I had been dreaming about a “real” CNC for the shop for years and recently say a post on the Inventables Forum on the parts to buy to convert the 500mm X-Carve to a full 100cm version. The instructions seemed complete, the BoM (Bill of Material) was fully populated, and the cost was right, so I jumped in and order the parts. While waiting for my new toys to arrive, I started designing the “perfect” table for the X-Carve in the shop. I decided on a combination stand/tablesaw outfield table because space is NOT limitless in my shop. I spent weeks working out the details – steel frame, wood frame, dimensions, storage, castors or not, and so forth. Then, while minding my own business and with my mind 100miles away from the shop and projects (I was actually thinking politics) as I strolled through my local Walgreens… BLAM! There it was right on the cover of Popular Woodworking – the exact thing I was designing already done for me. In glossy color. I felt the hand of Karma and bought the magazine.
Fast forward a FEW months (OK, 11…) and I started the project after tweaking and changing the plans just a little to suit my shop space and my own aesthetic. David Lyell’s plans are really good and I have zero bad things to say about them on the whole. There are a couple of typos , but I am the king of typos, so I am not judging. My tweaks are for my use and are in no way a commentary on the Mr. Lyell’s inventiveness. I will Include the original plans and my comments/notes/scribbles/doodles as well.
Part II of this build will cover drawer construction, finish, and the 1st run of my newly upgraded machine. I will also include a real drawing of my exact build, my BoM, final costing, and cut list with Part II.
X-Carve: https://www.inventables.com/technologies/x-carve
Popular WoodWorking: https://www.popularwoodworking.com/article/cnc-outfeed-table/
PDF of David Lyell’s PW plans with my markups and design changes (Real drawings linked in Part II of this build): http://mattofmanytrades.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/xcarve-outfeed-build-markups-2-2020.pdf
Upgrading your X-Carve – First Steps: https://www.inventables.com/technologies/x-carve-upgrade-kit/questions
X-Carve Forum: https://discuss.inventables.com