Howdy everyone. I wanted to share my newest toy, I mean tool, The Shapeoko 5 Pro 2'x4'. The machine lives in a box for purposes of cleanliness in my garage and for sound level reduction.
Let's start with the box. The box is made from laminated 2x4s, laminated 2x6s, 0.75" plywood, 0.125" 1lb/sqft mass loaded vinyl (MLV), 3.5" polystyrene, 0.25" acrylic sheets, sound dampening foam, and 0.5" x 0.25" foam gasket tape. The box construction idea was 100% stolen from this
video. The core of the design is using 2x4s to create a frame. That frame is covered with the MLV. Then the plywood as attached to the frame. The MLV acts as both mass and decoupling for the layers of wood. The cavities of the frame are filled as tight as possible with polystyrene, before being covered by more plywood.
The lower chamber is integrated with posts (two 2x4s screwed together) to create the lower half. The lower chamber has an additional passageway that is lined with sound dampening foam to allow the passage of cables/electricity into the enclosure. You will also find 2 additional spaces. The intention was to force cool air in, and force hot air out. The original use for the lower chamber was to house the electronics and a vacuum. Unfortunately, the CNC has the wiring come out of the right side of the machine and it is not long enough to live in the lower chamber.
The door is made with the same techniques as the framing/shell with a polysyrene core. Currently, the lower purpose exists to hold my laptop while the machine is running. Next to the opening is my toolbox. the height of this box was specifically designed to fit that toolbox. 10/10 worth the time investment.
The upper half. Same construction as the lower half with the expection of the doors. The doors are instead made with a core of 4 0.25" an airgap of unknown depth, and the doors are air sealed using 2 layers of the gasket tape with an air gap between the gaskets. The doors are notched where they meet, where we find 3 layers of gasket tape.
The machine. The machine is a
Shapeoko 5 Pro 2x4. The cutting tool was planned to be the 110v VFD spindle, but once I read the fine print I realized it was not possible. Electrical code where I live requires the use of GFCI outlets in garages (and around water) and something about how VFD spindles work will trip breakers. So I went with their er-11 compact router. It being ER-11 did 2 things, it was cheaper since they were discontinuing the model due to lack of interest and it allows for greater expansion as ER-11 is the standard with CNC, finding unique bits should be easier. Some highlights of this CNC are that it uses ball screws instead of belts. This helps with rigidity and requires less maintenance and tuning than belts. It also uses linear rails to assist even further with rigidity and to keep tolerance nice and tight. The machine has a rough cutting area of just over 24" x 48".
The goal for this machine is to make keyboards from scratch. I have long desired to build my own keyboard. That is, designing the PCB, milling the plate and case, and the required finishing work. There is lots of learning to do, but right now, I am happy. If anyone else has any experience with the design/manufacturing of keyboards at home, I would love to know.
Recent Posts
