I have aSculpfun Ultra 11W 600x600 laser. The 600x600 honeycomb table is quite expensive, however, i am wondering is using 2x300x300 honeycomb tables will be ok as the price for a 300x300 table is 10% of the price of the 600x600 model! … How much actual usable area will i get? and has anyone done this?
Using two, you would get roughly 300x600 with a big siamesed frame section standing proud in the middle. Unless you plan to remove portions of the frame, it would be both useless and still only half as big as your useable area. Using 4, you would have a huge cross in the middle. Same problem. It might be workable if you cut apart half the frame of each and carefully fit them together but it would be a hassle and nearly impossible to move afterward without breaking into pieces again.
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Thank you for this. Need to figure out how to get a 600x600 table in a more economical way i suppose…
I’ve seen this for sale online. Don’t know how pricey it is but you might be able to buy a piece in the size you want and make a frame. Search for Steel Honeycomb core
Here’s one place
Check this one out from Ali Express.
Fifty Bucks for a 600 x 900.
You might be able to cut it down to 600 x 600
Seems like a great price
They also have custom sizes
Says shipping is $216.00 but hopefully that’s a typo 
There’s the Ikea BOAXEL 80x40 shelf, just remove the epoxy coating, and wait for a cheap honeycomb like I did.
Hi.
Re. stainless honeycomb core:
It is very expensive.
Even the aluminium variety is.
And because such cores are usually intended to be used for compound forms as well as straight ones, rather flexible.
The skins (intentionally in plural as one is almost as good as nothing) gives the core the rigidity we tend to expect from a honeycomb core panel.
Looks a lot like the honeycombs xTool sells.
Those are made out of individual strips that are not attached to eachother in any way other than friction, so any kind of cutting or otherwise modifying one will be very tricky.
Why would it be a typo?
That’s the basis of that kind of a busines model on that kind of a platform.
And that kind of items are not exactly cheap or easy to ship internationally either.
@harenasher , there was a thread about affordable honeycomb beds a while ago, I’ll try to find it when I have a bit more time.
Edit:
My memory played a few tricks once again, the thread was about a much larger bed.
That company does obviously sell smaller ones as well.
Regards,
Sam
Without using stand-offs and magnets with a flat sheet base, such as @jkwilborn likes (I agree), the cheapest I can imagine is corrugated metal siding/roofing, although getting a size that’s appropriate may be tricky. After that would probably be expanded steel. Visiting your local metal supplier would be a good first step. After that, a well-stocked construction supply. A local materials supplier that buys in bulk may charge a bit more for the actual material but you’ll likely save a ton on shipping. Expect some DIY, problem solving, and fabrication. Such is the cost of saving money.
Hi.
Ain’t that the truth 
.
Regards,
Sam
Thank you so much for this. However, india has some strife with China and Ali Express… and getting stuff from their is a bit of a pain.
You are right there… the I think the COST of DIY might actually end up being more expensive in terms of time vs money… Especially for this! …
I saw a build somewhere made of Guitar Strings ( not honey comb, but serving the same purpose) and then there was another mention of using a barbecue grill / Dishwasher dryers…
I am predominantly going to be working with XLPE Foam. So just looking at alternatives that don’t cost half as much as the machine!!
You can use a DIY bed like a knife bed, made with an L-shaped profile (can be unequal sides) in aluminium or iron equally spaced, profiles cut to size and attached to a frame underneath, also in aluminium or iron. Cheap DIY and strong.
Hi.
That’s true, making a DIY honey comb bed that’ll perform as well as a mass produced one isn’t going to be easy, nor will it be cheap.
The choice of the work piece support should however reflect the pieces to be worked on.
If there’s no need to support small pieces from falling for example, there’s no need for small eye size either.
If there’s no need to hold the workpiece with magnets, there’s no need to use ferromagnetic materials.
Etc.
So knife-edge bed out of aluminium L-extrusions @parsec suggested, may be even better choice.
If there’s no need for under the workpiece fume handling, a flat bed that many swear by can also be a better choice.
Using honeycomb bed just to look or feel more “professional”, is just daft, even though the marketing departments try their darnest to convince people just that.
In most of the machining hobbies, accessories and tools make up 50-90% of the total cost of the hobby, I for one would not expect anything different when it comes to laser equipment.
Regards,
Sam
Seems like I saw a user here several months ago that used a slab of MDF, some drywall screws, and a bunch of the metal drywall corner beads. Looked pretty good for purpose to me. No idea what the cost would be, tho. And fixturing would probably be a hassle. Really, if you’re careful, you could just use a bunch of screws run in the bottom side of a slab of MDF. Pointy side up, like a bed of nails. Control the depth of the screws and off you go.
I think I’d prefer to have a metal barrier between the bench and the laser. Not sure, but aluminum foil might be enough if bonded to the wood slab. Aluminum roof/fascia flashing would certainly be up to the task and it’s not terribly expensive.
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