Re: Lead screws and mill dust

Hi Bill,
Just thought I'd pass on what I do with my Sherline CNC mill to
perhaps give you some ideas.
I realize my machine is smaller than what you have, but you may be
able to expand upon my method to suit your needs..

For the leadscrews I've basically resigned myself to the fact that I
couldn't come up with anything permanent that was in my budget, and
have settled on a "disposable" (yet relatively inexpensive)solution.

Since the travel of my mill is so short, I've found that a plastic
sandwich bag (ie "ziplock" - and very cheap for a box of 100) placed
on each side of the table will cover the leadscrews on one side even
at maximum travel - while at the same time the one the other side
collapses completely without interfering with the machining operation
at all.

To attach, I just use self stick velcro. The biggest benefit
to this is that I can still easily to get to the leadscrews for
lubrication and inspection.
The most difficult part of the operation is to get the pieces of
velcro that go on the bag to stay attached.
I've found that the adhesive that comes with the self-stick velcro is
fine for the pieces that go on the table and motor, but for the pieces
that go on each end of the "baggie" I've found that I need to add
additional adhesive in order for them to hold up to my leadscrew
lubricant which eventually gets on to the bag. I've tried various
adhesives, some worked and some did not. Of the ones that worked, some
worked better than others. I'm currently using "shoe-goo". It doesn't
last the longest, but it doesn't cost as much as some of the others,
and most of the time I'm ready to throw the baggie away long before
the adhesive fails.
Lastly, as for the bags themselves, I've decided that I prefer the
cheaper "no name" brands - they seem to be made of lighter more
flexible plastic which for this application is better.

As for cleaning debris off the workpiece, I use a fish tank air pump
(very quiet) with a homemade nozzle inserted into the pumps' flexible
plastic hose line. I won't waste time describing exactly how I keep
the nozzle pointed at the correct location on the workpiece, but I
will just say that it involves more velcro on the headstock. :-)

I hope you found this helpful.
Bryan

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "wdavis364" <wdavis364@...> wrote:
>
> I'm posting this in serceral groups
> Looking for ideas here.
> What can I use to help keep lead screws free from mill shavings?
> My table is 14" by 8". I'll be milling mostly circuit boards.
> I bought 7 ½ in by 12 in bellows (rubber material, not was I expecting)
> and been trying to figure out to make them work with no luck. They sag
> to much.
> I planned to use vacuum near the point of the bit during milling and
> maybe I can get by without the bellows.
> Maybe some of you will tell me what works for you
> thanks
> bill
>