I have a old table I’m refinishing that was given to me. It’s small enough to fit into the laser cutter with the legs taken off. But I was curious as to what the weight limit is on the table as it is still kind of heavy. Goal is to strip the table and just etch designs around the edges and center of it and then stain/finish it after etching.
There have been 2 inch thick tables put in the laser before. Just make sure you put it in evenly. Ask for help if you need it. Good luck.
Thank you!
In general I would check the http://makeict.org/wiki/equipment page for specs. I did a quick look, but I did not see anything about a weight limit.
From what people have done when missing the plunger and driving the laser head in to the bed. It does not stall easily. If you can lift it on to the bed with one person reaching out 2 ft and bending over to place it on the surface without wrecking your back you should be good.
How heavy is your piece? What are the dimensions. From your post it seem like it is small enough to fit on the table.
Watch and listen when focusing the work piece. If it sounds bad stop what you are doing. If it does not sound like it is skipping steps you should be good.
Beyond the question of weight I will give a few words of advice if I were working on something I did not want to screw up. If it is a large piece and it spans most of the table I would measure the table to make sure it is flat. Measure the distance in all four corners. I measure the bed with digital calipers from the bed or top of work surface to the center moving rail, or you could use a ruler from the work piece to the nose of the laser.
If they are equal ± 1mm you should be good. If it is off by a large amount then drop a message here, and send an email to fablab@makeict.org. It is hard to tell what members have done to the laser cutter, and I have been out of town, so I have not checked it out for a while.
Short of that , and maybe in addition you could also do a light engraving test with a sheet of Masonite on top of your table to test the engraving pass. If all looks good and the engraving is even from edge to edge take the Masonite off and focus it again. and run for real on the table top.
When do you plan on engraving? How complex is the design? I would make sure to reserve a time one the calendar, if it is a large job that will take a while.
Tom
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Thank you Tom for the reply! The table top is about 1 1/2" thick. Its 45" wide x 27" deep. We got the table for free as it had a broken leg. We were thinking about repairing it, refinishing it, and possibly etching designs into it for fun. Or cutting out designs from birchwood and layering them on the table. I don’t have any set designs for the top just yet, I just didnt want find out the hard way when I do bring it in that it won’t fit or potentially damage the machine. When I do eventually figure out what we’re going to do with it, I’ll be sure to put it in the calendar!