Axiom AR6 STAND

[Gary Clark]

Hi all, I am new the this forum and to using cnc machines. in April i will be purchasing an AR6 PRO V5 SERIES 24X36. My Question is this, Is the AR6 Stand @ $599.00 worth the expense or would it be better to build a heavy duty shop made stand out of 4x4s. Any and all advise will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Gary Clark.

[johnb]

Buy it from them. Their stuff is bulletproof. Spend the money you'd spend on building your own stand on wood stock for the Axiom and the time you'd spend on it making things to sell or provide enjoyment to you and your friends & family.

[gerry]

+1. I agree with JohnB. I have a AR8PRO+. I purchased both the stand and the tool cabinet. They are very sturdy and they fit perfectly. I figured I had enough to do getting acquainted with the machine and putting it together correctly. My son came over with his A frame. We lifted it with a pair of straps, and rolled the stand right under it. Then we rolled the stand into place and leveled it with the feet. It made the initial setup very easy. I use mine daily, and the drawers are smooth as silk. No regrets.

[joeblow]

I'm probably in the 1% club of those that built their stand. However, being a 30yr Carpenter it was a no-brainer for me. I had a number of weeks to wait for delivery of my AR6Pro so I downloaded the instruction manual and went off the schematics in the manual to layout my new stand. I made one call to Axiom to verify how much space I would need open underneath so as to service the Y axis and went from there. I used about (15) 2x4's, (2) sheets 3/4" plywood and (4) heavy duty casters. Most of which I had floating around my shop anyways. Construction is triple laminated "posts" and "beams" using a mortise and tenon at all joints and joists(cross members) are 12"OC. The stand is rock solid and doesn't budge. Having seen the Axiom stand at one of their workshops, I can state that it is very well made and rock solid as well.

So, if you're a skilled Carpenter with an understanding of load-bearing construction and not just going to go to the big box store and grab up some 4x4's and cdx and slap together a stand for your new CNC, then by all means build yourself a stand. Otherwise, I definitely advise purchasing the Axiom stand.

It was great having the stand ready for the arrival of my cnc. I was able to place the stand in numerous spots in my shop until I found just where I wanted it located and then I knew exactly where to run my new 220v.

[stevem]

The Axiom stand is built like a tank. It doesn't even move when the machine is doing it's thing.
Yes you can build one for less, but the stand has huge casters if you need to move it about and extra large pads for raising the stand so the casters are odd the floor, which is how I have mine setup.
In my opinion, it's worth the money! And you don't have to build anything.

[Mezalick]

In the same vein of thought, I need to get from point A to point B....Do I need to buy a car....No, I could walk, ride a bicycle, skateboard, or several other options.
The end decisions rest upon what I want and what works for me.
If it's raining out, I don't want to walk, so now I have 3 vehicles..
If you can build a box that is to your liking then do so,,many people can't.

Michael

[redwood]

I was also a carpentry contractor for 40 years and thought long and hard about building my own stand, but in the end I decided to purchase the stand from Axiom. I don't regret it, at all.

[aluomala]

I built a torsion table for my very first CNC machine, a DIY ShapeOko2 kit, and while it was pretty decent for the ShapeOko, I decided to use it for my AR4 Pro+ when I bought that (deciding to save the money for a good starter set of bits, and other goodies). It served me well, but when I decided to buy a second machine (AR8) I bit the bullet and bought the Axiom stand. I am as cheap as they come, but I think it's a very good value, since it is rock solid, and it doesn't use up any extra real estate in my shop (compared to my home-made table, which was designed for a different machine.

I didn't buy the Axiom toolbox, so I can't speak that that, but I think one could find a decent cabinet that would do the job for quite a bit less than the Axiom one (I used an Ikea arts/crafts cabinet and that worked fine for me, for about 1/10th of the cost of the Axiom toolbox.

Allan

[loren]

I built my stand, but mostly because I wanted the access to the drawers and controller on the side of the machine, not the end.

[Gary Clark]

Thanks for all the input everyone, i took it and bought the stand and an axiom AR6 PRO V5 to go on top. Ordered the machine Tuesday the 25th and it is being delivered Thursday the 27th, thats fast service. Thanks again for all your help.

[Gary Campbell]

I was a carpenter/cabinetmaker for 30+ years and have been into CNC machines for 15+ years after that. I would never use a wood product to support a CNC table due to the natural movement of the wood itself. Its bad enough having to deal with the expansion and contraction of a spoilboard or bleederboard, which are necessary, but having wood movement under a 4 point mount system is not for me.

[den]

100% For sure go with the table from Axiom. As many have said it reduces the problem of expanding and contracting wood and the stand is so well built and easy to move if you are limited in space as i am.

[loren]

All that is true, but the machine frame is setting on 2" diameter, 1" thick rubber cushions, and seems pretty robust and stiff without relying on the underlying stand.

[joeblow]

Considering Carpenters have been building structures for hundreds of years that work with expansion/contraction as opposed to fighting with it, myself included except for the hundred year part, I choose to build my stand 4 years ago.  Triple beam construction, interlocked corners, plywood stiffened in 3 directions and load bearing points directly under the feet of the machine.  Besides “daily” maintenance, I do a full maintenance every 3 months…grease bearings, fill reservoir if needed and shoot a laser to check for precise level from corner to corner.  Only once at the beginning did I have to adjust for level.  

Is a diy built stand for everyone?  Not at all.  

Is a diy built stand a viable option?  Absolutely, if built correctly.

Now if I was machining parts for the aerospace industry or had a large 5x10 machine, then I would absolutely not build a wood stand.  I have a 300lb,  2x3 machine and mill wood decorative items.  My spoilboard and the wood I mill are moving around more than anything else.

Come on this would be fine right?


My attempt at injecting humor into the conversation.

I do sincerely hope we can keep this conversation civilized and not digress into “cancelling” one another.

[Axiom Tool Group]

Apr 6, 2022 6:12:50 GMT -5 joeblow said:

Considering Carpenters have been building structures for hundreds of years that work with expansion/contraction as opposed to fighting with it, myself included except for the hundred year part, I choose to build my stand 4 years ago.  Triple beam construction, interlocked corners, plywood stiffened in 3 directions and load bearing points directly under the feet of the machine.  Besides “daily” maintenance, I do a full maintenance every 3 months…grease bearings, fill reservoir if needed and shoot a laser to check for precise level from corner to corner.  Only once at the beginning did I have to adjust for level.  

Is a diy built stand for everyone?  Not at all.  

Is a diy built stand a viable option?  Absolutely, if built correctly.

Now if I was machining parts for the aerospace industry or had a large 5x10 machine, then I would absolutely not build a wood stand.  I have a 300lb,  2x3 machine and mill wood decorative items.  My spoilboard and the wood I mill are moving around more than anything else.

Come on this would be fine right?

View Attachment
My attempt at injecting humor into the conversation.

I do sincerely hope we can keep this conversation civilized and not digress into “cancelling” one another.

A DIY stand is always acceptable, provided that the weight and inertial of the machine are accounted for...as not all home built stands will remain solid when a 300+ lbs machine is moving quickly.

However, the main reason that I typically stress the need for the machine is not the overall weight, but the ease of access to the underside of the machine frame for service.


Ideally, the ball screw and guide rails should be wiped down with a light machine oil daily (hard to do through the small opening at the side)...this is why the Axiom stand is completely open underneath the machine, to allow access for maintenance as well as other service related needs.

If a cooling fails (as they are designed to do with wear)...then a machine that's not on a stand is going to need to be elevated somehow so that the user can safely access the areas under the table. (As safely as possible).

*If a ball screw were to need to be replaced, this becomes even harder to do.

[joeblow]

Apr 18, 2022 11:58:02 GMT -5 Axiom Tool Group said:

Excellent point!  Thank you for being open to the idea of someone building their own stand too.

I forgot to add in my last post that the stand I built and use also has a 26” x 38” open area under the machine for service and maintenance.  

I would also like to add that I completely support the purchase of the Axiom stand.  Having seen it in action, I can absolutely attest to the fact that it is extremely well built and functional and should be purchased along with the machine.

I look at the stand this way…..if someone comes on this forum and asks about how to build their own stand they have already answered the question themselves and really have no business building a stand for their cnc.  

I have no plans of posting pics of my stand (no raised panel doors, dovetail drawers or fancy embellishments) nor offering up plans or assistance for someone else to build their own.

I felt that the reasons presented for why it can't be done were a little weak.  After my last post, I shot a laser and admittedly one corner was off by about a 1/32”.

[andreaitaly]

hello,
I'm about to buy a CNC I2R A23 (same as Axiom pro 6). I decided to make the stand for it. I would need the precise dimensions of the inter-hole between the four mounting holes of the CNC on the stand.
If any of you do me this pleasure, I would be grateful, because I have to make the stand before the CNC arrives and since I have to make it in steel equal to the original one, I need the correct measurements of the interholes so that it adapts perfectly to the machine when i go to install it.
Thank you