This is the story of me building myOX - my version of the "ideal" OX. I want a machine which can route/mill at least 4' wide and as long as I can feed through (don't be shy, think "infinity") as well as going deep on multiple faces - manual 4th axis. I have loads of ideas to take myOX towards that goal and way beyond. Time will tell. Just follow along through this build and possibly a few others along the way ... Check out my OXCalculator : let your computer figure out your BoM

Bringing your lead screw precision and accuracy to new lengths using a simplistic tension system!

I ran across the OX and knew it was the one I wanted to build. Some of the things I wanted to include was make it bigger and a little more solid than what the original plans called for. So here is where I am at so far. It will have a cutting area of 48" x 48". The waste board support frame will have more support rails. The Y axis will have (3) 20mm x 60mm rails instead of the original (2) that is called for. 1/4" aluminum OX plates. And a few more odds and ends.

Using most of the parts of the MiniMill, and adding a few other parts (cost < $200), transforms the MiniMill into a very capable machine. Final build area as shown is 10.25" x 16". With a custom Y-plate, I will take it to 10.25" x 20-24".

Video on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCTbLZ2_m-w&t=36s

A clone of https://openbuilds.com/builds/dedicated-compact-rotary-axis-laser-engraver.10204/