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rick@sinanju.com
10-13-2003, 10:36 PM
Hi;
I'm considering purchasing a shopbot. I'll be putting it in a 2 1/2 car garage that is being converted to my woodworking shop (heat, A/C, humidity control, etc.) What's the actual floor space this monster requires? I'd like to wall mount it, but from what I see here that can't be done. Space is a concern, as I need to have room for a lot of other tools. The car stays outside. I'd like to hear comments from people who have put this in a similar space.
Thanks
Rick

kaaboom_99
10-13-2003, 11:41 PM
Hi Rick. I also put my SB in a 24 x 30ft garage. I also have my "other" tools (router table, table saw, drill press, belt sander, bandsaw etc. The PRT96 actual takes up a 7 x 10 ft area. You will need/want an addition 3 ft on each side just for movement and access.

bearwood@bearwood.biz
10-14-2003, 11:41 AM
Hi Rick,
I just assembled mine in a 20x28 shop. Think of it as having a CAR parked in your shop, and plan from there, try to plan how you will load sheets and jig fixtures on to the ShopBot table as well. My shop started as a 20x22 garage woodshop, and now I have added the additional 20x28 building which is now almost full with a 37" drum sander, Unisaw, Compressor and PRT96 ShopBot, and a few extra tools and racks. Also remember you need material storage space! I ended up with a 18x20 shed in the yard, that is more for wood than for the lawn tractor. I hope I never have to move. Oh, one more thing, plan for the delivery, If you get the steel table (Highly recommend it) you need a 4'x10' space to store the delivery crate & boxes, and it really can't be where you want to assemble the PRT. I also payed $30 for the local lumber yard to show up with their piggy back fork truck, well worth it. Liftgate truck is almost worthless due to the length of the Beams.

- John
Bearwood Laserworks and Graphics
Tyngsboro, MA

johnandrhondawebb@netzero.net
10-14-2003, 04:12 PM
Anybody got some pics/drawings of their shop setup? I'll be setting up my PRT96 next week after I finish painting the floors/walls. Shop size is 22x30 with one garage door on the left side. I'm working the layout in CorelDraw & didn't know how much space to allocate for the SB & other equipment...

In fact, I haven't purchased the "other equipment" yet, but I figured I'd need to get a miter saw, & perhaps a table saw- for cutting frame trim, sign posts, rough stock, etc. Hopefully that'll do to get started.

So I'm allocating space for:
-SB Table
-MiterSaw
-TableSaw
-Small Table (like drafting table) & Chair for PC
-Dust Collector (Delta 50-850)
-Work/Assembly/Sanding Table
-Finishing Table (away from Sanding Table)

Anything else?

I figure I can use the add-on room at back of the shop at 10x12 for stock storage. Additional challenges: finding space for quad, kayak, & pressure washer.

bearwood@bearwood.biz
10-15-2003, 12:40 PM
John,

Give some thought to doing the finishing in the 10X12 room, or somewhere else other than the shop. Lots and Lots of dust needs to be vaccumed before you start a finish project, and then you can't use the shop between finish coats if they are in the same area. I tried the "Poly Tent" method for a while, and then gave up and moved the finish room out of the shop.

Other things to plan for, are a Drill Press, and eventually a Jointer and a Planner, maby a scroll saw. Also, shelves or cabinets to store hand/power tools are a must.

- John
BEARWOOD Laserworks and Graphics
Tyngsboro, MA

donframbach
10-15-2003, 04:38 PM
My ShopBot is currently in a 3 car garage with one bay used for storage (so I guess it's really in a two car garage). Anyway, for my needs, a PR96 was too large so I bought the PR48 which turned out to be too small. ShopBot was VERY helpful and for a very reasonable charge sold me intermediate size rails so now I have a "PR60" which is perfect for me. Fits very nicely in my garage which also has a table saw (with a 55" table), drill press, band saw, lathe, mini mill, 1.5HP Oneida dust collector, and a 64" work table.

Something to consider.

Don Frambach

donframbach
10-15-2003, 04:42 PM
John,

I use my ShopBot as a jointer. It works amazingly well for that.

Don

jay_mack1@hotmail.com
10-15-2003, 08:00 PM
Donald,

I'd guess that would work pretty well. Mind telling us a little about how it all works or your steps to getting it done.

donframbach
10-15-2003, 11:37 PM
Using the ShopBot as a jointer?

jay_mack1@hotmail.com
10-16-2003, 07:47 AM
Donald,

Sorry I should have mentioned more. Yes, I'd like to know more about using your shopbot as a jointer. Knowledge is power.

Lol!

Jay

johnandrhondawebb@netzero.net
10-17-2003, 04:32 AM
Good ideas John. Got tons o' shelves. Forgot to mention I would be focusing on doing residential signs to get me through the learning curve. The guy that shares the building at my day job wants me to start cutting kiosk cabinets for him since the guy he's using now is slow- cutting them manually with a bunch of jigs. I keep telling him, uh... I don't even know how to use the thing yet...

In any case, John, why can't I use the Bot for a scroll saw or a drill press,... just a bit change, right?

Also, I was thinking of putting the Bot on the shop side without the garage door so I can still use that area if I need to, but then I was thinking, if I get a job cutting designs into big headers or something, I might need to use the opening if the beams don't fit in the shop. So... garage door side or not? your experiences?

The other question- corner placement or center placement? Was thining it might make sense to setup equipment in a u-shape representing start to finish- ie. table saw (stock cutting), dust collector unit, Bot, desk/pc, drill press or other post cutting equipment, sanding/assembly table & holding bench. I'm definitely putting the finishing/painting table in the other room.

Sorry for all the ?'s... it's gonna get worse 8^)

John

johnandrhondawebb@netzero.net
10-17-2003, 04:47 AM
Forgot to toss this in there... for any of you guys who live in severe weather prone areas, just released this at the day job... Storm Predator (http://www.stormpredator.com). Very useful, especially if you're in Tornado Alley- doppler image analysis software tracks storms & intensity levels, alerts you via cellphone/email/pager when rain gets over X Dbz (you set), does cell tracking, path projection, & probabilities for being hit, & provides ETAs.

PS. I'll get some shop pix up so you can see what I'm talking about. - John

davidallen
10-17-2003, 08:54 AM
simulating a jointer:

cut a shallow pocket (about 1/32" deep) the length of the table and about 1" wide using the CR command.
(make a note of the start position)
use the edges of the pocket to align your boards edges and clamp them down.
recut the pocket to square the board edges to each other.
reclamp the boards so you can access the other sides.
use the prior starting point to cut the boards to length and square the other sides.

donframbach
10-17-2003, 04:29 PM
How I simulate a jointer:

very similiar to David's method

1) lay out and then mark boards as they will be assembled in the panel

2) position two boards at a time on the ShopBot about 1" apart as they will be assembled in the panel. My ShopBot table has a number of fine scored lines so it is easy to lay the boards down parallel to the "X" axis. I elevate the boards off the table by clamping them to 1/2" plywood strips that leave a gap between the two boards.

3) using a spiral bit, make fine CLIMB cuts to both adjacent edges. (my last cut is .02") This makes very fine edges exactly parallel to each other (I have made my system as square as possible and I believe my rails are straight too. By doing both boards at once, any discrepency is mirrored onto the mating board so the fit is exact and I believe better than what can be achieved with a conventional planer!)

donframbach
10-17-2003, 04:31 PM
John, I have my ShopBot centrally positioned so that I can access the table from all sides. It makes clamping MUCH easier.

Don

Lee Cheney
10-28-2003, 09:36 PM
Rick,
I built my own steel table for my PRT 96, but I increased the length of the legs to 48". This allows me to store my Unisaw and a compressor and my shop vac (all on rollers)underneath the Bot. Its not as ideal as a large shop would be, but it works. The increased height of the table doesn't seem to be a problem for me but I'm over 6' tall. I also positioned one end of the Bot facing the garage door to facilitate loading large workpieces.

rick@sinanju.com
11-02-2003, 04:38 AM
Since I have a pretty tall garage - 9" to the rafters, and 3-5 feet over that, I was wondering about putting the shopbot on a taller table, say at 4 or 5 feet. Then my outfeed table for the table saw can go under that. I was also considering HANGING the outer edge from the rafters - that means no legs. As additional support, I'd put steel "L" braces on the walls. I could even put some lighting under the shopbot table.

Just wondering if anyone has tried this? I figure the weight of the table and hardware should be around 250-300 lbs - no problem for the rafters to handle, especially since most of the weight will be on the wall.

Of course I would hang it using a 2x4 frame or steel rods. Something that is not flexible.

Then there's the opposite approach - putting it on a SHORT table, say a foot of the ground. Then my table saw can go over it. But that would be a LOT harder.

Rick