In one of my first posts I prolled to share a z- table idea. Well, that one didn’t work out but now I finally have a workable solution in place so I’m ready to make good on that promise. Materials are from Amazon or the local hardware store plus scraps on hand.
I removed the knob from a lab jack (which probably wouldn’t have involved a band saw and a dremel if I’d realized it was reverse threaded), thread- locked the remaining 6mm nut, added a 10mm socket and a flexible bit extension under the rail, then drilled a hole in the front of the case. Some scrap hot- glued on the floor of the case and the bottom of the cutting platform provides repeatable positioning. The blue handle is a promotional mini screwdriver set from a local tailor but any 1/4" hex handle would work just as well.
If I get crazy someday I suppose I could re-route the extension into the control compartment and add a stepper motor and limit switches but this checks the “gets the job done” and “takes 10 seconds to swap in or out” boxes so I think I’m good for the time being.
