[coffeetek]

Hi Everyone, I was wondering how do you guys approach cleanup of the mill after the job? This is by far my least favorite part of machining. Got to get an intern to do cleanup!

Anyways, for plastic machining I just use mini dust pan and brush out as much as I can easily, then I vacuum. Works great. But for aluminum chips its more problematic and I would like to hear what you guys do to get some ideas?

Thanks!

[Jim Dawson]

I don't have a Tormach, but I use a shop vac and a brush for all materials, mostly aluminum.

[cobrakai]

By recommendation of someone here, I wait overnight for the coolant to fully drain into the sump and then use a 14gal shop vac to suck everything up, using a toothbrush to help get it out of the tslots.

[popspipes]

I don't have a Tormach, but I use a shop vac and a brush for all materials, mostly aluminum.

I keep 99% of them contained to the table, then use a small dustpan to scoop them up, then vacuum up whats left when I cant find the vise anymore ha! not one of my favorite jobs either.......Attachment 344330Attachment 344332Attachment 344334

Merry Christmas all........

[cbyrd]

I use a shop vac with a dust deputy to pick up aluminum to recycle and also for plastic and wood to dispose of.

The Dust Deputy

[MetalShavings]

For me, clean up is by far the worst part of an otherwise enjoyable hobby. I hate it but, it has to be done.

A few months back I went to my local HomeDepot store and bought a six foot length of PVC shower tube liner. I cut it into pieces to fit the inside my 770's well and with the pieces I had left over I was able to cut enough pieces to cover the ways, the top of my table and the sections of my vice that catch the brunt of the chips that fly off my part. I was able to imbed neodymium magnets into the top edges of this PVC liner so that it says put while milling. When machining steel, those magnets also catch alot of the chips into concentrated areas for easy removal.

The liner catches the vast majority of the metal shavings so it's just a matter of lifting them out of my mill and shaking them clean into a container. The chips that land in other places get sucked up by my shop-vac so clean up takes only about a third of the time it once did. Even then, cleaning up still sucks but, it sucks less now than it once did.

I lay down a thin layer of rust preventative before putting the PVC liner back in place. These two steps kind of takes care of the bulk of my maintenance routine.

MetalShavings

[RussMachine]

First, I let the coolant drain overnight.
Then I use a 3 inch chip brush, a metal t-slot cleaner thingy, and a Gatorade bottle cut in half as a scoop.
Brush and scoop, brush and scoop.
If I get REALLY motivated, I'll shop-vac any left over fine chips.
Then spray a fine film of WD-40 on the clean table and spindle nose.

[tbev]

I really like that setup pops! I try to keep a lot of my mess contained on the table but it's mostly only coolant spray. I'm doing a lot of production right now and I've gotta clean out the whole tray every three cycles or it chokes up my coolant return enough to be a problem. I have two different front pieces made out of plexi, this tall one and I've half as tall that's easier to reach over if I'm not doing coolant hard enough to need the tall one.

One thing I really recommend is to fill in your table, the 1100 has 5/8in slots, makes it MUCH faster and easier to clean off with a hose, another thing I highly recommend. I also pulled those stupid grates off the back of the table and drilled out the drain holes big enough to let chips thru. Oh yeah, I spaced out the front table tray bezel thingy, again, big enough to let chips flow thru, helps a lot.


https://www.dropbox.com/s/pvahqq0akd...93920.mp4?dl=0





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[Plascut]

Dennis
Search for Tormach Streamliner to give you some ideas. Works well for me.
Regards Greg

[tbev]

@plascut thanks for posting that, it's a fabulous idea!

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[coffeetek]

Dennis
Search for Tormach Streamliner to give you some ideas. Works well for me.
Regards Greg

Yes, great idea.

[cobrakai]

While we're sharing pics. I think I scooped up chips once before I said nope, and got the shop vac. I can clean this entire mess up in about 2 minutes.

Only thing I don't like is how easily the bellows get clogged. I need a rubber sheet over the top, or metal ones!

Attachment 344466

[popspipes]

I really like that setup pops! I try to keep a lot of my mess contained on the table but it's mostly only coolant spray. I'm doing a lot of production right now and I've gotta clean out the whole tray every three cycles or it chokes up my coolant return enough to be a problem. I have two different front pieces made out of plexi, this tall one and I've half as tall that's easier to reach over if I'm not doing coolant hard enough to need the tall one.

One thing I really recommend is to fill in your table, the 1100 has 5/8in slots, makes it MUCH faster and easier to clean off with a hose, another thing I highly recommend. I also pulled those stupid grates off the back of the table and drilled out the drain holes big enough to let chips thru. Oh yeah, I spaced out the front table tray bezel thingy, again, big enough to let chips flow thru, helps a lot.



https://www.dropbox.com/s/pvahqq0akd...93920.mp4?dl=0





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I am envious of the second vise!! I need one occasionally but not often enough to buy one.

My son in law cut some oak strips for me to fill the table slots, and I have some fine mesh stainless screen for the coolant drains, works pretty well for what I do. I use my machine intermittently, so I use oil/deisel mix for coolant so there is no worry about rust or corrosion. I also replaced the drain screen in the stand with the fine stainless screen as the aluminum one had holes eaten in it from the coolant I believe, no problems since.

I use a white shop type cloth on the front and rear Y bellows, easy to remove and shake off in the trash and replace.

Today I am going to Gateway Electronics to see if I can find a cabinet replacement fan as it has quit working, its almost 5 years old

pic is of the screen and oak strips.

edit where did you get your T slot covers?

[CadRhino]

Tormach sells rubber bellow covers. They work well enough

While we're sharing pics. I think I scooped up chips once before I said nope, and got the shop vac. I can clean this entire mess up in about 2 minutes.

Only thing I don't like is how easily the bellows get clogged. I need a rubber sheet over the top, or metal ones!

Attachment 344466

[kstrauss]

I found the Tormach rubber cover for the back bellows a real pain to install but, yes, they work well enough and weren't expensive. Keen showed a nice metal cover for the front bellows in one of his postings. I love the idea but the design of my homebrew enclosure won't let me use his suggestion.

[tbev]

Those oak table slots are sweet! ! ! I made my out of aluminum 1x5/8in bar . Chamfered all of them to match the table and engraved thin for the he'll of it. Man I'm so happy to have my mill "streamlined" now, it's great! I'm making like half a trashcan/day off chips right now doing a big (for me) production run, I was cleaning the tray out 5 times/day now it's 10,000 times easier!

Two vies is way cool, even if your not actually using them you can leave something setup in one and do something in the other one, makes it really nice, I wasn't able to justify it for a long time but I finally had to and happy with it. I run 8in jaws quite often and I needed them a tiny but closer to reach both outsides so I cut the inside mounting flangesa little bit and got them closer together. It makes for a crappy little valley to clean out but that's the only downfall. Test and the price, I hate how expensive vises are, one of mine is scratch and dent from kurt, absolutely cannot tell there's any imperfections in it, I recommend trying that to anyone who's looking for a new vise.

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[nitewatchman]

Hi Everyone, I was wondering how do you guys approach cleanup of the mill after the job?

I use my youngest son.

He is paid quite handsomely to machine castings at a flat rate and cleanup becomes par of the job. He typically uses a Sears shop vac and citrus cleaner. Been considering using Simple Green Aircraft Cleaner in the coolant tank to wash down the inside of the enclosure.

[Steve Seebold]

I give the machine a good blow down at the end of the day, then I let the chips drain over night and vacuum them out in the morning.