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Comment by WillAdams | Hacker News Reader

I'm still surprised that no one has made a CNC specifically designed to be:

- carried on a truck - used while in place on the truck or is easily removed from it and then set up - which has an interface suited to a job site in terms of setting up a design and cutting

The Shapr3D seems to get some jobsite use, and there is at least one digital saw where one plugs in a dimension and the stop moves to the correct position for the cut --- the Yeti SmartBench seems like it might be a contender in this space, but still not seeing the CAD/CAM interface which would make it workable.

Really miss Saltire's SketchRight and FutureWave's SmartSketch for quick jobsite sketches.

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This is something I'm really hoping will take off when electrified trucks become more common. With an electric truck you have an enormous amount of power ready to go for having something like a bed-mounted CNC in the back.

The next phase for something like this--to bring more utility--is to make a CNC with an automatic feeder and ejector. That way you could put a stack of 4x8ft plywood in one side and get finished parts out the other end. Presumably at the speed at which a worker can take the finished part, install it, and come back for the next one.

The first use I'd imagine for something like that would be custom crown molding, drywall with electrical and plumbing holes pre-cut, perfectly-sized shims and frames for anything and everything, turning regular floor boards into snap-lock flooring, shelving and cabinetry, and other housing materials that could be made on-site if it were not for the complexity/detail.

Festool bought Shapr and their TS saw sounds like what you’re describing. Both can be used but that’s really finish carpentry.

One reason I can think of why they’re not used during regular carpentry/building a home is the time it takes to setup. It’s much faster to measure, mark, cut vs setting up a CNC equivalent.

I remember a friend mentioning a client of his with a cnc mounted in a container to work on site (for building projects, similar if not wikihouse). Container could go anywhere the truck would.

There was a "Grand Designs" episode (UK TV show) where they used exactly that.

A bit of search turns up this link: https://www.facit-homes.com/post/we-re-back-on-site-manufact...

This isn't my field but I'm assuming there are size/width constraints to the "carried on a truck" CNC machine. Of course it's possible but the width for a trailerable load is around 10' which may be quite limiting for residential structures. At that limit prefab units may seem more practical? I find the CNC housing idea interesting but similar to EVs (in the past) it needs to catch on

> the width for a trailerable load is around 10'

Ahh but the maximum height is 14'! Well, on most roads and Federal highways anyway (plan your route!).

Also, the maximum trailer width is actually 12' with a realistic payload for non-flatbed of around 11'. The maximum width that'll fit in the bed in your typical American pickup truck is around 5-5.5'.

Do sheet materials ever come in larger sizes than 4' x 8'? The CNC wouldn't need to be much larger than the largest sheet it could cut.

Drywall is commonly available at any home center in 4'x12', and available in 4'x16' sizes.

OK - but the shorter side is still 4'. The width of a truck is unlikely to be an issue there.

I actually just found today when shopping for drywall that there is 54"x12' drywall ("Super Wide") available. Still not a trucking issue, but interesting.

Baltic Birch is 5'x5' (but it's more typically used for furniture)

I believe metals can or do - thicker gauge can’t be rolled up but assume it’s oriented vertically for shipping

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