I think one of my favorite things to do with my Maslow is to make it better, more efficient, and easier to use. With each of these things comes challenges and problems, So I will share with you all what I did with my Maslow, how I made it better, what works good and what doesn’t.
First, I will go over the general design and framework, then work my way around the different parts.
I started out with the plain, vanilla frame made from 2x4s and plywood. I did use MDF for the backbone of the frame because of how much cheaper it is. I forgot that MDF comes in 8’1"x4’1" so I do not have it perfectly centered on the machine, but it still works just the same. I bought my machine with the ring kit, and the z-axis kit which I installed straight away. Both of these features are great and make the process much faster and more accurate.
A few of the main features I added to my machine are:
- Dust collection
- Laptop/Computer station
- Easy access power switches
- Storage shelves
- Rolling storage bin
- Web Cam
In the first picture, you can see most of the components, but I will go into detail with pictures for those who are interested!
On my plywood, you can see four silver paint spots. When calibrating, I just used the backer-board as the calibration board as I did not want to use a full sheet to do it. After calibrating several times, I could not see which mark was the most recent mark so I just used spray paint to cover the past cuts so the new cuts would be visible.
I also have my vacuum port under the plywood just right of center. Some of you may say this is a bad idea due to the router hitting it if I am cutting on lower portions of the board. It is not a problem for me because I tend to make smaller items, so I can cut further up on the board as needed.
Lets start with the dust collection, I had a small 2hp shopvac the I had directly hooked up to the router. This did not work well. The filter was always clogged up, and dust got everywhere. I decided to upgrage to a 6hp shopvac with the Dust Deputy as the dust extractor. This works amazing. I cut a lot out of MDF and as many of you know, MDF makes a very fine dust, so keeping that fine dust out of the air is a priority.
For the system, I have a small portion of piping that goes from the vacuum to the dust deputy, then out the front of the machine. The first picture is of the general area underneath my laptop stand, with my compressor, extension cords, and ear muffs. The second and third pictures show a little closer how I used the small space I had left behind the machine to put my dust deputy! I had just enough room to fit the bucket and cyclone, and there is enough space in the side of the machine to remove the cyclone when it gets full!
Above the shopvac I have a nice laptop and extension monitor stand. I did not have my laptop out when I took the picture, but I simply plug the HDMI and USB into the laptop when I want to cut something. I use the second monitor to display Ground Control, which allows me to use my laptop to work on other things while still ensuring the Maslow is doing the right thing.
I originally had the laptop stand much lower so that I could sit and work at it, but when I introduced the dust collection it worked much better to raise it up so that everything would fit underneath.
On the front of the stand, I have two switches, one controls the dust collection while the other controls the router. This allows me to stay by the computer instead of having to walk over to the router, or reach under the table to turn the vacuum on. Underneath that there is power strip with a master switch in case I need to shut everything down at once.
I have seen some people dedicate multiple circuits to the router and the dust collection, but I have not had a problem running both from the same outlet.
To the left of the laptop stand, I have a bunch of router bits, as well as the router wrench and a square that I use to get the bit at an approximate height.
Now onto the storage side of things.
One of the first modifications I made to my Maslow was the three storage shelves to the left of the machine. I had a bunch of misc. wood that needed a home and I found that the space behind the maslow was somewhat wasted. First, I cut a small brace to put between my maslow and the wall so that it would not fall apart when I cut out the leg. I then unscrewed it from the top, and cut the remainder out with a circular saw. I used this piece to restructure and add a place to brace the shelves later on. I measured three evenly spaced shelves and cut some plywood and wala, the shelves were born. (I used the same concept in the middle behind the machine as well for the back of the shelves.)
It may not be the preties thing ever, but it works wonderfully. I wanted to keep the Maslow as close to the garage door as possible, so when the garage is open I can easily access what is on the shelves.
I do have a bunch of extra wood stacked up next to the maslow, that is just general wood that may be too long or mis-shapen to fit on the shelves.
I recently added two small struts near the motors above the machine to place longer lumber. This works great for the few long pieces I have because they do not fit anywhere else!
The last storage solution that I was able to fit into the Maslow was a rolling cart underneath. I thought about more shelves, but I liked the rolling cart idea better. This is where I keep all of my stain, paint, and a few other random things that I don’t use all that often. The box is just a simple 4’x2’x16" made out of MDF. This works great because it is easy to access and it uses the left over space very well!
I do not have a good picture of the WebCam that I installed, but it works using WebCam XP 5 which allows me to export live video feed of the machine cutting to my phone or other laptop where I can watch what is going on without being present. This way I can go inside the house while the Maslow is cutting, set up the live feed, and not worry that it is ruining the piece, or worse; burning up. You can see in the first picture a cord running up the wall in the back, that is for the webcam.
If you have any questions or want to let me know of anything I can do better, let me know!
This was a very wordy thread, so if you got this far congratulations! You made it! This is the end.
Thanks for reading!