Author Topic: Flying chips!?  (Read 8976 times)

Offline Arbalist

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Flying chips!?
« on: July 16, 2013, 06:45:20 AM »
I hope to be setting up a new workshop after our house move and this time I'd like to contain the chips from the milling machine a little better. I use a fly cutter quite a bit and these things throw chips everywhere! I plan to locate the mill at the far end of the workshop against the (short) wall. The working envelope of the machine is about 5 foot wide and the planned shed is about double that on the short side. I had thought about putting it in the middle but now I'm not so sure. Anyone have any suggestions for siting the machine and swarf control?

Offline awemawson

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Re: Flying chips!?
« Reply #1 on: July 16, 2013, 07:28:06 AM »
I've had good results in a previous workshop using 'strip curtains' the transparent pvc strips used to keep heat in across open doors
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline Arbalist

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Re: Flying chips!?
« Reply #2 on: July 16, 2013, 09:27:31 AM »
Yes, I have thought of those. Not sure if they"ll get in the way when not in use unless they can be slid out of the way. Are they expensive?

Offline awemawson

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Re: Flying chips!?
« Reply #3 on: July 16, 2013, 01:42:36 PM »
I've bought second hand so not sure of new prices. Could you have two hinged bars one on each wall, to fold them out of the way when not in use. Or mount them on a pole and rotate it to furl them like a sail?
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline Miner

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Re: Flying chips!?
« Reply #4 on: July 27, 2013, 07:26:31 PM »
Arbilist,
Add 6 inches to the room and that's the wall length my mill is sitting on. But for various reasons I'm locked into only one wall my 3/4 sized Bridgeport clone can be located on. I do have an entry door that does line up with my mills table so that's very helpful. If you don't locate your mill centered on that wall you will sooner or later run into a very long part that can't be located on the table to fit how you have it arranged. Yes centering it you'll also have the same, but nothing is ever perfect or ever big enough.

I'm also a huge user of fly cutters, and for the home user that can afford to take the extra cutting time, there a very cheap alternative to end mills for sure. Since I don't yet have anything to sharpen end mills, I'll take a fly cutter every time unless there's a real definate need for an end mill. Slots etc. I've got a variable radius fly cutter that takes both triangular and round carbide tips that's the very best I've ever used. I actually doubt you can do what you'd like without going into something very much like a full CNC enclosure. The CNC Zone forum would be one place to start, But if you can come up with multiple hinged panels that can also be set for vertical height? That will keep most of the swarf where you want it. If your using flood coolant? That really complicates things. Personally I'd build it free standing and not attached to the mill at all. A lathe is pretty easy in comparison to a mill for swarf and coolant control.

But everyone is of course different. You may work on a general range of long parts that might be worth offsetting your mill. But to state the obvious? At less than 54" for any long parts you'd generally have, I'd just center the mill to the room. If it's a non concrete floor, I might shift it one way or another just to match up with the floor joist's. I had to do that.

Pete

Offline Arbalist

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Re: Flying chips!?
« Reply #5 on: November 27, 2013, 02:39:07 PM »
Thanks for your thoughts Pete.

Offline BenH

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Re: Flying chips!?
« Reply #6 on: November 27, 2013, 03:31:25 PM »
I've bought second hand so not sure of new prices. Could you have two hinged bars one on each wall, to fold them out of the way when not in use. Or mount them on a pole and rotate it to furl them like a sail?

Yeah that stuff is quite cheap, we had a couple of 'doors' made up at work very inexpensive. From here http://www.pvc-strip.co.uk/pvc-rolls/standard-temperature-grade-clear-and-ribbed-pvc-strip.html even cheaper if you buy a roll and make a holder yourself..

Offline Arbalist

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Re: Flying chips!?
« Reply #7 on: November 27, 2013, 04:08:02 PM »
Thanks Ben, that's helpful.

Offline Dawai

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Re: Flying chips!?
« Reply #8 on: November 27, 2013, 04:14:46 PM »
At one time I had a shower curtain around mine, on both sides.  I think it got wrapped around something on a truck leaving with promises to replace it. (long gone)

THE cool mist, flood coolant is a thought too, I had books on shelves around the room with lil MOLD spots. And when I took a 2x2 arm off it to connect to a cutting torch for some T-bucket brackets, a real good fire in several places at once. (mine is a cnc). I put a suction vacuum on the mill once for the cool mist vapor.. and when you'd turn it on, the room would go immediately to outside temperature when all the heat got sucked out.

They move when you get a real big item, mine skates around and you'd never know it is 3400lbs. I finally quit running conduit to it and just strung the wires into the control panel.

THE old cnc'ed 24" stroke shaper was the king of throwing chips, they'd stick up in the osb wall six feet away.. very scary to be around that thing with it rolling off chips. Make you want to hold a shield like captain america. It got sold to make shop floor space. I replaced it with a tiny one, but never got the drives on it. (then sold it too)
I Hung a 24 foot Ibeam this morning in the ceiling by myself, programmed a Arduino this afternoon for a solar project, Helped a buddy out with a electrical motor connection issue on the phone, then cut up a chicken for Hotwings. I'd say it has been a "blessed day" for myself and all those around me.

Offline Meldonmech

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Re: Flying chips!?
« Reply #9 on: November 30, 2013, 04:27:19 AM »
Hi
        I fly cut a lot of aluminium, and flying swarf is a big problem.  I built a perspex adjustable screen, which is attached to the milling machine, using T slots in the table.  The screen is pivoted to open outwards.  This contains most of the chips flying towards the operator, as I try to feed the workpiece from right to left. 

                                                                                                                Cheers David