Ready Steady Eddy

[EddyCurrent]

Still not got a dust shoe sorted due to not having found the ideal design, maybe this is it ?
I'm going to make it out of wood first to see how it performs, then use perspex.
I wanted it to be adjustable so the bottom of the skirt was flush with the bottom of the cutter, or thereabouts. It's not so handy that my spindle does not have a rounded body and has air exit holes at the bottom for the top mounted fan exhaust. Skirt held on with 3 pairs of magnets, allows easy access and different length skirts to be used, mini, knee length, evening gown.

Any thoughts ?




It's got one of these on the other end;

[JAZZCNC]

skirts to be used, mini, knee length,

I've always prefered "Around ankles". .

Sorry can't help much here but mate of mine made something similiar but it didn't work so well if I remember but not sure why.? Will give him a ring ask and report back.

[GEOFFREY]

Eddy, if you make it spring/pneumatic loaded, the skirt can be arranged to be always in contact with the media top face. The main disadvantage with dust shoes etc is that you loose sight of the actual machining. G.

[EddyCurrent]

Geoffrey, I was going to make it like that, but during some earlier trials, I found on some 3D stuff that if it didn't follow the tool down, then gaps around the bottom would appear in some areas.
Getting tension right might work but I can't see how it could be controlled very well. I was thinking that by some mechanical arrangement, the dust shoe could be made to advance at a slower speed that the tool, say 60%, I'll have to think about that.

Edit: now I've had some mackerel for breakfast thinking has improved. Looking at the pictures in my earlier post, the dust shoe is supported by two rods held in blocks with wing nuts. If those blocks were replaced by a tube with a spring inside this might apply the right pressure. As the tool advances so would the pressure on the springs and the shoe would lower slightly. Adjusters could be made to alter spring tension.

[JAZZCNC]

I found on some 3D stuff that if it didn't follow the tool down, then gaps around the bottom would appear in some areas.

Eddy spoke to my friend last night about this and it was exactly this reason why it didn't work well for him. It worked fine for panel work and engraving etc but was rubbish for Deep 3D work and he mainly makes casting moulds on his machine so no good.
He's played with various setups and found that the only way to deal with 3D with any decent success is to have a larger vaccum area and with big bore vacuum. The little vacs couldn't get enough volume over the larger area.!! . . . Basicly you need excess vacuum to blitz the area.
He said Small shop vac was fine for everything but deep 3D work.

[EddyCurrent]

Eddy spoke to my friend last night about this and it was exactly this reason why it didn't work well for him. It worked fine for panel work and engraving etc but was rubbish for Deep 3D work and he mainly makes casting moulds on his machine so no good.
He's played with various setups and found that the only way to deal with 3D with any decent success is to have a larger vaccum area and with big bore vacuum. The little vacs couldn't get enough volume over the larger area.!! . . . Basicly you need excess vacuum to blitz the area.
He said Small shop vac was fine for everything but deep 3D work.

Thanks, that sounds right because sometimes with deep profiles using a 6mm cutter the vac struggles to lift dust from the bottom of the slot. I have a 4" extractor but it's a lot noisier than the small one, maybe I can make two dust shoes, one for each vac.

[Jonathan]

I have a 4" extractor but it's a lot noisier than the small one, maybe I can make two dust shoes, one for each vac.

6" is much better than 4" ... http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyc...g_introduction

[GEOFFREY]

6" is much better than 4" ... http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyc...g_introduction

You are dead right Jon, but you will find it shrinks when you get old!!! G.

[EddyCurrent]

Since using the latest Smooth Stepper plugin for several weeks, months ? I've had no problems with homing the X and slaved A drives, I would say that issue is now sorted.
ESS_v10r2d1d.zip