Building a soundproof enclosure for the Shapeoko 3 CNC machine

When I originally built my custom workbench, I envisaged the Shapeoko sitting conveniently atop, happily cutting away at whatever project I threw at it. I hadn’t put much thought into dealing with the noise and mess generated until running a few cuts in Aluminium.  The Dewalt router is pretty loud on its own but even louder while cutting material.

To solve this problem, I built an enclosure.  Not just any enclosure, but an enclosure designed around the Shapeoko.

Planning

My requirements for the enclosure were as follows:

• Soundproof
• Well-lit on the inside
• See-through doors
• Movable – on wheels
• Separate compartment for a vacuum + power

Constructing the frame

Before starting, I measured the Shapeoko to determine its volume. I needed space on both sides for easy tool access, space above the machine for the vacuum line, and to stick my head in while fixturing material.  The internal dimensions I settled on were 1000 mm wide, 650 mm tall and 800 mm deep, giving me a total volume of just over 0.5 cubic metres. To make construction more manageable, both compartments would be the same size. I started by building two open-ended MDF boxes, which would serve as the internal walls.  I wanted an almost ‘clinical’ look inside and outside, so the support frames were built around the boxes, skinned with another layer of MDF.

Initial test fit of the box walls

Box walls screwed together

After completing the internal boxes, I moved on to the external structure. I used pine timber framing, which is what you’d also build a house with, so I knew it’d be strong. The back of the enclosure was left open, as I’d be constructing a separate wall later.

Initial layout of the external frame structure

Screwing the frame onto the internal walls

Internal walls completed

The whole enclosure was already impossible to move due to its weight, so four 100 mm castor wheels were added.

Attaching the first castor wheels to the base.

Castor wheel close-up

Castor wheel attachment complete

The frame was coming together, so I filled the voids with R2.5 insulation batts.  This insulation would be packed tightly into every space, excluding the front doors.  My theory was that this might help reduce the noise.

Insulation in the middle of the enclosure

Insulation in the top of the enclosure

Insulation in the back of the enclosure

To close the back of the enclosure, I built another wall with inner and outer MDF skin plus an internal pine structure. I packed the voids with more insulation before securing them permanently.

Fully insulated on wheels – front view

Fully insulated on wheels – back view

Attaching the front skin

At this point, I had a fully insulated enclosure, but with no ‘skin’ on the front. I used the belt sander to even out the front face to make attaching skin easier.  I brought my first belt sander during this step, and I was amazed at how quickly it removed material at the cost of making a tonne of MDF dust.

The front face, fully sanded flat – close up

The front face, fully sanded flat – full view

I cut several horizontal and vertical pieces to fit the front skin rather than working with a single MDF sheet.

Attaching the first front skin piece

A closer look at the first front skin piece

Front skin complete!

Building the doors

I cut four sheets of MDF to create the doors and attached them to the door hinges. This was very challenging, and I spent lots of time trimming and retrimming the doors so they fit correctly.  I cut and routered a rebate in the doors to house clear perspex windows.  While inspecting my work one night, I dropped a door on my toe, fracturing it.  Always wear shoes!

Cutting the door window panels

After routing the window panels for perspex

The door hinges

The finished doors, ready for paint and fitment

Painting

The box construction was complete, so it was time for paint.  This step took many weekends, requiring multiple coats to get the desired finish. Painting upside-down also wasn’t much fun. I added a single coat of MDF sealer plus two coats of hard-wearing oil-based paint over the top.

Starting the first coat with primer

More work on the first coat of primer

Painting the back with primer

First coat completed

Second coat completed

Second coat completed – another angle

Painting the doors

A look on the inside after painting was complete

The door handles

I chose four chrome door handles to finish off the look on the outside.  I wanted the enclosure to feel like a piece of machinery, which I think I’ve achieved.  Aligning the handles was a matter of marking out their position with electrical tape, then drilling pilot holes and attaching them from behind.

The handles, before attachment to the doors

Aligning the handles

A view of the handles from the front

A view of the handles from the side

A view of the handles from the top

Fitting the windows

The windows are made from 8 mm thick perspex, which allows a good view of what’s happening inside the enclosure while still blocking most of the noise.

Perspex window before peeling off the protective layer

Perspex windows installed – doors open

Perspex windows installed – doors open side view

Perspex windows installed – doors closed

Lights and power

Power is provided by a cable organiser installed at the back of the compartment.  A hole in the bottom allows an extension cord to be fed through to the wall.  I’ve also attached two LED strip lights on the enclosure’s roof.  These can be switched on and off individually if required.

Cutting the wiring channel

Wiring channel door

Wiring installed

Lighting installed

Moving the Shapeoko

Moving the Shapeoko was a little tricky due to its weight. It fits perfectly in the space and is well-illuminated via overhead LED lights.  In the photos below, you can also see I’ve installed the vacuum hose, which currently just exits through the bottom compartment where the vacuum lives.

Shapeoko installed

Shapeoko installed alternate view

Mounting the controller externally

By default, the Shapeoko wiring is attached to the rear of the X-rail.   I wanted to better protect the electronics, so I opted to mount the control box externally.  This also lets us see more blinking lights when a program is running – who doesn’t love blinking lights?

I attached a 24-way terminal block to the right side of the Y-rail, then threaded the wires through a hole drilled all the way through the rear of the enclosure.

Getting wires outside of the box by drilling a hole in the rear of the enclosure

The terminal block attached to the Y-rail

The wires ready for install

The wires come from the back of the enclosure

The wires coming from the back, ready to be attached to the controller

E-stop switch

I wanted an e-stop switch for my controller, which is supported by the Stepoko controller (which comes with the Shapeoko).  I wired up two e-stop switches in series and set the Stepoko e-stop setting to ‘active-low’  This means when either switch is activated, the circuit is broken, pausing the controller.  This means I can stop in an emergency, whether I have the door open or closed.

Internal e-stop switch

Internal e-stop switch close up

Internal and external e-stop switches

Final wiring

The final step involved attaching the Stepoko to my workbench and wiring its terminal blocks.  Power to the Stepoko is provided by a 24V adapter passed through the back of the workbench.

Stepoko before wiring

Stepoko during wiring

Stepoko wiring complete!

Final thoughts

I’m incredibly pleased with how the enclosure turned out.  Every step took longer than expected, but the results have been worth it.  I now have a bulletproof home for my Shapeoko in the corner of my workshop.

If you have any comments or questions about this project, please add a comment or get in touch. 🙂