see is the 10x10 roll-up garage door.

    on the right is our old Digital tool CNC. sorry for the grainy pic but this is from the early 90's. I put some notes on it to help explain. We put the 5hp Travaini vac above the table for 2 reasons. #1 to save space but #2 was to make it easier to change the oil. I put a hole in the deck so that the oil could pour into a 5 gallon bucket that had a holding bolt under the deck. Worked so good that I built a similar system for our twin table that has 2 vacs. I was not short on space so it went in the room to the left of the CNC with the compressor.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Have a Blessed day,

    Michael Kowalczyk

    Laser-Trotec Speedy II 60 watt with 9.4.2 job control and will soon upgrade to JC X
    Corel Draw Suite X6, FlexiSign Pro 8.62, AI CS3 and Lasertype6

    CNC Routers-Thermwood model C40 with 4th axis. Thermwood Model 42 with dual tables and dual spindles with ATC for high production runs,
    ArtcamPro 2010_SP4, EnroutePro 5.1, BobCad v21 & v24, Aspire v8 and Rhino 5.
    FOTC link
    http://www.sawmillcreek.org/friends.php?cp=210&lp=0&t=0&q=

  11. #11
    mike you are having fun!!

  12. #12

  13. #13
    uh oh ! i am still at it!
    http://www.ballewsaw.com/

    here is CAMasters supplier

    http://www.southeasttool.com/

  14. #14
    Centurion Tools LLC for solid carbide cutters.

    http://www.centuriontools.com/
    Trotec Speedy 300 45W
    Universal VLS4.60 50W
    Universal M-300 50w
    ShopBot PRSAlpha48
    Techno LC4848
    Oneway 2436

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Noblesville Indiana
    Posts
    1,081

    lol over load

    Thanks jim that will help keep my mind on something for a while. it keeps drifting into the furture when i get to take delivery on my new camaster cr 408
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Camaster Cobra 408 working table size 48 x 98
    Wincnc,AspireII,PhotoVcarve,Cut3D
    HX6090SE 60Wworking table 23”X36”
    LaserCut 5.3
    Coreldraw X3, photograV 3.0, Photozoom3

    Sawmill Creek is financed in part through member contributions.
    Many members just like you have found extraordinary value in becoming a financial supporter of SMC.


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