The Default Frame Assembly Guide

This frame was designed as the result of a massive community collaboration. It is designed to replace the old default frame. It is designed to be built anywhere in the world so the dimensions of the lumber are not critical, and no hardware is needed other than screws and glue.

The forum thread which discusses the design process can be found here. While 53 people contributed, @dlang and @madgrizzle deserve the bulk of the credit.

The completed machine will look like this:

Step 1: Buy Materials

To put together this frame you will need:

• Six 10' 2x4s
• Two 8' 2x4s
• Two sheets of 3/4 Plywood
• Two bricks
• Wood glue

The dimensions of the lumber are not critical, so if 2x4s are not available in your area, the equivalent lumber will work.

Step 2: Cut the 2x4s

Cut your 2x4s as shown in the picture below. None of these cuts are of a critical length. Small errors in the lengths of any of these parts will not affect the accuracy of the machine. Do try to create square ends as much as possible.

You will want to choose your straightest ten foot 2x4 to be the top beam.

Step 3: Assemble the left leg

Step 4: Assemble the right leg

In progress here...the rest below is copied directly from the forum thread

Assembly instructions for the Maslow frame. This process deliberately avoids specifying measurements. Instead everything is positions by using other boards that have been cut as spacers. This produces more consistent results

The only measurement that's needed is when you are squaring the frame, and that can be done with a piece of string (just use something that doesn't stretch)

To keep everything square, you want to have a factory end on the 72" front legs, one of the 60" back legs, the 10" top beam supports, and two of the 24" pieces for the rear kickers (I’ll post a revised cut-list to show this grouping,probably graphically)

When fastening with glue and screws, the main purpose of the screws is to hold everything together while the glue dries, but they also provide a backup if the glue fails. “real woodworkers” can flatten/sand the surfaces and glue and clamp instead of screwing and end up with a good, strong joint. Normal people should leave screws in place 

This is ordered to keep things as small as possible as long as possible so that most of the work can be done on a bench/table

Options

There are a few common variations on this frame

4. additional wasteboard support Some people live in areas where the temperature/humidity can change rapidly, this can warp the plywood. Other people are experimenting with using sheets of foam for the wasteboard. By adding a couple extra boards to the Maslow, the main plywood board is not needed and the wasteboard can be mounted directly to the frame
5. Support for cutting extra thick/thin material By default, the Maslow can cut material up to about 1" thick, this variation allows for more thickness
6. unistrut top beam Unistrut is a metal beam commonly used to support pipes and conduit in industrial buildings. (in the US, Home Depot and Lowes carry it, but not always in stock). It is a 1 5/8 (41mm) channel that is designed to hang things from easily. It is available with holes already in it and will be a little stiffer than stick lumber and will not distort with humidity changes.

Assembly Instructions

1. attach kickers to front legs

   1. use spacer blocks under the combined legs to lift them 1.5" off the ground
   2. take a 60" rear leg and clamp it to the side of a front leg with factory ends together and flush.
   3. put a spacer block narrow side against the bottom of the 60" piece
   4. position the kicker against the ground and the spacer block (on what will be the outside of the front leg, so one on the left and the other on the right).
   5. Check that it is square
   6. Fasten to front leg (screw and glue)

   IMPORTANT: This is one of two places in the build where the angles and distances are critical. Make sure that the kickers are as square to the front legs as you can make them. Use the same pieces of wood as spacers for attaching the kicker to each of the front legs.

2. attach the leg spacer to the rear kickers
   1. place a block along the inside of the rear kickers (on the same side as the leg), flush with the back of the kicker
   2. glue and screw the block to the front leg.

3. position the top cross-member block

   1. take the two 16" diagonals and set them against the lower block
   2. position a block flat against the leg, with the grain forward
   3. glue and screw the block to the front leg.

   IMPORTANT: make sure the block does not slip and extend forward of the front leg, with the kicker sticking forward of the leg it will not sit flat on the ground

4. attach the rear legs to the front legs
   1. lay the rear legs next to the front legs with the bottoms flush
   2. drill through the back leg and use a lag bolt to attach it to the front leg

5. angle the rear legs
   1. pivot the rear legs so that the edge of the leg and the top corner of the rear kicker line up
   2. glue and screw in place)

6. connect the front legs with cross-members

   1. attach one 82" cross-member across the top of the each of the set of blocks attached to the front legs, glue and glue and screw into the block The bottom of the cross-member will be even with the top of the kicker

   *IMPORTANT: make sure the cross-members doe not slip and extend forward of the front leg, with the kicker sticking forward of the leg the front leg is up off the ground

7. Optional connect the verticals to the cross-members

   1. use the 28" diagonal brace pieces as spacers to position the verticals in from the blocks (exact position is not critical)
   2. glue and screw

   NOTE: this is fastening into the end grain of the verticals, which is very weak, but these do not have much force against them (they just support the workpiece/waste-board) so we can get away with this. Optionally cut 4 more blocks and use them in the corners.

8. square the frame OPTION cut the corners off of the crossmembers so that they do not stick out beyond the boards they attach to

   1. use a string or tape measure (requires an assistant), check that the diagonal distances between the corners of the cross-members are the same. If they are not, rack the frame until they match (push on the corners with the longest distance to distort the shape)
   2. glue/screw the 16" diagonal braces across the back of the frame, attaching the legs to the lower crossmember
   3. glue/screw the 28" diagonal braces across the back of the frame, attaching the legs to the upper crossmember

9. Optional connect the rear leg crossmember
   1. connect the 88" rear crossmember to the rear legs so that the ends of the crossmember are flush to the outside of the legs and the crossmember is resting against the kickers

10. prepare the top beam

    • if using the unistrut mounting (depth adjustment option)

      1. place the 6" unistrut pieces on top of the front legs, flush with the top of the leg
      2. place the top beam centered across the unistrut pieces, flush with the top of the leg
      3. mark the sides of the unistrut on the bottom of the top beam
      4. flip the top beam and attach the unistrut to the top beam at the marks, with the end of the unistrut flush with the front of the beam.
      5. place the spring nuts inside the unistrut
      6. attach the metal angles to the unistrut

    • if using wood supports for the top beam

      1. clamp the 10" top beam supports with the non-factory end flush to the top of the legs on the outside of the front legs
      2. center the top beam over the end of the top beam supports
      3. drill through the top beam for bolts to the supports
      4. drill pilot holes in the supports if you are using lag bolts
      5. remove the top beam and unclamp the top beam supports

11. stand up the frame

12. attach the top beam

    • if using unistrut
      1. position the top beam and unistrut assembly on the top of the legs
      2. drive lag screws through the angle into the legs to anchor the beam in place
    • if using wood supports
      1. square up the 10" top beam arms against the top of the legs.
      2. glue and screw in place
      3. attach the top beam flush with the front of the top beam arms.

IMPORTANT: This is the second place in the build where the angles and distances are critical. Make sure that the arms are as square to the front legs as you can make them, and that the edges (top AND back) are flush.