I am going to need an enclosure for the table on this mill. I could build a
fairly low wall enclosure that would help "some," but I don't think it would
have the level of containment that I would like. Alternatively suppose I
could build an enclosure that encompasses the entire front of the mill and
rest on the floor. Something with partially sealed shower doors that I step
inside of to setup a job.

Neither really fits my needs. One that set inside the table would
substantially limit my choice of vises, as well as my Y axis travel to some
degree. One that was short enough to have limited affect on Y would not
fully contain chips or coolant when doing fast machining or using a face
mill.

One that sets on the floor and encompasses the entire front of the machine
would be much more expensive, although probably simpler to build. I would
have to add a floor sump of some kind though, and I am not really crazy
about cutting a sink sized hole in the monolithic slab. It would also take
up a lot more floor space.

The one design I thought of that might work is one that extends outward to
the front of the table about 8-12" and back from the table an inch. This
would give me nearly full use of Y and not limit my choice of vises. I could
also extend the front and side panels up more than 2 feet for plenty of chip
and coolant containment. My son even suggest a fold up two or three section
rear panel so I could raise it if I have to lower the knee, and fold it down
when I raise the knee.

My problem with the last solution is that I don't see it being rigid enough
and solidly mounted enough to hold up and not shake during some types of
machining without screwing it to the table. That is, drilling and tapping
the front and back lip of the table to solidly and physically attach the
enclosure to the table. I had considered laying the base of the enclosure
over the lip and making a clamp to bolt it to the table without drilling and
tapping, but the lip is the same height as the surface of the table. This
would again limit my choice of vises.

If I hadn't been chastised by "real" machinists about it I wouldn't hesitate
to drill and tap the table to facilitate my solution. Especially since there
is already a cast iron parts and tool tray attached to one end of the table
by the same method. One that looks to have been installed or atleast sold
originally by Hurco as it has the same aged Hurco blue hard paint. However,
I have been chastised to "NEVER EVER EVER CUT OR DRILL THE TABLE EVEN BY
ACCIDENT," by real machinists. This leaves me with a bit of a quandry. I can
theorize and even visualize compromise solutions that are clamped near the
ends and left floating in the middle, but my gut tells me when I am making
multiple short rapids it will shake apart that way.

Suggestions?

I would otherwise build something like this ~
http://tinyurl.com/boltedtotable ~ with taller walls on the front and
sides, and add a collapsible or foldable wall of some kind on the back. My
table does not have a convenient T-Slot in the front as the one in this
picture does or I would already be building it.

On Mon, 24 Jun 2013 15:33:37 -0700, "Bob La Londe"
wrote:

I am going to need an enclosure for the table on this mill. I could build a
fairly low wall enclosure that would help "some," but I don't think it would
have the level of containment that I would like. Alternatively suppose I
could build an enclosure that encompasses the entire front of the mill and
rest on the floor. Something with partially sealed shower doors that I step
inside of to setup a job.

Neither really fits my needs. One that set inside the table would
substantially limit my choice of vises, as well as my Y axis travel to some
degree. One that was short enough to have limited affect on Y would not
fully contain chips or coolant when doing fast machining or using a face
mill.

One that sets on the floor and encompasses the entire front of the machine
would be much more expensive, although probably simpler to build. I would
have to add a floor sump of some kind though, and I am not really crazy
about cutting a sink sized hole in the monolithic slab. It would also take
up a lot more floor space.

The one design I thought of that might work is one that extends outward to
the front of the table about 8-12" and back from the table an inch. This
would give me nearly full use of Y and not limit my choice of vises. I could
also extend the front and side panels up more than 2 feet for plenty of chip
and coolant containment. My son even suggest a fold up two or three section
rear panel so I could raise it if I have to lower the knee, and fold it down
when I raise the knee.

My problem with the last solution is that I don't see it being rigid enough
and solidly mounted enough to hold up and not shake during some types of
machining without screwing it to the table. That is, drilling and tapping
the front and back lip of the table to solidly and physically attach the
enclosure to the table. I had considered laying the base of the enclosure
over the lip and making a clamp to bolt it to the table without drilling and
tapping, but the lip is the same height as the surface of the table. This
would again limit my choice of vises.

If I hadn't been chastised by "real" machinists about it I wouldn't hesitate
to drill and tap the table to facilitate my solution. Especially since there
is already a cast iron parts and tool tray attached to one end of the table
by the same method. One that looks to have been installed or atleast sold
originally by Hurco as it has the same aged Hurco blue hard paint. However,
I have been chastised to "NEVER EVER EVER CUT OR DRILL THE TABLE EVEN BY
ACCIDENT," by real machinists. This leaves me with a bit of a quandry. I can
theorize and even visualize compromise solutions that are clamped near the
ends and left floating in the middle, but my gut tells me when I am making
multiple short rapids it will shake apart that way.

Suggestions?

I would otherwise build something like this ~
http://tinyurl.com/boltedtotable ~ with taller walls on the front and
sides, and add a collapsible or foldable wall of some kind on the back. My
table does not have a convenient T-Slot in the front as the one in this
picture does or I would already be building it.



I wonder about the "Real Machinists". I started my apprenticeship in
1946 (I'm not sure if that makes me a real machinists, or not :-) and
I've never noticed any reluctance to drilling holes in a machine to
permanently mount something.

--
Cheers,

John B.

"John B." wrote in message
...
On Mon, 24 Jun 2013 15:33:37 -0700, "Bob La Londe"
wrote:

I am going to need an enclosure for the table on this mill. I could build
a
fairly low wall enclosure that would help "some," but I don't think it
would
have the level of containment that I would like. Alternatively suppose I
could build an enclosure that encompasses the entire front of the mill and
rest on the floor. Something with partially sealed shower doors that I
step
inside of to setup a job.

Neither really fits my needs. One that set inside the table would
substantially limit my choice of vises, as well as my Y axis travel to
some
degree. One that was short enough to have limited affect on Y would not
fully contain chips or coolant when doing fast machining or using a face
mill.

One that sets on the floor and encompasses the entire front of the machine
would be much more expensive, although probably simpler to build. I would
have to add a floor sump of some kind though, and I am not really crazy
about cutting a sink sized hole in the monolithic slab. It would also take
up a lot more floor space.

The one design I thought of that might work is one that extends outward to
the front of the table about 8-12" and back from the table an inch. This
would give me nearly full use of Y and not limit my choice of vises. I
could
also extend the front and side panels up more than 2 feet for plenty of
chip
and coolant containment. My son even suggest a fold up two or three
section
rear panel so I could raise it if I have to lower the knee, and fold it
down
when I raise the knee.

My problem with the last solution is that I don't see it being rigid
enough
and solidly mounted enough to hold up and not shake during some types of
machining without screwing it to the table. That is, drilling and tapping
the front and back lip of the table to solidly and physically attach the
enclosure to the table. I had considered laying the base of the enclosure
over the lip and making a clamp to bolt it to the table without drilling
and
tapping, but the lip is the same height as the surface of the table. This
would again limit my choice of vises.

If I hadn't been chastised by "real" machinists about it I wouldn't
hesitate
to drill and tap the table to facilitate my solution. Especially since
there
is already a cast iron parts and tool tray attached to one end of the
table
by the same method. One that looks to have been installed or atleast sold
originally by Hurco as it has the same aged Hurco blue hard paint.
However,
I have been chastised to "NEVER EVER EVER CUT OR DRILL THE TABLE EVEN BY
ACCIDENT," by real machinists. This leaves me with a bit of a quandry. I
can
theorize and even visualize compromise solutions that are clamped near the
ends and left floating in the middle, but my gut tells me when I am making
multiple short rapids it will shake apart that way.

Suggestions?

I would otherwise build something like this ~
http://tinyurl.com/boltedtotable ~ with taller walls on the front and
sides, and add a collapsible or foldable wall of some kind on the back. My
table does not have a convenient T-Slot in the front as the one in this
picture does or I would already be building it.



I wonder about the "Real Machinists". I started my apprenticeship in
1946 (I'm not sure if that makes me a real machinists, or not :-) and
I've never noticed any reluctance to drilling holes in a machine to
permanently mount something.

Thanks John. LOL. I've been known to take a mill to a vise so it will hold
a larger part too, but I can always take that one off the table and hide it
before somebody comes in my shop. LOL.



--
Cheers,

John B.

On 6/24/2013 18:33, Bob La Londe wrote:
I am going to need an enclosure for the table on this mill. I could
build a fairly low wall enclosure that would help "some," but I don't
think it would have the level of containment that I would like.
Alternatively suppose I could build an enclosure that encompasses the
entire front of the mill and rest on the floor. Something with partially
sealed shower doors that I step inside of to setup a job.

Neither really fits my needs. One that set inside the table would
substantially limit my choice of vises, as well as my Y axis travel to
some degree. One that was short enough to have limited affect on Y would
not fully contain chips or coolant when doing fast machining or using a
face mill.

One that sets on the floor and encompasses the entire front of the
machine would be much more expensive, although probably simpler to
build. I would have to add a floor sump of some kind though, and I am
not really crazy about cutting a sink sized hole in the monolithic slab.
It would also take up a lot more floor space.

The one design I thought of that might work is one that extends outward
to the front of the table about 8-12" and back from the table an inch.
This would give me nearly full use of Y and not limit my choice of
vises. I could also extend the front and side panels up more than 2 feet
for plenty of chip and coolant containment. My son even suggest a fold
up two or three section rear panel so I could raise it if I have to
lower the knee, and fold it down when I raise the knee.

My problem with the last solution is that I don't see it being rigid
enough and solidly mounted enough to hold up and not shake during some
types of machining without screwing it to the table. That is, drilling
and tapping the front and back lip of the table to solidly and
physically attach the enclosure to the table. I had considered laying
the base of the enclosure over the lip and making a clamp to bolt it to
the table without drilling and tapping, but the lip is the same height
as the surface of the table. This would again limit my choice of vises.

If I hadn't been chastised by "real" machinists
about it I wouldn't
hesitate to drill and tap the table to facilitate my solution.
Especially since there is already a cast iron parts and tool tray
attached to one end of the table by the same method. One that looks to
have been installed or atleast sold originally by Hurco as it has the
same aged Hurco blue hard paint. However, I have been chastised to
"NEVER EVER EVER CUT OR DRILL THE TABLE EVEN BY ACCIDENT," by real
machinists.





Real Machinist - "someone who can't poke a hole in the machine because
it's not theirs."

"I can do whatever the hell I want to it. It's still mine." Richard
Rawlings, Gas Monkey Garage.


It's your machine. Do what you want, but try not to weaken the
structural integrity of the machine.



--
Steve Walker
(remove brain when replying)

"Steve Walker" wrote in message
...
On 6/24/2013 18:33, Bob La Londe wrote:
I am going to need an enclosure for the table on this mill. I could
build a fairly low wall enclosure that would help "some," but I don't
think it would have the level of containment that I would like.
Alternatively suppose I could build an enclosure that encompasses the
entire front of the mill and rest on the floor. Something with partially
sealed shower doors that I step inside of to setup a job.

Neither really fits my needs. One that set inside the table would
substantially limit my choice of vises, as well as my Y axis travel to
some degree. One that was short enough to have limited affect on Y would
not fully contain chips or coolant when doing fast machining or using a
face mill.

One that sets on the floor and encompasses the entire front of the
machine would be much more expensive, although probably simpler to
build. I would have to add a floor sump of some kind though, and I am
not really crazy about cutting a sink sized hole in the monolithic slab.
It would also take up a lot more floor space.

The one design I thought of that might work is one that extends outward
to the front of the table about 8-12" and back from the table an inch.
This would give me nearly full use of Y and not limit my choice of
vises. I could also extend the front and side panels up more than 2 feet
for plenty of chip and coolant containment. My son even suggest a fold
up two or three section rear panel so I could raise it if I have to
lower the knee, and fold it down when I raise the knee.

My problem with the last solution is that I don't see it being rigid
enough and solidly mounted enough to hold up and not shake during some
types of machining without screwing it to the table. That is, drilling
and tapping the front and back lip of the table to solidly and
physically attach the enclosure to the table. I had considered laying
the base of the enclosure over the lip and making a clamp to bolt it to
the table without drilling and tapping, but the lip is the same height
as the surface of the table. This would again limit my choice of vises.

If I hadn't been chastised by "real" machinists
about it I wouldn't
hesitate to drill and tap the table to facilitate my solution.
Especially since there is already a cast iron parts and tool tray
attached to one end of the table by the same method. One that looks to
have been installed or atleast sold originally by Hurco as it has the
same aged Hurco blue hard paint. However, I have been chastised to
"NEVER EVER EVER CUT OR DRILL THE TABLE EVEN BY ACCIDENT," by real
machinists.





Real Machinist - "someone who can't poke a hole in the machine because
it's not theirs."

"I can do whatever the hell I want to it. It's still mine." Richard
Rawlings, Gas Monkey Garage.


It's your machine. Do what you want, but try not to weaken the structural
integrity of the machine.

That's kind of where I am headed. I think 5 1/4-20 socket heads with an
extra thick fender washer for load spreading in the front and back faces of
the table would give me good stability and a solid enough mount it would
only shake from the most violent spiral drilling MOPs. Then closed rivet
the side fences to the front and back sections. The table lip is pretty
thick. If I plan well I don't think I even need to drill all the way
through. Just use a bottoming tap to make sure I have enough good threads
to do the job, and slap a dab of the red stuff on them once its all been
fitted properly.








--
Steve Walker
(remove brain when replying)

"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
I am going to need an enclosure for the table on this mill. I could build a
fairly low wall enclosure that would help "some," but I don't think it
would have the level of containment that I would like. Alternatively
suppose I could build an enclosure that encompasses the entire front of the
mill and rest on the floor. Something with partially sealed shower doors
that I step inside of to setup a job.

Neither really fits my needs. One that set inside the table would
substantially limit my choice of vises, as well as my Y axis travel to
some degree. One that was short enough to have limited affect on Y would
not fully contain chips or coolant when doing fast machining or using a
face mill.

One that sets on the floor and encompasses the entire front of the machine
would be much more expensive, although probably simpler to build. I would
have to add a floor sump of some kind though, and I am not really crazy
about cutting a sink sized hole in the monolithic slab. It would also take
up a lot more floor space.

The one design I thought of that might work is one that extends outward to
the front of the table about 8-12" and back from the table an inch. This
would give me nearly full use of Y and not limit my choice of vises. I
could also extend the front and side panels up more than 2 feet for plenty
of chip and coolant containment. My son even suggest a fold up two or
three section rear panel so I could raise it if I have to lower the knee,
and fold it down when I raise the knee.

My problem with the last solution is that I don't see it being rigid
enough and solidly mounted enough to hold up and not shake during some
types of machining without screwing it to the table. That is, drilling and
tapping the front and back lip of the table to solidly and physically
attach the enclosure to the table. I had considered laying the base of the
enclosure over the lip and making a clamp to bolt it to the table without
drilling and tapping, but the lip is the same height as the surface of the
table. This would again limit my choice of vises.

If I hadn't been chastised by "real" machinists about it I wouldn't
hesitate to drill and tap the table to facilitate my solution. Especially
since there is already a cast iron parts and tool tray attached to one end
of the table by the same method. One that looks to have been installed or
atleast sold originally by Hurco as it has the same aged Hurco blue hard
paint. However, I have been chastised to "NEVER EVER EVER CUT OR DRILL THE
TABLE EVEN BY ACCIDENT," by real machinists. This leaves me with a bit of
a quandry. I can theorize and even visualize compromise solutions that are
clamped near the ends and left floating in the middle, but my gut tells me
when I am making multiple short rapids it will shake apart that way.

Suggestions?

I would otherwise build something like this ~
http://tinyurl.com/boltedtotable ~ with taller walls on the front and
sides, and add a collapsible or foldable wall of some kind on the back. My
table does not have a convenient T-Slot in the front as the one in this
picture does or I would already be building it.

My buddy had something like that on his kmb-1. Not a biggie.

What I would do:

Take 1x2 alum, groove the 2" side, make a frame around the table, bolt the
ends together.
Groove the top of 1x2's, into which you can just slip 1/8" clear plastic.
Put a lighter version of the bottom frame on the top, just to hold the
plastic together, so it don't wag so much. Heh, or a big rubber band....
lol

This way, you can take the whole thing off for other work, or fixturing.
You no need no sliding doors.
And you ain't gonna shake any of this loose -- itsa kmb1, not a 50 hp VMC.
--
EA

On Mon, 24 Jun 2013 15:33:37 -0700, "Bob La Londe"
wrote:

I am going to need an enclosure for the table on this mill. I could build a
fairly low wall enclosure that would help "some," but I don't think it would
have the level of containment that I would like. Alternatively suppose I
could build an enclosure that encompasses the entire front of the mill and
rest on the floor. Something with partially sealed shower doors that I step
inside of to setup a job.

Neither really fits my needs. One that set inside the table would
substantially limit my choice of vises, as well as my Y axis travel to some
degree. One that was short enough to have limited affect on Y would not
fully contain chips or coolant when doing fast machining or using a face
mill.

One that sets on the floor and encompasses the entire front of the machine
would be much more expensive, although probably simpler to build. I would
have to add a floor sump of some kind though, and I am not really crazy
about cutting a sink sized hole in the monolithic slab. It would also take
up a lot more floor space.

The one design I thought of that might work is one that extends outward to
the front of the table about 8-12" and back from the table an inch. This
would give me nearly full use of Y and not limit my choice of vises. I could
also extend the front and side panels up more than 2 feet for plenty of chip
and coolant containment. My son even suggest a fold up two or three section
rear panel so I could raise it if I have to lower the knee, and fold it down
when I raise the knee.

My problem with the last solution is that I don't see it being rigid enough
and solidly mounted enough to hold up and not shake during some types of
machining without screwing it to the table. That is, drilling and tapping
the front and back lip of the table to solidly and physically attach the
enclosure to the table. I had considered laying the base of the enclosure
over the lip and making a clamp to bolt it to the table without drilling and
tapping, but the lip is the same height as the surface of the table. This
would again limit my choice of vises.

If I hadn't been chastised by "real" machinists about it I wouldn't hesitate
to drill and tap the table to facilitate my solution. Especially since there
is already a cast iron parts and tool tray attached to one end of the table
by the same method. One that looks to have been installed or atleast sold
originally by Hurco as it has the same aged Hurco blue hard paint. However,
I have been chastised to "NEVER EVER EVER CUT OR DRILL THE TABLE EVEN BY
ACCIDENT," by real machinists. This leaves me with a bit of a quandry. I can
theorize and even visualize compromise solutions that are clamped near the
ends and left floating in the middle, but my gut tells me when I am making
multiple short rapids it will shake apart that way.

Suggestions?

I would otherwise build something like this ~
http://tinyurl.com/boltedtotable ~ with taller walls on the front and
sides, and add a collapsible or foldable wall of some kind on the back. My
table does not have a convenient T-Slot in the front as the one in this
picture does or I would already be building it.


I think I'm a "real machinist", I am self employed as a machinist and
own my shop and everything in it. If needed I would drill and tap a
mill table. I would just make sure it didn't weaken or lessen the
accuracy of the machine. After all, being a machinist means I can make
and modify things, I am not stuck with just what I can acquire from
some other machinist.
Eric

wrote in message
...
On Mon, 24 Jun 2013 15:33:37 -0700, "Bob La
Londe"
wrote:

I am going to need an enclosure for the table on
this mill. I could build a
fairly low wall enclosure that would help
"some," but I don't think it would
have the level of containment that I would like.
Alternatively suppose I
could build an enclosure that encompasses the
entire front of the mill and
rest on the floor. Something with partially
sealed shower doors that I step
inside of to setup a job.

Neither really fits my needs. One that set
inside the table would
substantially limit my choice of vises, as well
as my Y axis travel to some
degree. One that was short enough to have
limited affect on Y would not
fully contain chips or coolant when doing fast
machining or using a face
mill.

One that sets on the floor and encompasses the
entire front of the machine
would be much more expensive, although probably
simpler to build. I would
have to add a floor sump of some kind though,
and I am not really crazy
about cutting a sink sized hole in the
monolithic slab. It would also take
up a lot more floor space.

The one design I thought of that might work is
one that extends outward to
the front of the table about 8-12" and back from
the table an inch. This
would give me nearly full use of Y and not limit
my choice of vises. I could
also extend the front and side panels up more
than 2 feet for plenty of chip
and coolant containment. My son even suggest a
fold up two or three section
rear panel so I could raise it if I have to
lower the knee, and fold it down
when I raise the knee.

My problem with the last solution is that I
don't see it being rigid enough
and solidly mounted enough to hold up and not
shake during some types of
machining without screwing it to the table. That
is, drilling and tapping
the front and back lip of the table to solidly
and physically attach the
enclosure to the table. I had considered laying
the base of the enclosure
over the lip and making a clamp to bolt it to
the table without drilling and
tapping, but the lip is the same height as the
surface of the table. This
would again limit my choice of vises.

If I hadn't been chastised by "real" machinists
about it I wouldn't hesitate
to drill and tap the table to facilitate my
solution. Especially since there
is already a cast iron parts and tool tray
attached to one end of the table
by the same method. One that looks to have been
installed or atleast sold
originally by Hurco as it has the same aged
Hurco blue hard paint. However,
I have been chastised to "NEVER EVER EVER CUT OR
DRILL THE TABLE EVEN BY
ACCIDENT," by real machinists. This leaves me
with a bit of a quandry. I can
theorize and even visualize compromise solutions
that are clamped near the
ends and left floating in the middle, but my gut
tells me when I am making
multiple short rapids it will shake apart that
way.

Suggestions?

I would otherwise build something like this ~
http://tinyurl.com/boltedtotable ~ with taller
walls on the front and
sides, and add a collapsible or foldable wall of
some kind on the back. My
table does not have a convenient T-Slot in the
front as the one in this
picture does or I would already be building it.


I think I'm a "real machinist", I am self
employed as a machinist and
own my shop and everything in it. If needed I
would drill and tap a
mill table. I would just make sure it didn't
weaken or lessen the
accuracy of the machine. After all, being a
machinist means I can make
and modify things, I am not stuck with just what
I can acquire from
some other machinist.
Eric

I'm in the same class as you Eric. My mill is an
old 80's Millport
and I accidently touched the table with a large
drill! Damn! I
felt so bad I took my engraving tool and signed
and dated the
mark for posterity.... :(} Good thing this is an
old clapped out
mill so it didn't matter that much. But it does
have a Mitutoyo
DRO that has never been turned off (except when
the mill was
moved) and it sure is handy!

Bob La Londe wrote:


My problem with the last solution is that I don't see it being rigid
enough and solidly mounted enough to hold up and not shake during some
types of machining without screwing it to the table.
Gee, I can't imagine this. I have two splash shield schemes
for my mill, they just sit on the table and work fine. generally,
the idea is to have the shield taper inward so the coolant drains into
the T-slots of the table.

Jon

On Tuesday, June 25, 2013 1:05:52 PM UTC-7, Jon Elson wrote:
Bob La Londe wrote:





My problem with the last solution is that I don't see it being rigid

enough and solidly mounted enough to hold up and not shake during some

types of machining without screwing it to the table.

Gee, I can't imagine this. I have two splash shield schemes

for my mill, they just sit on the table and work fine. generally,

the idea is to have the shield taper inward so the coolant drains into

the T-slots of the table.



Jon


If you have some suggestions about doing what I want to do then I would glad to hear them. Here are the criteria. They are not negotiable... even if you "know better."

1. I want a taller enclosure because I will be pushing the production volume with speeds and feeds when I can, and I want virtually zero chips and coolant on my floor.
2. It must be secured to the table and be constructed in such a manner as to not shift or flex excessively under rapid reversals or even multiple rapid reversal.
3. It must be deeper than the depth of the table in the Y direction.
4. It must not set on top of the table in the front or back as that would negative the purpose of it being deeper than the table. (It can set on the table at the ends, and probably will.)

There are other things that will be a part of this, but they can be worked out with almost any type of enclosure.

If you are successful, please share the solution, I'll copy it.

Karl

On Tuesday, June 25, 2013 3:57:01 PM UTC-7, Karl Townsend wrote:
If you are successful, please share the solution, I'll copy it.



Karl

I don't see anyway to do it with drilling and tapping the front and back of the table. Cyanoacrylates maybe... LOL.

"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
On Tuesday, June 25, 2013 3:57:01 PM UTC-7, Karl Townsend wrote:
If you are successful, please share the solution, I'll copy it.



Karl

I don't see anyway to do it with drilling and tapping the front and back
of the table. Cyanoacrylates maybe... LOL.


Well, I think I figured it out. I was so obsessed with not losing any Y
travel or use of the table I failed to really register that the table length
far exceeds the X Travel. I can bolt a piece of angle (probably something
like 2x2x1/4 aluminum) directly to the T-slots at each and and use that as
the base for constructing the entire enclosure. By suspending the front and
rear skirts under the angle I will be sure not to obstruct my use of the
full Y travel, and I can always run an easily breakable bead of silicone
along the front and rear of the table to contain coolant so I can remove the
enclosure if it does get in the way for some projects.

I had taken my control console apart to extend the arm and get it out of the
way of the enclosure, and I was reassembling it when the obvious answer just
came to me.

Bob La Londe wrote:


If you have some suggestions about doing what I want to do then I would
glad to hear them. Here are the criteria. They are not negotiable...
even if you "know better."

There's the contraption I use all the time. It is "sectional"
so it can be disassembled for clearing the chips and for parts
that interfere with it. Here's a pic :
http://pico-systems.com/shield.html

It drains into the T-slots to be compatible with the rest of the
coolant system. Not much gets out of it.

But, it sounds like what you want is a complete enclosure for
the machine, with its own coolant collection system. This would surround
the entire table and head and maybe have swinging or sliding doors
in tracks. I just don't need that in my shop.

Jon

Bob La Londe wrote:

and I can always run an easily breakable bead of
silicone along the front and rear of the table to contain coolant so I can
remove the enclosure if it does get in the way for some projects.

You can run some flaps of 2" vinyl tape along the edges of
the enclosure to direct the coolant back to the table.
One piece of tape on each side, facing together covers up
the sticky edge and turns it into a plastic flap, like a little
roof shingle.

Sounds like a plan is forming!

Jon

"Jon Elson" wrote in message
...
Bob La Londe wrote:


If you have some suggestions about doing what I want to do then I would
glad to hear them. Here are the criteria. They are not negotiable...
even if you "know better."

There's the contraption I use all the time. It is "sectional"
so it can be disassembled for clearing the chips and for parts
that interfere with it. Here's a pic :
http://pico-systems.com/shield.html

It drains into the T-slots to be compatible with the rest of the
coolant system. Not much gets out of it.

But, it sounds like what you want is a complete enclosure for
the machine, with its own coolant collection system. This would surround
the entire table and head and maybe have swinging or sliding doors
in tracks. I just don't need that in my shop.

Jon

I've seen that picture before, and its one possible solution. Simple and
elegant. I really would love to have a walk in enclosure, but I just don't
have the room or the cash for it. A full enclosed solution on the table
might be possible, but it would be overly complicated. I have come up with
a compromise solution. Tall front sliding doors (not over complicated if
you have ever built a drawer before), tall sides, and a short rear with a
vertically installed accordion way cover. The accordion way cover will hang
on a rod that can be raised or lowered for different knee heights to
maximize coolant containment on the rear of the machine, and totally removed
when the knee is at its highest position and the way cover is just in the
way. I have a plan! I have even ordered a few parts already. Yes, coolant
recovery and recirculation is part of the plan. The table has two drains at
the rear, and there is a wide channel between the main surface and the lip
of the table, so I will probably cover the t-slots between vises rather than
use them for drainage. Besides, I'll have t-nuts partially blocking them.
I figure some PETG sheet and a bead of silicone will make a nice cheap way
to cover the t-slots.