What the heck are you going to put your Glowforge machine on? What will be sturdy enough? What about room for material storage? Will it have wheels? Will it fit in your space? These are all important questions when shopping for a Glowforge table.
Requirements of a Glowforge Table
Dimensions:
Minimum of 20″ Width and 20″ Depth will safely support your machine. Machine dimensions are: 22″ x 20.5″ x 5″ (556mm x 521mm x 127mm)
Minimum of 36″ Width and 20″ Depth will safely support your machine. Machine dimensions are: 38″ x 20.75″ x 8.25″ (965mm x 527mm x 210mm)
Table-top Material:
Wood or Metal. Plastic isn’t strong enough and will wobble or even collapse entirely under the weight of the machine and cutting materials. The larger models weigh 50+ pounds, make sure the table or cart you choose is rated to hold that much weight or else it’ll collapse and your machine will fall onto the ground! Be careful with ‘engineered wood’ tops – these need to be thick, at least 3/4 inches to hold the machine weight and handle the vibration.
Storage Options:
Drawers – convenient, make sure their size and depth can accommodate your cutting material, as well as any additional tools and supplies like masking tape, scissors, etc.
Shelves – if made out of wood or metal, they can hold a lot of weight of cutting material. Also, open air shelving can hold material sheets of all sizes. Open shelves do however collect a considerable amount of dust.
Mobility:
Wheels – Tables, Stands, Carts that are on lockable wheels will be mobile when you need it and stationary when you don’t. If you bought the Glowforge Pro, having the machine mobile is handy for using the pass-through feature with long-cutting materials. Make sure the wheels aren’t cheap plastic and can handle the weight of the table and your machine.
Best Glowforge & Material Storage Tables
Based on popularity amongst Glowforge owners across the web, Facebook, and the Glowforge Support Forum, along with pictures of them in use and where to buy them, these Glowforge tables are the cream of the crop. Pictures of each table from actual owners included whenever possible.
Best Glowforge Storage Tables from The Home Depot
Best Glowforge Storage Tables & Carts from Amazon
Sauder makes HIGH quality wood / engineered wood furniture! This is what I'm saving up for!
Best Glowforge Storage Tables & Carts from IKEA
If you have an IKEA within driving distance or within their delivery area, there are some awesome deals to be had! All of IKEA’s products come unassembled in flat-pack boxes and usually require nothing more than a screwdriver and some patience to put together. IKEA does primarily use engineered wood for all of their products, but you can also reinforce them with metal bracing pieces they sell too. I wouldn’t put a Plus or Pro on any of these, but they are perfect for the Spark and Aura, and to compliment your setup for material storage – paper, short wood stacks, supplies and more. Read more about Glowforge Material Storage Ideas here.
Best Glowforge Storage Tables & Carts from Michaels
Michael’s also sells primarily engineered wood based products, but you can find some carts that have metal frames. I wouldn’t put a Plus or Pro on any of these, but they are perfect for the lightweight Spark and Aura. Additionally, you could use a 40% off coupon on their purchase when it’s at regular price or wait for their Storage Sale which happens seasonally.
Glowforge Help
Check out more helpful Glowforge articles…
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Pretty! This was a wonderful article. Thanks!
Hi Toni, I’m glad the article was helpful. I personally have my Glowforge Pro setup on the Husky wheeled storage cart. It has room for all my proofgrade sheets, tools, and is mobile for when I do pass-through cuts. Happy cutting!