Tee Slot Tips

[Meldonmech]

Hi Guys,
             I do quite a lot of machining on the mill, and generate loads of swarf, which gets every where even when using guards.   I seem to be for ever cleaning tee slots. The rotary table normally sits on the LH side of the bed, and the machine vice on the RH side. This caters for the majority of my work, so I made some removable hard wood tee slot inserts, and these are working well.
              To keep swarf out of the vice clamping bolt threads I made some little sheet steel covers.
                                                                                                                                                                                                     When the tee slots are uncovered on non routine set ups, I cover the slots with wide adhesive tape, any                                  swarf  that does find it's way in, is removed with the little tee slot rake that I made.
                                                                                                                                       Cheers David

           

[sparky961]

Thanks for the tips David.  I like high-res pics as much as the next guy, but perhaps a bit extreme on the size here for what you're trying to show.

It makes me wonder if there's a way to configure the software behind the board to automatically resize some images?  Good idea or bad?

I have to make something like this for at work.  I'm endlessly cleaning out the T-slots and vices, and they regularly get packed full.

-Sparky

[Meldonmech]

Thanks Sparky  now corrected

                                                   Cheers David

[dsquire]

David

Thanks for reducing the photo size. It sure makes it easier to view them and they should be viewed by all. It looks to me to be a very good system that you have in place to make it easier to keep up with the swarf. I am sure that a few will be copying your ideas that you have so nicely shown. Thanks for sharing them with us. 

Cheers 

[vtsteam]

I'm going to do that for my mill -- I have loads of wood.

BTW I'd appreciate any other tips that find uses for wood in conjunction with metal working.

The trick of supporting a cut in thin sheet metal with a backing piece of wood on the bandsaw comes to mind.

Using a piece of wood to quickly check the squareness of cut on the bandsaw is another.

A piece of wood across the ways when changing out a lathe chuck is another.

Anyway, the Tee slot protectors seems like a great idea to me.

 

[R.G.Y.]

Good idea but, warning don't use oak it reacts with iron. Well some may not know.

[Meldonmech]

Hi Guys,
         Thanks for your comments,     R.G.Y   I have used mahogany  infill .



                                                           Cheers  David

                                                                                     

[vtsteam]

Or varnish it.  Keeps the oil and metal powder out.

The surplus hardwood I have around here is cherry and hard birch. Oak is a rare commodity.