The folks over at IH CNC & Machinery have a nice set of instructions for building a wooden bench and enclosure that can handle the weight of a 1,250-pound mill. It is also designed to contain and drain away coolant, which is why I may be building a smaller version soon for my CNC mini-mill.
The mill sits in a particle board tray lined with inexpensive plastic shower pan liner which you can buy at your local home improvement store. A sidewalk drain is installed in one corner to collect coolant, which drains into a 15-gallon storage bin under the bench. The storage bin also contains the coolant pump.
The back and sides of the enclosure are made with the same galvanized steel used to make heating and cooling ducts. It sounds like a good, durable and inexpensive choice. But I’ve been wondering how well the waterproof panels you can buy at home improvement stores for making shower or tube enclosures would hold up to coolant. It seems like they might absorb sound better and the lighter colored walls would make the inside of the enclosure brighter. Any opinions?
The front of the enclosure is Plexiglas and has a door. It’s mounted in a frame made from square aluminum tubing and angles. The top is left open, which is not going to work for me. I want to enclose mine completely so I can store things on top of the cabinet, reduce noise from the mill as much as possible and have a place to mount fluorescent lights inside above the mill.
Their web site also has some other neat tips for mill owners. I also like their mills and I’m going to seriously consider buying one when I save up enough pennies for a bigger mill.
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