Right now I am running my machines without an enclosure or chip pan, and I'd like to do something to help contain the mess that is a byproduct of normal machining.

I do a lot of work that is small, one off stuff and often requires "eyeball machining" so being able to get close to the work, AND being able to see what is going on in real time is very important. I have considered installing the full enclosures with the tops flipped down or even removed, but worry about them taking up too much space and making it hard to get to the work and see it.

Any one here have experience with running the "toolmakers chip pan" vs full enclosure? Thoughts, comments, likes dislikes?

Thanks
Steve

I have a full enclosure on my FP2NC. The only hindrance to my style of work, which is typically close, one-off machining, is the right rear panel. The left side and left rear panels are fixed in the up position. I flip the front and right panels up and down depending on the work and how close I need to get. The right rear panel is taken off when I'm using the horizontal spindle, as it is otherwise obscures the view and blocks use of the horizontal quill pinion. When the front and right panels are down, I have no problems getting close enough to the work. I run with the panels up when using mist coolant, face milling, using carbide endmills bigger than, say 3/8", and using bigger drills. Otherwise, chips go everywhere. Most would not go into the toolmaker's pan if that's what I had. I do not run flood coolant. The panels are often up when running g-code, and down when running semi-manually.

My right and left rear panels are custom made "frameless" replacements of the originals formed out of plexiglass. The only frame pieces are vertical posts extending up from the saddle on either side of the Z ways.

Rich,

I would be very interested in seeing pictures of your enclosure. I have thought about making a heavy plastic curtain to get the best of two worlds.

/Torleif.

Here's a photo of my machine when it was still at it's prior owner's shop. You can see the homemade rear panel reasonably well. Currently it is removed because I am using the horizontal spindle. You can see how the horizontal quill pinion is obstructed by the post that supports the panel. You can access the pinion when the Y ram is forward, but then you have to watch that you don't crash the hex wrench into the post when you move the ram back. Don't as me how I know this .

Thanks for the picture. The quill pinion/ram thing is exactly why I asked, it is causing me some headache.

If the enclosure was just a heavy curtain, it could be fixed near the Z way in both sides and be guided by the pan so that the corners move along with the chip pan. If it was easy to clip off, then that would be the obvious thing to do when moving the ram. I don't have the full solution yet, but your pictures helped.

Another solution could be making the rear panel in such a way that it would come off easily, and maybe even making it out of polycarbonate, so that it could withstand some "unintended" handling.

Rich:
That sure is a cute machine....and your install is quite clean.

As answer to the question about the enclosure....I have the FP4NC running since 93' fitted with the tool makers chip pan. I run oil for coolant because i do not wish to muck about with coolant and all that entails.
Machine runs pretty clean for most operations if i take the time to put up splash guards when running high spindle speeds.
For splash guards i put sections of aluminum sheet bent into an "L" on the table around the part or vise. Pretty simple but it works and is easy to remove for vision or access.
The worst is drilling....string chips flying about catching the oil and flinging it about....
I own a full enclosure for this machine (needs a rebuild) and last Christmas while the shop was closed i mocked up the assembly....could not stand the restriction to the "Y" axis view when running horizontal, and the restriction of the hand quill.....Thinking i might re visit this entire setup.....Rather prefer the "Look" of the machine with the tool makers table, but a full enclosure could grow on me i suppose.
For my home FP3NC, i have a full enclosure , rebuilt after the crash so that is the way i will run that machine to start off.

Cheers Ross

Ross, sounds like you have made progress on the fp3NC. Hopefully some details will emerge, photos, etc.

-Dave

Ross, that's not what my install looks like. That's the prior owner's shop. My shop is rather more compact, shall we say.

Dave:
No progress on the FP3NC for the last 3 months...been doing a full "shop" rebuild for SHMBO's work shop....
Just completed a full kitchen re fit.....new cabinets, counter tops, appliances fixtures and floors in the entire down stairs.....
After the bank account recovers a bit i will be back to the FP3NC...hope you aren't getting anxious about the "2".


Rich...
Well the machine looks nice anyway, wish the paint on my FP3NC was so good...Sort of thought there was a lot of space around the machine...but you never know.


Cheers Ross

Sounds dreadful...hope you mean you were directing home improvement plebes and not doing that yourself

The solution to directing yourself or others lies in how "slow" you are... Two times now my wife has decided to "surprise" me and have work done on the house while I/we are on vacation. Now, this isn't really all my fault, mind you! Since I did the major remodel 3 years ago (mostly myself) I have been after my wife to select tile for the fireplace and paint color... She has been slower than me! About 2 months ago I mentioned that if she didn't do something real quick that it would be another year because we wouldn't want to leave the window open during the winter (vent paint vapors). Well, I went on my Arthritis Foundation bike ride from SF to LA for a week... When I came back all this work had been magically done by a contractor!

OK, now back to chip pans... At one point in time I was looking for a pan (before I secured one). Stephan sent me drawings/pictures of a pan in an effort to accurately record the pan's design for those that don't have one right in front of them. The intent here was that they could be used to facilitate the manufacture of one's own version. I *should* still have these photos (HD crash so possibly not); in fact, they may even be on the DVD.

Alan

Hey, I resemble that remark Alan. Having built my own house 17 yrs. ago, there are still things not finished. My wife is very patient, but I still hear about it regularly. I just finished making (9) paneled doors -pocket doors for the pantry as well as doors for the shop and front hallway, and have spent the last year or so on a shop extension that is finally getting use.

Don, its just as much fun to work wood as metal, and its always fun to build things that both serve a utilitarian purpose and stretch the abilities in new ways.

Ross, your comment was tongue in cheek, I am sure. You are the one with the patience. But the shop is getting closer every week to having the perfect space for the "2". However, I have been working on Alan. I think he will never have space for the "3", so I'd be happy to help him out. However, he may go on vacation one of these days and come home to a new shop that his wife built for him, complete with fp3nc.

-Dave

It is funny that you say that, Dave.... Last night my wife was talking on the phone with my brother in law ("the contractor".... oh, and a good one). She said, not too quietly, "well, we'll wait for another time on that so we can surprise Alan again!" I piped in that maybe next time she can surprise me with a big hole in the ground and a shop in the making!

Seriously, if this year would have been it but I ran out of time before winter. The guy couldn't get the plans done in time but I had a contractor all lined up. I just didn't want to be digging in the middle of winter. I just pray that the economy doesn't heat up so much that the contractor decides to raise his rates a whole lot next year. Been there, done that and I am definitely not interested in a repeat!

Alan

Being an ex professional woodworker I agree...IF it's interesting woodwork you're doing. But to me most interior carpentry type woodworking is the opposite of interesting. Guess I don't enjoy doing work that any Harry Homeowner hack can do. I remember years ago people bringing me potential jobs and touting how simple it was, like that was a good thing and I would tell them I'd prefer it be complex actually.

Ross- do you ever sleep? You are one of those people that makes me wonder if your day has 30 hours in it, vs the 24 the rest of us get.

Based on everyone's comments here, I have decided to install one of my enclosures (a minor project in and of itself) and try it out. I am pretty sure I wont like it- which is a good thing, because if I do like it, I'll have another project (rebuilding and painting the enclosures) to do in my "spare" time.

Thanks to all for your comments, Russ- nice machine!