Swarf Solutions

[Scota4570]

For you guys that use a milling machine, I have a problem.  Swarf.  I have been working on a hooked breech plug and tang.   I clean the machine and area regularly and vaccum.  For about he 10th time in the last few days I have had to remove needle like chips from my hands and the last one, my foot.  I surmise some got tracked in to the house.  I do not want to set up  a liquid cooling pump.  Magnets?  Guards?  What works?  Buy a bigger place with real shop?  Maybe outside California!

[tiswell]

Scota4570,
       The kind of cuts that you take, will dictate the shape and size of the chip. Light cuts when using the side of an end mill will produce those hair sized chips that require frequent removal under magnification. Stainless is worse. I really don't know how to eliminate the possibility but a good pair of vernier, dial or digital calipers can usually be used to grip them between the jaws and pluck them right out.
 I find the little ones work there way through my shoes and stick in my feet too. My hands have gotten used to it, my feet not so much.

     If you are just cutting ferrous material, one of those powerful magnetic brooms with wheels might get some that the vacuum and broom miss.

                                                                                                                       Blessings, Bill

[44-henry]

Chip shields can help some by deflecting the chips to a specific spot. I know some home shop machinists that have built a clear plastic tent around their machines to reduce cleanup. You should see my university machine shop after the end of a class section. Last 20 minutes of class is spent just doing cleanup and sweeping up all the chips.

[rsells]

Scota,
I have been fighting the same problem for several years.  I put up a shield to deflect the chips away from me, and vacuum the chips multiple times during the working process.  It helped, but I still have times when I have to pick chips out of my hands and some chips work through the bottoms of my shoes and cause a bit of pain until I realize I have a chip sticking through the soles.  I have not come up with a fail safe process to eliminate the problem.
                                                                                                      Roger Sells

[Scota4570]

Sounds like and excuse for a metal cutting bandsaw.  I do a lot of roughing cuts on the mill that could be sawed off.  That would reduce milling chips. 

[45-110]

I use my Bridgeport pretty almost daily and with out coolant. It is the messiest machine I own and use.
But I could not live with out it, between the metal swarf and planning wood with a 2 inch face mill there is no keeping the place clean.  I use a large shop vac and that helps, but have found metal slivers in my clothes, hair, boots etc. I keep tweezers, magnifying glass and a mirror near by for the flying shrapnel.
Just try not to slide your hand around the vise, table or the part.
kw

[JPK]

For those tiny slivers that are hard to see a bit of sandpaper will often remove them. Just determine which way they’re leaning and drag the sand paper to pull it out.

[Daryl]

For those tiny slivers that are hard to see a bit of sandpaper will often remove them. Just determine which way they’re leaning and drag the sand paper to pull it out.

Good suggestion - that should work well - thanks.

[Bob Roller]

I have abandoned the use of 2-3 and 4 flute end mills in favor of 5-7 and 9 flute high spiral mills
and they pile up fine shavings on the vice and covers over the T slots and a quick hit with the
brush or shop vac.None in my fingers or hair.

Bob Roller

[bptactical]

I just run the ShopVac while I am milling. A hose clamp on a mag base holds the 1 1/4 hose fine.

[msellers]

For those tiny slivers that are hard to see a bit of sandpaper will often remove them. Just determine which way they’re leaning and drag the sand paper to pull it out.

Good suggestion - that should work well - thanks.

Another possibility that I have used for cactus hair spines. Is coat the area liberally with kids cheap school glue (liquid not stick), let dry and then roll the sheet off taking all the small spines out as it is removed. Don't have a mill, but files can cause me some grief if I go back to the bench without shoes for some reason.
Mike