# CNC Table Height



## Bernie_72 (Jan 1, 2021)

I'm still working through a few options on my CNC order and I'm trying to make a decision on the table setup. The ShopSabre 23 I'm considering has a slightly larger footprint than my Harvey G700 dust collector. Ideally I'd like to place the dust collector under the CNC router table. The dust collector is 48" wide which is about 1 1/2" shorter than the inside distance between the legs of the ShopSabre stand. If I build my own stand I'd have to raise things up a bit to clear the 32" height of my dust collector. That would put the table of the CNC router at about 44 1/2 inches.

I read a few old posts on recommended CNC table height and I saw a lot of answers ranging from 32 inches up to over 40 inches. It seems the key factor is that you need to be able to comfortably reach the center of the table from all sides. In my setup, even with the table at 44 1/2" in height, I'd easily be able to do that.

The rest of the work benches, cabinet bases and equipment table tops in my shop are already at 40" which is a height I'm very comfortable working at. Given that I'm thinking that having the CNC table height at 44 1/2" would be fine but I thought I'd post this anyway to see if any experienced CNC users think that's crazy.

Any feedback is appreciated.


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## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

First question, Bernie, is how easy will it be to access and work on the DC unit if it's under your CNC? Seems to me that would be inconvenient. Second question - what will you be cutting (primarily)? If it's small pieces or easily manageable pieces then the height is whatever is comfortable to you. But if you're going to be working with large slabs then the higher it is the harder it is to lift it onto the table.

David


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## Bernie_72 (Jan 1, 2021)

difalkner said:


> First question, Bernie, is how easy will it be to access and work on the DC unit if it's under your CNC? Seems to me that would be inconvenient. Second question - what will you be cutting (primarily)? If it's small pieces or easily manageable pieces then the height is whatever is comfortable to you. But if you're going to be working with large slabs then the higher it is the harder it is to lift it onto the table.
> 
> David


Good questions David. I'd be building the table out of steel and it will be braced and connected to the concrete floor. Three sides of the table would be open with walking room around them. The 4th side would be up against a very short wall (40" high). I'd have easy access to the bins (which roll out on the door that you open), the two small ports that occasionally need to be cleaned out for the fine filters, to the 6" dust port and I'd also have access to the entire back of the machine. I think access to the dust collector will be completely unhindered. 

As to what I'll be cutting that is a good question as I'm not 100% sure. I will be cutting some sheet goods but I suspect most of the pieces I'll be cutting will be smaller pieces of wood for use in speaker builds, small furniture and cabinet doors. The bed on this CNC can accommodate 30" x 40" so the widest board I could cut would be 30" and I would have open space in front of and behind the CNC if I wanted to do longer pieces. I do often have live edge slabs that are wider than my planer so I would occasionally use the CNC to flatten them.

If I end up placing the dust collector along side the CNC and go with the ShopSabre stand then the CNC table and the table I'd build over my dust collector could be set to be the exact same height of every other surface in my shop. I think that would be advantageous for moving heavier pieces around but I'd be loosing more usable floor space.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Like what was said, anything you are comfortable with. And, if it turns out it is too high, I'd build a ledge around it to stand on and raise you up a bit .


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## ger21 (Feb 10, 2019)

For a small machine, that height should be fine.
For full sheet sized machines, I prefer somewhere around 34", or even lower.


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## MarkJonesRanger (Aug 14, 2020)

I just measured mine it's 48" from the floor to the top of the spoilboard. Here is a video on my CNC. It's a few months old so there have been more mods to it but height wise it's the same.

(6) CNC Enclosure made out of blue construction foam - YouTube


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