Suggestions/ideas for projects

Somewhere on the forum, I seem to recall having seen a topic regarding setting up a separate thread where one could post ideas for future projects so that others can make suggestions for improvement or to point out that it's already been done or is not feasible. I've tried using the "search this site" facility, using all the sensible keywords, but can't find it. If it's still on here, perhaps a moderator could move this post to it?

To get to the point, I have a couple of ideas for simple machine mods which I'd like to run up the flag pole. First one:

At the moment, I have concertina-type swarf protection on the Y-axis of my mill. They work adequately for the most part, but at the limits of the Y-axis travel, they can, and do, get caught between the table and the main body, thus restricting the table from travelling its full movement, unless I use my third hand to lift it out the way. See below

My solution would be to use a couple of car roller blinds, such as those used to keep the sun off the little darlings in the back seats. They are available on certain auction sites for a few pounds a pair. The roller and "blind" parts would attach to the mill in the same way as the current bellows do. For those not using flood coolant, the original mesh ought to be good enough to catch the flying bits, though hot chips (metal ones!) might be a problem!

The introduction of cooling/cutting fluid into the equation may necessitate the replacement of the original blind material with something more impervious to it. My local hypermarket sells a thin waterproof plastic tablecloth material by the metre which might fit the bill. It even comes in an enormous variety of colours and patterns, if you want to brighten up your workshop!

Discuss...................

John

Hi John ,

sounds interesting and considering the price of a new set of bellows that my local supplier sells ( a price that is bordering on cruelty ) i think is definately worth trying.

The bellows on my X2 perished very quickly and i ended up using some rubber sheet i had laying around but this is a real PIA !

Maybe the rear one could be mounted under the head and have a guide rail at the base of the colmn that the roller blind material would run under to keep it parrallel to the base so the material could run from the table up through the wire guide rail then up the column to keep the swarf off the column as well ?

on the front it would be simple tp install as long as the diameter is kept as small as possible

Ian

Hello John, good evening.

See **LINK** , please.

Dias Costa

Hi, Ian,

I must say, I had thought about extending the run exactly as you have described but initially dismissed it on the grounds that I didn't think that there would be enough travel in the roller part to accommodate the extended run of material. The only way to find out is to order a couple of blinds and experiment, I guess. Better go and sign in.......

John

Ian,

The deed is done! Blinds (£7.99 the pair) + P & P for me, are ordered - should be here in a week or so. In the meantime, I'll pop out into the garage and have a quick measure up. I'll post the results here when the blinds arrive.

Dias,

Interesting solution, but it looks like the bamboo curtain doesn't roll up out of the way, does it?

BTW I've forgotten what my other brilliant idea was (age). I must try to write these things down in future! When it eventually comes back to me, I'll post again.

John

Hello John,

I've thought about a sprung roller for y-axis protection in the past. As with most of these things, it's still on my 'to do...' list, but when (if) I eventually get to it I'd use a silicone baking sheet as the material.

Something like this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Silicone-Extra-Large-Baking-Sheet-Work-Mat-Oven-Tray-Liner-Work-Top-Protector-/301211224435?pt=UK_Bakeware&var=&hash=item4621968973

Should be flexible, tough and heat resistant.

One difficulty would be preventing the chips from being caught up as the sheet retracts. I was thinking of some sort of brush fixed in contact with the sheet but unless it was made to revolve against the direction of travel it would just trap chips and not clear them. May be more effective to just brush them away by hand.

Hi John,
I made a set of bellows from some wide polythene damp proof course (Used by builders) for the Y axis of my Seig X3 mill.

For the Z axis I used one of the old fashioned window blinds with the pull cord. I removed the latching mechanism and shortened the roller. I replaced the original material with damp proof course polythene. (Same idea as your car window blinds.)

Les.

Hello John,

John: Interesting solution, but it looks like the bamboo curtain doesn't roll up out of the way, does it?

DC: Yes it does. Both extremes (uppermost and lowermost) are attached to the same screw holes where the original bellows was. So the bamboo curtain works in the same manner as the original bellows.

Dias Costa