[icupeter]

Is anyone using a aquarium air pump as an alternative to a air compressor for removing chips?
I have a Dremel tool and cut mostly acrylic, plastics, and wood. I don't want to buy a full air compressor.

If so, what size are you using? Rated in Litre/second. Watts?

[Oldmanandhistoy]

That’s a novel idea. I use them but in my aquarium and would think to work as you plan it’s going to have to be a real beast of a pump.

Have you thought about diverting the air from your Dremel to clear chips would probably be as effective as using a aquarium pump imho?

John

[greybeard]

How about using a domestic vacuum cleaner modified, such that some of the air from the output end is blowing onto the cutting area ?
Get the balance right so that you dont get any heat build up.

John

[icupeter]

That’s a novel idea. I use them but in my aquarium and would think to work as you plan it’s going to have to be a real beast of a pump.

What size beast will be necessary? I was hoping a small, inexpensive air pump would work. I have never tested an aquarium air pump.

Have you thought about diverting the air from your Dremel to clear chips would probably be as effective as using a aquarium pump imho?

John

Haven't tried that but I don't think there is enough air flow to blow the chips out.

[icupeter]

How about using a domestic vacuum cleaner modified, such that some of the air from the output end is blowing onto the cutting area ?
Get the balance right so that you dont get any heat build up.

John

I might try this as I need to get a shopvac soon. May rig up some system to have vacuum and recycle the vacuum output for air blow.

[qwindelzorf]

I might try this as I need to get a shopvac soon. May rig up some system to have vacuum and recycle the vacuum output for air blow.

That's what I have done, and it works very well. If you get all your hoses lined up right, you end up blowing the chips directly into the vacuum inlet, and everything stays remarkably clean.

[shashank ayyar]

could the same system be used for vacuum clampdown and chip blowing?

[wcarrothers1]

Scroll saw people have used aquarium pumps to blow the chip path after they use their scroll saws so long the bellows pump with the saw ends up failing..hehe That only happens to the very serious scroll sawers though.

b.

[greybeard]

could the same system be used for vacuum clampdown and chip blowing?

No. As soon as you close the air suply to the vacuum hold down you won't have any air for the chip clearance.
Why not get a second vac cleaner ?

John

[ImanCarrot]

I started off using a domestic vacuum cleaner and found that the bag got really clogged up with coolant (WD40)- I went through quite a few of them then bought one of these Dyson type vacuum cleaners (no bag). That seemed to work ok. But then I went to a Venturi extraction system that uses compressed air at the front of the extraction pipe to create a vecuum. It works well when set up ok- chips fly out the back of the pipe and get collected in a big sack, but then again, my chips are very light- they float about the lab in big long ssilvery strings like tinsel- looks good at Xmas