Another Chip Shield

tjb

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I made this chip shield out of clear plexiglass and some scrap aluminum. I did a lot of head-scratching before beginning the build. I tried to anticipate every conceivable application with regard to size of milling projects and safety. Once I zeroed in on these criteria, I came up with a design. The end result has a center panel and two 'wings'. The center panel also has upper and lower adjustable panels to allow for over-sized milling projects. The wings are connected to the center panels with hinges I made from 1/2" aluminum, and the rods were from a piece of leftover 1/4" brass rod (would've liked to keep that one, but I didn't have any scrap 1/4" rod available). The movable parts are secured with stationary threaded studs and wingnuts - no need to hunt for a wrench. The three-panel design allows for adjustments in essentially every dimension to accommodate small to large milling projects.

The unit is very sturdy sitting on the vise, so I'm still trying to decide if I want to add magnets to the base. I'm trying to avoid that if possible - I anticipate I'll be using this regularly for steel projects.

Regards,
Terry

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Looks well thought out but what about the back?
 
Looks well thought out but what about the back?
I tried to incorporate a design that would include a back panel but couldn't zero in on an idea that wasn't very cumbersome or potentially unsafe. I have found that if I keep the wings adjusted as close in as is practicable, most chips fall on the rubber sheet behind the table. (I bet there's a technical name for that, but I don't know what it is.) I considered making an independent piece that would mount to the back, but the more I thought about it, that's essentially the purpose of the rubber sheet. The very nice feature of this shield is that when using my nifty little Tormach Superfly or Sherline flycutter that somebody-I-know-recommended, chips fall in one direction behind the mill table and not all over my shop. That makes me happy.

Regards,
 
Nice job!
Thanks, Will.

I'm sure you don't realize this, but I've been ruminating on this idea for quite some time. I got the idea from the photos of your chip shield on your Misc. Quickie Projects thread. Thanks for planting the seed!

Regards,
 
That rubber thing in back is called a way cover. As long as that shield meets your needs, that's what counts. I know for a fact that the Superfly will throw chips a looonnng way so I just wondered ...
 
That rubber thing in back is called a way cover. As long as that shield meets your needs, that's what counts. I know for a fact that the Superfly will throw chips a looonnng way so I just wondered ...
Had a feeling there was a more technical term than 'rubber-sheet-thingy'.

I can testify that a Superfly can throw chips a minimum of 12 feet BEHIND me. My mill is in a section of the shop that is 16 feet wide, and the mill sticks out about 4 feet from one side. The only reason chips weren't going further than 12' is because they ran out of room.

Regards,
 
Thanks, Will.

I'm sure you don't realize this, but I've been ruminating on this idea for quite some time. I got the idea from the photos of your chip shield on your Misc. Quickie Projects thread. Thanks for planting the seed!

Regards,

You're right, nope I would have never thought. I could not accept any credit whatsoever for your ideas, that's all you, mine was just a simple shield. Yours looks like it covers basically everything one could think of. Spectacular work! :encourage:
 
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