6/27/04 - Almost ready to actually DO some work
I get extremely tired of vacuuming chips off the floor, even more agitated with oil and coolant splattered all over everything. Hopefully the latest creation will help to minimize these problems.
Built a cage to catch the chips. The back is adjustable inside for height depending on the position of the table. The plastic front slides straight up for removal. Top corners are held in place with loose fitting aluminum clothespins. The cage will accommodate parts slightly larger than the movement of the table - 12"x18". It will actually accommodate parts up to about 34" long, but will only be able to machine in the 18" of X travel.
Tools used most frequently are hanging on the left side. The end wrenches are used to remove the cage. It can be removed totally or in sections. Sides have 3 bolts per section, the back only 2, but the back should rarely need to be removed. The T-slots are completely covered making cleanup easier. The cover lifts out. There are 4 T-nuts in each T-slot so the sides do not have to be removed to insert T-nuts.
The rear sliding panel adjusts to the height of the sides in 2 inch increments. Tooling is kept to the right of the vise. Will probably add a new set of hold downs outside on the right side of the cage. Currently they are kept in a roller cabinet, but it would be more convenient to have them hanging on the cage, I think.
The only thing left to do is build a new cover for the front of the head. Currently using the original cover, but it is also part of the control panel for the BOSS controls. When they are sold, the cover needs to go with the controls. A new cover will be much smaller and will be customized to a degree. The controls for the power draw bar will mount to it.