Top-Down Footprint Requirement

One of the PR users has a pull out shelf for the Glowforge™ . Didn’t have time to search right now to see, but does anyone know what drawer slides would work to support that weight? (Or a good construction method to do a similar under drawer with slideout for the Glowforge™?

Paging @PrintToLaser

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There are many options on Amazon. Most drawer rails have a 100 pound per set limit. You can spend a little more and find them at 150 or 200 pounds per set if you want the extra.
I would make sure that you have a strong outer frame with at least 1/4 inch plywood for the surface. A center support rib would be good also, going the long way. If you make an enclosed box shelf you will get even stiffer results. If you do enclose the shelf completely, I would fill the cavities with expanding foam so that it doesn’t resonate.

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Build a chamber that can connect the GF to the Filter instead of trying to cram a bent vent in there.

Or, keep in mind that metal/flexible ducting is malleable. You can simply mash part of it in, to fit the space, it will maintain its cross sectional area. Not the best solution, but neither is a 180 degree bend in a duct.

Here’s a photo of semi-rigid metal flex duct bent into the tightest radius I could. I don’t have any of the flimsy stuff on hand to try out.

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Mine’s only ~1/2" – seriously wish it were longer to make connecting/disconnecting the hose easier, but have zero expectations that the case is going to change at this point.

This is my installation. 500 lb.capcity glides, $80. Dont have a link handy, but they are heavy, thought there must have been 2 sets in the box. There is a pic around here of me sitting on the shelf. I’m 175 and the forge is 55 - they could hold both of us.
I used a 3/4 piece of Baltic birch with a 2" apron of oak glued and screwed front and back underneath. Glides mounted to the edge of the birch with 2 1/2"#10 wood screws, 3 per side.

I couldn’t possibly be any happier with it, I have zero room for any more tables or benches. I also have one of those rolling hospital bed tables that I mounted a 3 x 4 surface on that rolls under a bench. Big enough for the laser, but not strong enough for my tastes. It does a fine job of holding stacks of material though.

My Dropforge rolls out on ball bearings and tucks away completely under the workbench. I did have to talk myself into the $80 glides, but this thing is worth thousands - and I’m taking no prisoners. I want more. As @Jules said “I have to clean this place up, there’s pieces of wood everywhere” Seriously, you will need surface area for working.
I have 5 more pieces of that birch, and at least one of them will be mounted a couple of inches below another bench for pull out work space that I can tuck away as well.

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Rockler has 500lb drawer slides…

http://www.rockler.com/search/go?w=drawers%20slides&asug=&sli_uuid=&sid=v9100&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=(roi)+hardware&utm_content=drawers+slides&utm_term=%2Bdrawers%20%2Bslides&utm_creative=b

Also found this site:

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My Glowforge will be replacing the black frame and the storage bin. As you can see, there isn’t much room to spare. I just want to know how much to reserve for the Glowforge plus the attachment for the filter. Since the whole area in the picture will be built around the Glowforge work table, I really need to have accurate information so I can design the furniture to best use the space.
The Glowforge table will take up the space now occupied with the desk, and since the storage closet is just to the right of the table location, the table will have to move into the corner when not in use and roll out to the right when I am using it. The table will have work area built in and the new cabinet to the left side will have more work area and storage area. The whole thing is going to be along the lines of a ships galley though, so knowing the clearances and spaces is pretty vital to the design.

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have you thought about getting a 3d printer

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The stack of boxes behind the green one and under the blue one is an SLA kit. The flack frame is a large format printer that I haven’t completed because the designer is an idiot and I haven’t redesigned it yet. To the left there is another cabinet with four more printers on it. :smile:
The purple and white box is a four material add-on unit for the printer in front of it that I don’t have a place to set up yet, that is part of this whole redesign - to have enough space for the SLA and the Pallete and its four material spools.

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#thatsthejoke

cool nonetheless, though!

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oh my god hashtags are headers in markdown that’s unexpectedly hilarious

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Yeah, I was pointing out that there are more printers than meets the eye. :wink:

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Thanks! This lends credence to my 6 inch assumption. One inch for attachment area, 4 inches diameter, one inch ID bend radius.

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We’ll just have GF Basic units there, no air filters or Pro units AFAIK.

Re: dimensions, I forgot to grab a tape measure at the office today, will try to measure Monday. “6” from back-of-filter/Glowforge to wall" is a safe bet but I believe it’s less.

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Whoops, my mistake! I’ve pulled my post as not to mislead anyone…

@dan I realize you are really busy, but I just wanted to see if you or someone in your office will please take a minute to confirm this dimension. I am currently rather nervous about getting the shipping email and not having a space to put the GlowForge that I have waited so impatiently for! Thank you!!

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Just to clarify something.
@ben1, Have you ordered a filter? If you have, then the dimensions change somewhat. You don’t have to worry about the curve in the vent pipe, because you don’t have one, but there is the issue of venting from the filter.
As I understood your OP, you do have a filter?

As far as I understand, the filter is connected to the glowforge by a 4" diameter pipe that connects between the two similar to elbow macaroni. It’s that pipe that @ben1 is concerned about fitting in his space, not a vent pipe.

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@bridget I have ordered a filter. I am concerned about the total need for footprint space for the Glowforge and the filter, when assembled, and their need for open airspace around the assembled unit for safe operation.

My current understanding is that there is a u-bend that connects the output of the Glowforge with the filter and this u-bend is what I am concerned with as it seems it will protrude beyond the currently advertised footprint of the Glowforge. I would like to get at the least the total protrusion of this U-bend past the back wall of the Glowforge and filter so that I can install the Glowforge on a rolling cart to roll it into and out of its storage space safely. The cart will be moving parallel to the long dimension of the Glowforge.

Thanks!

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