I just ordered my kit and found a router which I think will work well (not the Rigid).
Question! How large is this machine once assembled?
Length, width and height in metric or “Church of England” units. I would like to know how much space I need to clear in my little workshop, or if I need to build it in the shed.
Follow up question! I see talk of accuracy going off at certain extremes of the full sheet of material. Would making the frame taller and/or wider be helpful?
Or is there another way to improve accuracy within the current frame size? Those linkage setups?
First off, welcome to the Maslow forums! It’s great to see you joining us as we continue to develop this ingenious machine.
From my memory, the stock frame is 120" (3048mm) wide, 72" (1829mm) tall, and 18" (457mm) deep. If I’m wrong please someone correct me.
Without going into too much depth, the change to triangular kinematics (the math that drives the linkages or @bar’s ring setup) has significantly simplified the calibration process. I have had a decent amount of success with cuts made by the stock sled setup, but it does require more variables for calibration. The general consensus is that any of the triangular kinematic solutions greatly improves accuracy across the entire machine. There is still some debate as to which one does it best, and we are going into tests which should quantitatively prove that. Details in this thread
There is also a discussion about increasing the length of the machine, from 10 feet to as much as 15 feet in an effort to increase accuracy. There is a trade-off, however, as the longer the machine (and therefore the chain), the more sag there is in the chain and accuracy will degrade past a certain point. I’m sure we will be seeing tests over the next few months showing what that ideal length actually is. Details in this thread
I’m leaning towards ordering the linkage kit on Etsy depending on what becomes of the circular ring arrangement. I have time to make that decision. Given the standard arrangement’s apparent limitations, I imagine one could, in most cases, program around the areas of least accuracy?
Of course this is me putting the cart before the horse. I expect the machine will do exactly what I want it to do once it’s set up and I get the hang of using it.
Based on my understanding of the systems, the kit you’re referring is most likely the better option. However, it sounds like Bar is trying to get all the parts sourced so that he can include the ring with the next batch of kits. So if you’re in that batch, you very well could get the ring with your kit
Yes. I make my programs so that they work within the 4’ x 4’ area in the center of the bed that has the best accuracy.
Welcome to our group. Sorry for being late to the party. It’s the first day here i could get my Maslow out in over a week. I’m using mine outdoors. So I have to take advantage of good weather.
The standard sled is a disc ~ 45.72 CM or 18 inches no mater what linkage you are using. I plan on having a 22.86 Skirt around my waste board so my sled can fully exit and enter the standard work area. I would add 60.96 CM or 24 inches to each direction (X&Y) if you want this option. It will create some interesting issues if you plan to use more than 1 type of material thickness and you will need to adjust the “Skirt” to deal with it. This is how my Final-Final design will be. First I’m gong to build the stock Maslow Final frame as described in the Assembly instructions to get the experience.
You could always make a thin skirt and shim it up for thicker materials. Conversely, you could shim up the work piece with spacers between the frame and spoil board. That may actually be easier…
In a lot of cases, I’m working with offcuts from previous runs, which makes them smaller than the bed. I just use my 18 ga nailer to secure the workpiece, then use scraps around the piece out maybe 4". I rarely have a problem with the sled “falling off” or hanging on what I’m cutting. When I do it’s usually because I’m dumb and missed something.
