An elevated platform for Phydeaux
Routed parts and joinery make for quick assembly
The feeder consists of four parts cut from 15mm (5/8") Baltic birch plywood: a top, two legs, and stretcher. While designed to be cut with a CNC router, you can also cut the pieces out conventionally. Get the bowls first (see Buyer’s Guide below) and then size the holes in the top to suit. The cutting files are designed to use the surface of the CNC’s spoil board as a reference. This yields tenons on the ends of the legs and stretchers that are of a consistent thickness, even if the plywood’s thickness varies.
Order of Work
- Cut out parts
- Rout and sand
- Finish and assemble
- Apply laminate
Cut, assemble, and laminate
After carefully zeroing the bit on the surface of the spoil board, cut the parts out. I used a 1/8" diameter “Wonder” bit (see Buyers Guide, below) running at 22,000 RPM and 80" per minute. These bits are capable of making the entire cut in one pass. The resulting chips pack in the kerf eliminating the need for tabs. After the pieces are cut, round over all exposed edges of the legs and stretcher, and the bottom edge of the top at the router table with a 1/8" roundover bit. Sand everything before gluing the parts together. Finish the assembly with several coats of polyurethane before laminating the top surface.
Set the zero point. The X and Y origin point is at the lower left corner of the 16 1⁄2 × 17 3⁄4" blank with the Z zero point on the surface of the spoil board. Two fixed fences with opposing wedge pairs make positioning and holding easy.
