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T-Track or Screwed Inserts - Recommendations?

I'm thinking of upgrading my basic MDF spoil board and have watched lots of YouTube videos with recommendations for this. Many people use T-Tracks, some use a matrix of screwed inserts - but which is best?

With MDF sitting on top of the extrusions on the base of the Workbee, there is little space for T-Tracks, without compromising height on the Z axis; also these make it difficult to get inserts into the T Track.

I appreciate there is probably no "correct" answer but any suggestions or recommendations would be most welcome! Thanks.

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Update - I also posted this on The Workbee CNC Group on Facebook and have got some helpful comments.

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Hi David,

I’m having the same debate. One of the main constraints is the lack of height on the Z axis, which is, as you say, caused by the spoil board being on top of the X axis frame.

On my Workbee the Z axis has 75mm of travel but because of the position of the spoilboard the travel is limited to about 45mm.

Does anyone know of any reason why the spoil board could not be in between the X axis frames?

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Thanks Tony, I have seen a video where someone removed the central frame and put the spoil board on the base - which is ok if the machine is fixed securely to the base. You need to remove the central frame pieces or you risk hitting them/have no room to surface the board. Also if you are using t-nuts you need to be able to access the end of the frame to slide the bolts in.

Ive not changed mine yet but may do so when my current spoil board wears out.

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I have the 1000 x 1000 Workbee which has 3 support beams running along the Y axis.

I have already tweaked the Y axis limits to ensure the largest cutter (30mm surfacing bit) doesn’t hit the front X axis beam.

My initial thought was to flip those beams the other way up and so gain 20mm of vertical height while retaining the crossbracing support.

But I’m now thinking of removing the beams altogether and building up from the baseboard using ply/mdf to lower the spoilboard while maintaining support for it.

Providing access to get fixings into the T-track could be done by leaving strategically placed gaps along the track.

I’m tending towards T-track because of the faff of routing out the counterbores and holes for T-nuts on the underside of a spoilboard - I know it only needs to be done when the spoilboard needs replacing, but it’s still a faff.

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Author avatar David will be eternally grateful.
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