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Thread: What are you doing for DC?

  1. #1
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    What are you doing for DC?

    I'm about to order the DC system for a new shop. It seems reasonable that, some day in the future, there will be a small CNC machine in the shop (maybe 24*36).

    Do I try to accommodate for that in my initial DC design, or just forget about CNC for now and deal with it later? Any future CNC purchase would likely be at least 2 years out, maybe longer, maybe never...

    It looks like, e.g. I could buy an Oneida Dust Cobra for the CNC someday in the future, and that's about the same price as upgrading to an Oneida Smaart from an Oneida dumb collector now...

    (Yes, I understand somewhat about dust boot design,... I'm not trying to design a complete CNC dust collection system now, just wondering if a standard 3HP or 5HP Oneida Dust Gorilla Pro or V-System cyclone would work 'well enough', or if I could/should get something like a Dust Cobra dedicated for the CNC in the future when/if I bought a CNC machine ,...)

    So how are you handling the dust your CNC generates?

    Thanks in advance for sharing.
    Last edited by mark mcfarlane; 06-14-2017 at 9:58 PM.
    Mark McFarlane

  2. #2
    For my 2x3 CNC I have been using a mid-size Penn State, 1HP collector with 1 micron filter bag. It works really well and is dedicated to the CNC machine. The hardest part of CNC dust collection is getting a boot design that works without being a total PITA to use. If possible get a 4 inch hose to the spindle area as it's the fine dust that is the most damaging. A larger hose allows for greater air flow but is harder to mount.

    Robert

  3. #3
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    I own a CAMaster Stinger II with a 36" by 48" table. My DC is a very old Grizzly 1.5 hp model that serves all of the machines in my shop and does a great job. I should explain that although my DC is small I discharge outside into a chip box so I don't have bags or filters and the performance of the smaller DC is much higher than you would expect. My piping is all 4" PVC with very short hose at each machine.

    In the sign shop at CNU I purchased a Harbor Freight 2hp DC for the 4' by 8' ShopBot, again we used a chipbox without bags or filters.

  4. #4
    I've been happy with my old Delta 850. Seems to work great. Not much dust left on the table or the air even when cutting MDF. And that is with a pretty long hose connected. I would definitely have dust collection in place. After I played with mine initially (the CNC), I stopped and added the DC. That thing threw stuff everywhere!

    I made a shoe out of birch plywood and added the brushes from McMaster I think (comes in lengths on a spine). The plywood version was to be replaced by acrylic, but it works so well, I have not replaced it yet. I bought the acrylic and it is still sitting there. Still on the list!

    Oh, I use the DC for all of my woodworking machines as well. I have a long hose that I move around the shop. Small shop - it works fine. I also added an air cleaner to collect the fine stuff that escapes and I still wear a mask.

    As for the possibility of a CNC purchase, no regrets here. It is a lot of dough (especially when considering all of the accessories and such), but I have found more uses for it than I realized. Was it worth the money? Not in any practical way for me, but then none of my tools can really be "justified!" Good example of practicality though...I needed shelf for the garage but had no brackets, so I threw together a design and cut some in no time. Cut time was 7 minutes or less.

    Tony

  5. #5
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    Thanks Robert, Keith, and Tony. Sounds like I'll be fine just running a drop from a 3 HP Oneida and focusing on the boot design.
    Mark McFarlane

  6. #6
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    Never mind designing a boot, a total waste of time. Just head on over to KentCNC and buy one of his. Save yourself all kinds of needless grief. They are well made, reasonably priced and extremely easy to use.

    Unless of course you fancy yourself as some kind of aerodynamic engineer and just know that whatever you think up will be head an shoulders better than anything that can be purchased. In which case, as soon as you design and build it, go into production cause we will all buy it!

    https://www.kentcnc.net/nc/dust-shoes-standard-and-mini

    I designed several dust boots, they more or less worked. I finally bought a Kent. Yanno? It feels GOOD when you stop banging your head against the wall.

  7. #7
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    Cleveland OH
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    Hey mark,

    It really depends how your shop is setup and the amount of machines will be running at one time. I would configure your setup for your shop as is and then upgrade down the road (2 years wouldn't be worth a running a overpowered system for that long.) We had trouble running a 3hp for our 4x8 cnc machine and had to upgrade to a 5hp cyclone for our cnc and drum sander. It also depends if you think you would be running a cnc for a few hours or all day - we run our machines for 12-18 hours a day so a good D.C is good to have. A 3hp system would be a great start.
    Last edited by Robert Bonenfant; 06-15-2017 at 2:44 PM.
    3X Camfive 1200 48" x 24" 100watt Tube
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    Laguna Smartshop 2 - 4x8 ATC

  8. #8
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    Thanks Ted and Robert. If I get a CNC, it would probably only be used a few hours per week. I can handle some manual dust cleanup.

    FWIW, I'd like to avoid a 5HP DC to minimize the heat generated and the electric bill. 3HP seems to fit my one-man, one tool at a time hobby shop.
    Mark McFarlane

  9. #9
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    Mark, buy a Kent shoe. Trust us. Super nice.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Heidrick View Post
    Mark, buy a Kent shoe. Trust us. Super nice.
    Thank you Mike.
    Mark McFarlane

  11. #11
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    I made my own dust shoe that works just as good or better than the Kent I have. smaller area for the dust and it doesn't move with the spindle

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jerome Stanek View Post
    ... and it doesn't move with the spindle
    I can't visualize what you are saying
    Mark McFarlane

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jerome Stanek View Post
    I made my own dust shoe that works just as good or better than the Kent I have. smaller area for the dust and it doesn't move with the spindle
    Interesting, how big is your cutting area?

    You made a pretty bold claim, let's see some pictures of this shoe you made that is, according to you, better than the Kent you own.

    I do a wide variety of cutting, sometimes the cutter is even a bit below the dust shoe skirt and it still does a good job. Some of the larger chips escape, but that is no big deal. The idea is to get the DUST out of the air. Big chips never ruined anyone's lungs.

  14. #14
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    If you do not have a tool changer there are lots of homemade examples: https://www.google.ca/search?q=cnc+d...w=2560&bih=946 Many attach a rod to the fixed body of the z axis and attach their shoe to this so the dust shoe floats over the cutting area at a fixed height. It would not be very difficult to build. There was one nice design I found that I would have built if I could form plastic. Even Gary gave that one a nod years ago. If you are primarily using small diameter cutters I would devise a boot much smaller than the Kent along the lines of the pressure foot by AXYZ.

    Ted, the Kent shoe is clean design, but it did not involve much mechanical engineering. Turn on your DC and feel the air flow right below the inlet and then at the tool. Directly below the inlet you have very good air flow, but around the tool it is quite low. When using this dust shoe the majority of the dust or chips are collected when the shoe passes directly over the cut sometime later in the cutting program. If you are using a compression bit or down cut bit, you need a pretty good size DC to pull chips out of the cut slot if you are cutting finer grain materials. It is not difficult to improve upon this design if you know what you are cutting and the type of tools you are cutting. From a practical sense, I get the Kent design, but the flexibility of this design limits its efficiency.

  15. #15
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    I will have to get some pictures of it. It is mounted to the side of my z that does not move it has a slot to adjust the height to the top of the material. My table is a 96x 48 unit.

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