Re: Re: What do we want?

In a message dated 10/19/1999 9:09:11 PM Hawaiian Standard Time,
clintbach@... writes:

<< I once had a unique problem with a
recycled piece of plywood I was engraving a sign on. I noticed the
cutter was sparking. This is the only time I actually caught the work
piece on fire while machining it! In retrospect if I had been using the
vacuum system this could have been way too exciting! A fire in the
vacuum system could be devastating. >>

Hello all,
My day job machine did catch fire once. When you plunge cut materials, you
often get a small disk of same on the end of the bit. If this doesn't fly
off, it gets dragged around in the cut. The friction ignited the particle
board top. This Thermwood machine draws vacuum right through the particle
board. (It's 40 Hp vacumm pump!!) The fire spread fast. Lucky someone was
watching. We usually run lightly tended. You must put a fire extinguisher
close by....
Peter