Dust collection with an indexer

[phil_o]

I'm considering purchasing an indexer. I'm wondering how indexer users handle dust collection. It seems to me that the standard type of dust shoe used for flat work may not handle lathe type work very well.

Thanks in advance,

Phil

[Gary Campbell]

The only known working indexer dust collector (see below)

http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=30948&stc=1

[Burkhardt]

The only known working indexer dust collector (see below)

http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=30948&stc=1

Well, I agree a broom is necessary but a collector can still prevent the majority of the chips and almost all fine dust particles from escaping. See the following video between 1:00 and 2:14 (where the collector is down and operative) and you can recognize a lot of the chips being sucked upward.

That said, this dust collector is a shroud around the spindle with the skirt at constant z-height. It may not work that well with the usual up/down moving brushes and offset suction hose.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBjLd3vLDLw

[Brady Watson]

The reality is that you're going to do best with a shopvac wand while you're standing there watching it. Roughing and 2D cuts are obviously going to throw a higher volume of chips. 3D incremental carving is going to basically let the chips fall. You can make a trough of sorts that will catch what falls, but rooster-tailing of chips is hard to grab without intelligence. (If following the trail with a shopvac is an indication of intelligence...)

Unless you're doing ONE design in production, it's really hard to nail down something that is going to be effective.

As a job shop, there are many times where I can't run dust collection at all because the parts are too thick or it's 3D etc and not possible. Today I ran 1.75" thick poplar cut outs and I was the dust collector following it around with the shopvac + broom.

Statistically, you'll probably fart around with rotary a few times before putting it on the shelf...and sporadically after that. So, don't go nuts worrying too much about it...

-B

[phil_o]

Thanks to Gary, Burkhardt and Brady. I appreciate the replies. Brady's comment about farting around for a while and having wind up on a shelf is not unexpected.

Phil

[Gary Campbell]

Brady's comment about farting around for a while and having wind up on a shelf is not unexpected. Phil

According to an old guru; Obewan Kabrady, that where 90% of them are. I have seen no evidence in the last 10 years to dispute that. Very few users are able to wrap (pun intended) their heads around rotary work. Except for one. A bit of a hippy type with a headband. Word to the wise: JB,0 hurts like hell when your bandana gets caught in the chuck! Blackened both his eyes.

See if you can that picture out of your head!

[Burkhardt]

Good point about the shelf. I don't have the indexer on a shelf but it is sitting in the corner of my machine table (except if I need the whole damn thing) and I use it maybe twice a year when I just want to try our a new design idea or a piece of new software. I guess it is especially hard to justify in a production environment. The machining times can sometimes be agonizingly long. But then, most 3-d work takes a long time for clean results.

[mikeacg]

Gary,

I don't wear no stinkin' headband!

Mike

[jerry_stanek]

you could put a trough under it with a dc connection

[myxpykalix]

The best dust collector that usually collects 99 to 100% of all my dust regardless of whether i'm cutting flat work or round indexer work is pictured here....