Skippy your right it's a trailer that we talked about 8x2.5mt
Thought it would be good welding practice before the MechMate.
It should be finished within the week so then onto the machine.

Now back to being serious
Cheers
Pete

So it won't be hauling gravel judging by the section size.
Also not shopping center carpark friendly at those overall dimensions but who am I to judge your driving skill :D

regards
Ross

Trailer size
 

Hi Guys

I'm no judge of distance so I would watch out if I find you in a shopping centre carpark with that thing.

The only rocks are the ones in my head for building such a beast.

But it is at the end of the day MechMate related as you will see down the build line.

Cheers
Pete

Laying out the frame
 

Working on the MechMate today just finishing up the cutting.

I'm no Engineer so can somebody please tell me if A or B is stronger or is it only for Asthetics. This is for the Y Axis


A.....
Attachment 11747

B.....
Attachment 11748

Thanks to Rick Nixon in Melbourne I now have the laser cut parts. Dad picked them up before Easter also Rick showed him around his MechMate. A big thanks

Now he has a better understanding of what I am building.

Ordered the Bearings from Rick at Superior Bearings so should be here in the next week.
Also ordered the teflon washers from JamesJ in the US.

Attachment 11746
Photo of 1 panel of X Axis framing this is 4 panels long
Cheers
Pete

Hi Pete,

My preference would be for "A" Just make sure you leave enough room in the corners to allow for welding access. Doing the bracing this way also allows you to store board offcuts under the table.
Good to see you getting well and truly underway with your build, if your around town drop in and say gidday. I'm going to be home for the next week or two.

Looks like your thread should be moved to started building but not yet cutting ;-)

Cheers
Tony.

Hi Pete

A diagonal brace is strong because it forms a triangle, transfers load from one place to another and prevents the structure from racking.
The forces the braces control can be compressive, in tension or as in the MM probably a rapidly changing mix of both tension and compression.
If you look closely at your design only two "perfect" triangles exist in each option.
The choice for you under your existing options is do you wish to have the greatest resistance to racking at the top of the panel or the bottom, rather than what is stronger.

I will draw your attention to Plan No. 10 10 100, as the original MM plans use your option A on the Y axis.
With respect to your X axis bracing if have the material you might want to do something roughly similar bracing from the top of the middle leg to the bottom corner of the table base.

Soooo option A allows you to more easily slide a compressor, box or what ever under the table while Option B does not !!
Not the answer you were expecting but an answer none the less.

Regards
Ross

New design
 

Thanks for your input Tony and Ross

Ross is this what you meant and I was already leaning towards option A.
I hadn't cut the braces for the Y axis yet so the ones i had cut for the x axis will swap staright over.

Attachment 11749

Cheers
Pete

Four legs on the X axis !! - I was only factoring in three as I can't read properly :)
Must be a long bed you are planning there.

The drawing you have provided is going to be very strong and a significant upgrade from the standard MM plans.
Have another look at 10 10 100 for the X axis bracing on Gerald's original plan and you will see that you have another two legs and an additional central "X" brace.
Given this comparison your proposed design must be strong and rigid enough given the successful operation of Geralds machines.

You could probably get away with just one diagonal brace in the center as you get your triangle with one less piece of steel, but it may not look as balanced as your drawing does.
At this point you are now down to matters of aesthetics rather than strength.


Regards
Ross

Waitaminute here...

Your X is 2440mm and you're planning on four legs??? My X is 5100mm and I've got three legs on each side. In hindsight, I would have only installed two legs per Gerald's design.

What I found with six legs in total is that it was a right pain to level the table, adjusting the feet hither and yon. Eight legs would be downright frustrating.

Trust The Plans :)

Sorry Michelg

You are right I forgot to ugrade my dimensions.

The X axis is now 4500mm long and the machine will be moved a fair bit so for rigidity 4 legs also will require a few more wheels looking at an external leveling system. The trailer has been designed to take the loads under each wheel. Also after talking to AusMadDog I decided to include room at the end for an indexer 1200mm on the Y axis.

The board cutting size will remain the same. My plan is to have two soft stop limits and one stopper block each side. ie jog past the first soft limit to access the indexer and have the second soft limit and the stopper.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

Cheers
Pete

Pete, Michel is right, eight legs will be really tiresome to level.
What you will probably find yourself doing is to set the corners and then to "just" :D wind the middle ones into place.

I appreciate that the forces you are dealing with are both unknown and unmeasured, therefore the inclination is to adopt the more is better solution.
However designing by feel typically says more about the designer than the actual task at hand.

As a reference back to a known working solution on the MM plans...
The original MM plans span around 2m using a 200mm PFC, even a six leg design on a 4.5m table spans less than that at around 1.65m.
Additionally you have used a variation of the Matty Zee design as per the Aus Maddog build, that has much larger steel sections than the original plans.

Something to think about !

Regards
Ross

Pete, a further issue

It is very hard to assist you if some of your plans, ie the trailer remain undetailed.

Regards
Ross

My friends 5000mm long table was made also with 4 legs on each side (you cant explain to some welders that it does not need 4) because they put additional 2 to their own liking. Table was assembled and we put leveling feet on only 4 corners and it works that way, you just don't need so many legs if proper bracing is used.

If I could I'll have only 3 legs for the whole machine. Levelling will be done before you can say "cheese".
What you need are less legs & more trusses, cross braces. If you really wanna go all the way, a space frame will be ideal.

Why 4 legs
 

Thanks once again

Ross it is not design by feel (but the thud would be) the trailer deck is 750mm from ground and the ramps are 4mt long. Also the 4th leg is where the indexer is to be mounted. The heavier sections are for mounting. I have seen what a golf cart can do to 75x75x2mm.

Geralds plans are Great and I have no disrespect for them.

the following Diagrams will also show why 4 legs.

Attachment 11769

Two wheels on deck at one time and less distance when becoming level.

Attachment 11770

Nice pivot point

Attachment 11771

Would just make it but the x axis support bar would need to be raised.

also the reference would be 10 10 300 in the plans.

Cheers
Pete

Hi Pete

Apologies my error on the plan number, it was actually 10 10 000 I was referring to but 10 10 300 also fits nicely !

Nice CAD work and good to see that you have thoroughly thought through your loading scenario.
Just to be cheeky, I reckon I could load any version as the height of your wheels or rollers are what determines where it snags;).

Pushing a 4.5m MechMate into place sounds really dangerous.
My inclination would be to winch it up with something like a boat winch.
Manual if you need the exercise or electric if your out to impress the ladies.

Truth is every time you put up something a bit different design wise, someone is going to leap on your bones.
As long as you can cope, it is more than worth it to gather some alternative points of view at times.
Mine is typically well though out but riddled with spelling errors, numerical errors and unstated assumptions !

Regards
Ross

Hey, why do I get mentioned for the leg count on a looooong table? :confused::rolleyes::D

Opening paragraph, top of the forum index says: "Welcome to this forum for folk with an interest in building MechMate CNC gantry routers that typically take about 3 - 5 HP routers for tables of 4 to 12 ft (1200 to 3700mm). " If you go longer than that, then you are on your own regarding the design. :D

Tilt the trailer bed?
The bump when the table lands is going to be harsh.

Don't Try This
 

Thought about taking the cutoff wheel to the 200 PFC but what the hell. Thanks Gerald

Over the weekend this is what you should not do at home.

This is over 6 ft off the ground.
And ready to be rotated 180 degrees

Attachment 11779

Attachment 11780


And Ross the Girls better watch out!!!!:D

Attachment 11778

Cheers
Pete

ohMikeee looks like a classic automated spammer........