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The end is in sight
Darren:
John a quick question... :wave:
Knowing how you like to use a small air blower around your machines, do you find with all the open shelves and boxes this becomes a problem with swarf?
It seems that everytime I turn a machine on I end up with a clearing up opperation that can takes up valuable time. Ok sometimes it's nice to just go in and potter about and have a tidy up. Just wondering if you had any tips on this?
bogstandard:
Darren,
I only normally use the blower very close up and try not to hold down the handle too much.
I know what you mean about the swarf going everywhere, but on the lathe I don't usually have much trouble in that area, mainly because I grossly over lubricate the slides. The small swarf just gets stuck to the oil, and the blower moves it about rather than blowing it airbourne.
The mill is a totally different kettle of fish. Because the oil is hidden away on the slides, and the table is usually fairly dry, the swarf can easily get airbourne, so it is just a matter of trying to control it and having a good clean up every so often. The roller blind, when down, controls the swarf very well and it just ends up as a nice pile at the bottom of it, and protects my tooling rack from inundation.
Nothing you can do will ever keep swarf under control, unless you completely shroud the machine with guards. It is just a matter of keeping it under control, and when it gets to ankle deep, get the boss to clean the shop out for you.
John
Darren:
--- Quote from: bogstandard on June 21, 2009, 07:30:06 AM ---get the boss to clean the shop out for you.
John
--- End quote ---
:lol: :lol: :lol:
In my dreams.....
kellswaterri:
Hi Bogs, my compliments on a very well thought out lay out for your shop...how is it heated ? that B&D band saw, is it one of the off the shelf products, with a metal cutting blade? ...I had been thinking of a Hegner for metal cutting but have not decided yet.
All the best for now,
John.
bogstandard:
Darren,
My wife Mal is a rock, she helps me whenever she can in and around the workshop.
If she wouldn't help, I would swap her in for a new model :lol:
John,
I don't think this B&D model is available any more, last time I saw one for sale was years ago.
Almost any bandsaw will cut metal, it all depends on what blades you fit. I purchase mine in bulk from Axminster and buy the finest toothed 1/2" ones they have. I use the bandsaw almost every day, but never for cutting ferrous materials. A normal blade will last about 3 to 4 months. I did do an essential mod when I first received the machine, and that was to make ball bearing guides, both top and bottom. I think it is that which made the saw so stable and able to do so much work before needing a blade change.
As for heating, I have tried them all, and the best one yet is what I am using now. For a very small shop, I would recommend an infra red heater. These warm you from the inside out and not heat the workshop, so you can walk in, turn on and almost anywhere you stand within it's rays you will be warm.
For a larger shop such as mine (UK sizing, not US), it is a PITA carrying the infra red around with you, so last winter, I tried out a small oil filled radiator on the recommendation of a friend. If you look at some of the long shots above, under the 5c collet rack next to the lathe, you will see the rad. It cost less than 20 squid from Wilko, in fact my mate bought it for me as a Christmas present. I turned it on, set the therm to mid range and left it on 24/7. In a couple of days, the whole workshop and all the machinery had been raised to a nice workable ambient temperature, around 60 degs f. That is a perfect winter working temp for myself. Even though it was on continuously, I saw no rise in fuel costs at all, in fact it was slightly less than when I was using the infra red. Supposedly they cost less than a penny an hour to run. I turned it off at the end of April, and will turn it back on again when we start to get chilly days.
John
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