Is the Maslow setup Ok for doing cabinet work?

Hey Guys. New here to Maslow and been going through the community posts and really appreciate the great community Bar and co have built over the years.

Now I need to do some cabinet work, mostly straight cuts with pockets but some pieces will exceed that 5x3’ sweet spot that is occasionally discussed around here. I am wondering if the Maker Made CNC M2 kit that comes with the aluminum Z and GRBL for acceleration control will in theory solve some of the accuracy issues?

Now above is theory looking at the specs but should I still be expecting 1-5mm inaccuracy towards the corners with their new kit?

I get its a 8x4’ DIY CNC done well for the cost but then I do have some gantry style setups also within this range now. I am not really looking at full accuracy across entire sheet with the standard chains and bar, I get the limitation there. But with a nice Z axix like M2 and GRBL acceleration control at corners, I was hoping the odd 7’ cut is still around 0.5mm ± with the above setup.

Thoughts?

My Maslow still needs some mods before i can say something about precision. There is one frame setup which can make the maslow precise to 0.5mm (i think): Maslow Mark II - 3D

If you read the thread you can find an excel sheet with the precision reached at different areas.

May i ask which classic, gantry style CNC’s are close pricewise to the maslow?

cheers,

Arnd

Cool thanks, yes been eyeing that build as well. So the M2 kit is around $749 apparently a special for pre-launch and regular being $999 which beats me how they will justify that added cost for the mere components added. And if $749 becomes their price going forward then the whole only pre-sale price was a great marketing effort. Let’s see.

In that range not going a full gantry you can do a mixup of Lowrider V2 (one of the options) or very close to the above kit you can do the full gantry style Plastic monstrosity where I am now leaning.

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there was one person If I remember correctly who made cabinet boxes a couple of years ago. I think if you make the panel insert grooves a little wider and use a good hard setting polyurethane glue with lots of staples it could work, but if you are doing lots of cabinets probabaly best to just make a dedicated gantry unit that will be more precise. this one was $900, but he spent several hundred more on upgrades if yuou watch the latter videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjdXpp77MdU

Cabinetmaker here. This is absolutely in the Maslow’s wheel-house, and is probably my #1 use case for the machine. I’ve had a lot of success with just the stock Maslow. I got my machine down to below 1/16" accuracy and that did the trick. The only reasons I developed and upgraded to the Meticulous Z-Axis was simply for reliability and speed.

0.5mm precision is possible with the normal Maslow, @c0depr1sm was able to achieve it using Holey Calibration. My understanding is that the better calibration feature is standard in Web Control, but I need to make that upgrade myself. The bottom corners and top center are the two problem areas for the machine, but a 12’-14’ top beam with a 3’ minimum height from the top of the work area minimizes it.

The reason to go to a 4 x 8 gantry is that you will be able to do a large nest of parts and have it done in a relatively short period of time. The Maslow is pretty slow, so to keep run times down I typically only cut a handful of parts at once. It’s a little more tedious, but finding a comparable gantry-style machine is prohibitively expensive for us hobbyists. I tend to just let it run and find something else to do within e-stop distance so that making parts doesn’t take up much of my shop time.

Here’s some examples:
Cabinet ends (I actually cut these parts so they were centered to avoid the bottom corners)

Completed cabinet (I thrifted the doors and face frame of this example):

Shoe cubbies:

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Thanks your taking your time to reply mate. Your Z mod development was interesting and a very welcome addition to the community. I think the M2 is using pretty much the same idea using aluminium profiles.

Those look good and its great to see some live samples of work. My only concern is that there are pockets on some pieces 7’ long where if not accurate enough the entire piece will need a re-cut. This is where I am now back to the drawing board to see what style suits me. I can afford the space so that has never been a concern for my home workshop. Never the less your post confirms that in the right hands and knowing the limits, the Maslow is capable of plenty and even being a partner in crime in cab building as long as the work pieces fit a certain scale.

I am also looking to mill some aluminum for a project in future and some 3d carving will also be nice. I will def keep researching and keep Maslow as one of the open options.

Yeah, there are a few different versions of the Z-axis that all are massive improvements. The big difference between them is how much effort the end user puts into making them. Mine is much more of a tinker’s mod, whereas the other ones are more turnkey.

Speaking of tinkering, it did take me a fair amount of tinkering to get my machine to the point where it’s capable of the level of accuracy mentioned above. I was a Kickstarter backer, so things were much more experimental back then. The calibration routines and the software has gotten so much better since then, so when I build my new machine, calibration was actually super easy and only took two hours. The flip point of that is I am very familiar with my Maslow at this point, so it still may take a new user a little longer to get to the same point.

But I also need to try Holey Calibration. From what I’ve read, it makes it even easier.

You also mentioned aluminum so I had to share this as well. I cut a generator back panel using 0.030" 6061 aluminum:

The step-downs are way lower so it takes longer, but it’s definitely within the realm of possibility.

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That is def a great feat for this setup. Thanks for sharing. I guess I am still on the fence with this. I am not sure if the Maker made M2 kit will improve the accuracy. Have you seen that kit? what do you think from what you see? cheers

i’ll give a biased untested opinion on the M2 based on my view of the video and forum discussions. Maslow is a Hobby tool. It will be as accurate as you care to take the time to make it. It is not a turn-key solution and there isn’t someone on the phone standing by to help you and hold your hand. You will need to rely on your friend google a bit and be willing to learn as you go. The basic Maslow router base setup has issues and is slow. The upgraded z axis setups help with making the plunge depth more accurate and reliable along with much much faster. The M2 has that built in, so it will be faster z motion and more reliable for accurate depth if zeroed correctly. Again, based on your ability to care for the details it will be accurate. The fundamental error sources of the lower corners and upper center will not be any different unless you widen and raise the top beam. The M2 is still subject to those constraints as are the rest of us. After building my z axis and reconsidering buying the maslow, I would go for the metal maslow or the M2. If the 40% speed increase of M2 is only the z axis, then metal maslow will be faster still because of the belt driven z axis that can be further increased 3x with gearing. I think M2 is the way of the future at this point and will prove to be very reliable for the z axis issues plaguing the rigid router base systems.

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Most of the cost is in router and Maslow kit so total cost difference between classic and gantry metal frame will be minimal. Metal gantry style will be a little more expensive because of additional printed parts cost.
T

a good z axis that can securely hold a 10 lbs router is actually pretty expensive close to a $120 or more if you buy it premade.
the M2’s is expensive $749 +$19 s&H +$135 dewalt router +100 for wooden frame = over $1000
I’d love to see some more videos showing M2 vs orginal maslow board. The company has both machines and could run the tests to show why the upgrade is worth the extra $$$. I’m going to wait to see other people’s results with this new board. I’m also an original kickstarter backer and I’m tired of being a guinea pig for new features, lol. Got to let new people have fun doing that.

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