Well I have added some more features to my table.
As you can see I changes the orientation of the front and rear stiffeners. I have also added the undercarriage for the motor. The undercariage will be supported on hinges that allow the fixture to swivel toward the back of the sander. The platform that the motor sits on will also be hinged so that it will have the necessary tension on the link belt to drive the sander. With Gary’s recomendation I will be shifting the position of the motor closer to the edge so that 2 motors can fit on the assembly. One to drive the sander and another eventually for automatic driving of the workpiece.
The part that makes this whole thing work is that the motor will be removable from teh undercarriage assembly using Male threaded knobs connected to threaded inserts on the motors stand. (ie the motor will be attached to a wood platform permanently, but the wood platform will attach to the under carriage with threaded inserts and starknobs. I am thinking this will work pretty good, but I am looking for input into my thought process. Also because Iwill be running 2 motors eventually , I am going to be able to shift the table more toward the center and possibly make it a little bit larger. Right now it is 16.5 inches wide, but with the runners on each side I only get 15.5 for a full piece.
The runners right now are designed as glued strips to the very edge of the bed. I may change this so that they are adjustable along the width of the bed so that they are actually used to guide the piece being run through.
I have placed the table at 34” high which I think should be a comfortable height as that is just above my wrist level when my arms are at my side.
Let me know what you think and any suggestions you may have. thanks
-- If you can't build it, code it. If you can't code it, build it. But always ALWAYS take a picture.
7 comments so far
lew
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1258 posts in 241 days
posted 85 days ago
I can’t offer any suggestions, but am looking forward to your ideas.
Lew
moshel
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posted 84 days ago
what about the height adjustment? i think you need to think about it very early in the design, as this can influence positioning of anything else.
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depictureboy
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73 posts in 128 days
posted 84 days ago
“what about the height adjustment? i think you need to think about it very early in the design, as this can influence positioning of anything else.”
Good point. I was more worried about making the whole design collapsible, I have some ideas for the height adjustment, Ill have to think about how to tie that into my overal goals though. thanks for the reminder.
-- If you can't build it, code it. If you can't code it, build it. But always ALWAYS take a picture.
Blake
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2016 posts in 360 days
posted 83 days ago
It looks like you are putting a lot of thought into this design, which will pay off in the long run I’m sure. The best piece of advice I can give you is something that I learned from building mine… keep it simple.
The whole reason I decided to build one in the first place is that to me it seemed like such a simple machine. It’s just a spinning drum and a table, right?
I know you are trying to cut cost, but for a model this big, you will need (two) pretty substantial motors, fairly heavy bearings and shaft, and you are talking about feed rollers, etc. The $$$ are going to add up quicker than you know it.
I went through the same process before I built mine. I designed the heck out of it. But the end, I chose a very simple design that turned out to be very satisfying because it was so quick and easy to make, cost very little, and I was sanding accurately in no time.
By the way, here are a few tips from my design:
Just some food for thought. I’m sure it will turn out great.
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depictureboy
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73 posts in 128 days
posted 82 days ago
Hi Blake, Yea I think I have pretty much decided to scrap the feed rollers. Its not the biggest priority.
I was thinking of only a 1HP, maybe I will bump my expectation up a bit and see what I can find cheap in the > 1 hp field.
For my table I was planning on glueing 2 sheets of mdf together with a plastic lam top and bottom.
Did you use sandpaper on a board or did you use just sandpaper? I have seen the reccomendation to use sp glued to a board…so I was curious how you did it.
I think I have figured out how I want to do my adjustment screw, but I have to think whether it will be a pita to remove it before putting the table away. I also have an idea on a way to actually make it swivel out of the way when I am ready to store it. We’ll see which way I like it better.
-- If you can't build it, code it. If you can't code it, build it. But always ALWAYS take a picture.
YorkshireStewart
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637 posts in 387 days
posted 82 days ago
I would echo Blake’s four tips.
- I use my machine a lot and it works really well without the added complication of a feed mechanism.
- I have a 1.5 hp motor driving a 16” x 5” roller
- My bed is piece of 1 1/2” kitchen worktop/counter; chipboard already laminated with plastic. Maybe this material is peculiar to UK?
- I used the recommended method of abrasive paper glued to a board & it worked very well indeed. As Blake says, there’s then no argument about the roller not being parallel to the bed
-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business.
depictureboy
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73 posts in 128 days
posted 81 days ago
I think that is probably the same as Melamine coated particle board. I could also get a premade countertop and just cut it to size. But I think the MDF with Plastic Laminate will look nicer and be more durable in the end.
-- If you can't build it, code it. If you can't code it, build it. But always ALWAYS take a picture.