Retrieving items dropped in chip pan

[Mr_CNC_guy]

Often enough, I drop something in the tray of my 10ee. I have a magnetic pickup on an extendable rod. That works for steel items, but also picks up lots of chips. I have a flexible gripper that has extendable fingers. That is good for nonferrous items, but only works for smaller items. I have a rod with a bend to scoop out larger items. I wish I could just reach in and pick up what dropped, like on most other lathes.

Does anyone have a better way?

 

[guythatbrews]

Go go gadget arms?

 

[rklopp]

If you think the 10EE tray is bad, try a Colchester Chipmaster. The rear chip tray is a couple feet deep and it is harrow.

 

[daryl bane]

I don't have a pic, but I found a large (like 24" long) pair of medical forceps that work great for this kinda stuff. Also good for getting parts that roll under the bench. I have also used the locking feature to roll up a wad to swab out a tube. Very handy.

 

[TheOldCar]

I constantly regret not cleaning the chip tray before making small parts on the EEs. Luckily I have access to the rear of them or it would be much harder.

 

[triumph406]

LOL you have it lucky.

When i was young maybe 5-6, I'd help my Dad work on my Grandfathers boat. Sometimes when working on the engine they drop a nut/bolt/spanner down into the oily bilge. The solution? Grab me by then ankles and lower me down into the bilges head first to manually retrieve the lost item. Sometimes I'd be covered in lube oil and diesel before I found the offending item. My reward? To be invited back to do it all over again. Good times.

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I have a Graziano Sag14 that has a tray that pulls out so retrieving dropped items is no big deal

 

[Cal Haines]

Often enough, I drop something in the tray of my 10ee. ... I wish I could just reach in and pick up what dropped, like on most other lathes.

Does anyone have a better way?

I don't understand the question. If the problem is access to the chip pan, it's a bit tight reaching under the apron, but there's plenty of access from the back.

 

[guythatbrews]

I don't understand the question. If the problem is access to the chip pan, it's a bit tight reaching under the apron, but there's plenty of access from the back.

Yeah but you gotta walk around to the back. I've gotta try from the front at least once even if it looks hopeless.

 

[Karl_T]

I cut off lots of small parts on the 10EE...

Yep, hard to get out of the tray. So I have a 8 oz. butter containter. Put it around the part just before the cut off completes. Most always stays in this.

https://www.amazon.com/Countertop-Silicone-KeeperContainer-Embossment-SAIURE/dp/B0B5KQXGYK/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=Butter+Containers&qid=1681594593&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUE0MDFBOUhNSFYyNDMmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA4MDIyODQzNzdGRjI2SUg4TFlMJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA0NDkyNzJDVFFZNFRQSlZDTlMmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

 

[sfriedberg]

A 2nd vote for a big pair of forceps.

 

[Mr_CNC_guy]

Yeah but you gotta walk around to the back. I've gotta try from the front at least once even if it looks hopeless.

My 10ee is hard against a wall. My shop is really small.

 

[Ultradog MN]

My 10ee is hard against a wall. My shop is really small.

Maybe reorganize the layout of your shop?
The 12CKs are the same way - narrow opening in the front, big open maw in the back. I set mine perpendicular to the wall to have easy access from behind. If I ever have a job that is really long I will have to bore a hole in the wall but haven't had to do that yet.

 

[Mr_CNC_guy]

Perpendicular? It would hit the opposite wall! This small room has my 10ee, my Bridgeport, and a workbench. That is all that will fit after carefully adjusting everything. I can't even use the full table length of my Bridgeport.

 

[rimcanyon]

I don't understand the question, I guess. My shop is small, I can't get to the back of the lathe, but there is no need. If something drops in the chip pan I reach in and grab it. Maybe you need to put your lathe up on blocks or something? I'm short, but I still have my 10EE on levelers so its a coiuple inches off the ground. I also keep the chip pan relatively clean..

 

[sfriedberg]

I don't understand the question, I guess.

I am not fortunate enough to have a 10EE, but I have a very similar problem to the original complaint on my import 16x40. Despite being a much larger machine than a 10EE, access to the chip tray from the front is extremely limited due to the machine design. Machine is backed close to a wall. I did leave a walk-sideways-and-suck-in-my-gut aisle behind it, which I use for major cleaning. But it's a pain to use for picking out cutoff parts, especially since the ends of the aisle are usually blocked with stock and tooling carts.
Like daryl bane, I have a pair of either 18" or 24" long forceps, which are quite adequate from grabbing small parts, provided I can see them in the snarl of stringy chips in the tray.

 

[Mr_CNC_guy]

I don't understand the question, I guess. My shop is small, I can't get to the back of the lathe, but there is no need. If something drops in the chip pan I reach in and grab it. Maybe you need to put your lathe up on blocks or something? I'm short, but I still have my 10EE on levelers so its a coiuple inches off the ground. I also keep the chip pan relatively clean..

I can reach in and get things that are near the front of the tray, but I will get my arm greasy. I cannot reach in and get stuff at the back of the tray.

The gap between the saddle drive rod and the manual forward/reverse rod is 2.586 inches. My arm measures 5.586 inches, just about where I wear my watch. Beyond that is a tight fit.

 

[Glug]

Does anyone have a better way?

Have you considered making a 'live bottom' belt system in your chip pan?

More seriously, you could line the pan and then pull out the liner.

 

[charlieman22]

I have a trick - and it’s my favorite lifesaving device - but only for magnetic dropped parts in the most dire of moments.

Take a small neodymium magnet, put it in the fingertip of your preferred glove - put said glove on hand - and fish for part.

When you feather it with your fingertip - you are done.

Ik it doesn’t really solve your specific issue - but someday/ someway you will be trying to retrieve some irretrievable item from an oily mess in the bottom of some even oilier gear box and this may rescue the day.

 

[Mr_CNC_guy]

Have you considered making a 'live bottom' belt system in your chip pan?

More seriously, you could line the pan and then pull out the liner.

I do have an aluminum tray that is bent to sit under the lathe that keeps the parts from dropping all the way to the bottom. It is a big help, but I still can't reach in far enough to get what has dropped. There is no way that I could pull the tray out without dropping the part down into the sump.

 

[daryl bane]

Here is something I got the idea from some of our overseas friends. Does work quite well keeping stuff from falling into the pan. Easy on, easy off. It's sized for most of the collet chucks, etc that I use.