Thread: Ferrous swarf

I just wrap a very strong (rare earth) magnet up inside one of those green grocers semi transparent plastic bags and then unwrap the bag over the swarf and dump the lot in the rubbish.

Is that 100% effective Bob? Over several holes there can be quite a build up swarf.

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Is that 100% effective Bob? Over several holes there can be quite a build up swarf.

It depends what you are drilling on. If anything those magnets are too strong they hold about 30 kg of weight and they'll give you a serious blood blister if you get them too close to each other or close to a magnetic material. If your DP table is ferrous and the magnet comes into contact with the table you will be battling to get the magnet off the table! The magnet also magnetises the table and so it won't pick up everything. To reduce this effect I put the magnet inside a plastic bag inside a plastic jar. I usually use a small paint brush to break the contact of the swarf with the surface and then the magnet grabs the swarf.

If your DP table is wood it works really well since it magnetises the swarf which then picks up other swarf so it's not unusual to pick up a fist size lump or swarf or more.

The difficult thing is getting the swarf off the bag, and especially annoying is that sometimes the swarf cuts the plastic bag and lets some iron filings onto the magnet and they are a pain to get off. Just make sure the magnet is rolled up in several layers of plastic. I imagine a magnet that you can turn off would make it MUCH easier to get the swarf off the plastic bag. So I'm starting to like your idea more than mine!

If you want a cheap magnetic picker upper.
Get a length of PVC pipe, a length of dowel that slides inside the pipe and is a little longer. Put a screw into the end of the dowel, put your magnet on the screw. Cover one and of the pipe with electrical tape slide the magnet end of the dowel into the pipe.
Pick up swarf, carry to bin, pull the dowel up a little and the swarf falls off.
As the pipe gets bigger and you use more or bigger magnets you cant use tape but Alum should work just as well.
Alum, plastic, wood and most S/S's will work.
Stuart

Bob, it just exactly that experience last night that made me think of using a Magswitch. It was not possible to get the fine stuff off the horseshoe.

So, I'll go you halves - a Magswitch inside a plastic bag, switch off to release from the table (if necessary), switch back on and re-collect, over to the bin for switch off and release of swarf. Stuart Lees would be capable of testing this because he has a magswitch collection (think he'd probably be V interested in another application for them too).

The 50mm may well be overkill, so perhaps the 30mm magswitch (also half the cost).

I have another proposition on wood dust collection for you. Mr Cohen says that you know more about DE than all of us put together (that would certainly include me - haven't even got a dusty or a band saw). However......

For band saw DE what about using a CT36 with a dedicated sticky beak that has a zero tolerance cut (by the band saw itself) into the business end of the nozzle so that it can be flush mounted to the underside of the table. Let's say that the nozzle is mounted 45 degrees to the table (perhaps held in place with silicone sealant/with mdf jig). The zero tolerance cut would be vertical into the longer of the narrow sides of the nozzle. It would be completely enveloping the blade as it comes down through the table with the cutting edge loaded with dust and........whooska. Gone. The theory is that the dust is collected at the absolute moment of creation before it gets a chance to go anywhere else.

What do you think (you have previously challenged/debunked one or two of my crackpot ideas )?

Brett

I purchased a couple of these
AMF Magnetics - Neodymium - Rare Earth Magnets

Mounted on a piece of threaded rod, inside a short length of conduit with a cap on and spring loaded.
Push down to pick up the swarf, carry to bin and release. They work great.
I can post some pics later if you are interested.

Your idea for the bandsaw dust collection sounds good. But it would take time to make something like that...................so here's one i prepared earlier
$10 from Timbecon. I have one on mine and it works pretty good.

Originally Posted by NCArcher

I purchased a couple of these
AMF Magnetics - Neodymium - Rare Earth Magnets

Mounted on a piece of threaded rod, inside a short length of conduit with a cap on and spring loaded.
Push down to pick up the swarf, carry to bin and release. They work great.
I can post some pics later if you are interested.

Yes please a pic would help. I can't quite visualize the spring/cap etc. My concern with this idea is that it not address the capture of the swarf before it gets thrown all over the joint.

Stuart the previous paragraph probably applies to your idea as well. Are the magswitches magnetic on the sides as well? How do you think they would go for immediate capture of swarf? One last question - I would have thought that a magswitch would penetrate through 18mm mdf - is that the case?

Regards, Brett

Originally Posted by NCArcher

Your idea for the bandsaw dust collection sounds good. But it would take time to make something like that...................so here's one i prepared earlier
$10 from Timbecon. I have one on mine and it works pretty good.

Does the blade pass inside the nozzle, or is the nozzle adjacent to the blade (meaning that one side of the blade misses out)?

H&F's sell a magnetic pickup tool around sale times (this week end) for about $15. I often put it on the table when side milling to catch all those needle like swarf.
They look like this one only orange. They work as Stuart describes with a magnet in the plastic bottom and when you pull the handle it moves away from the bottom and releases the swarf.
I have also seen a stainless steel one about 38mm round like he describes as well,with a plastic plug on the bottom of the tube and they have a rubber ring 1/3 of way up from the bottom so when you pull the handle, the swarf doesn't climb up the side of the tube following the magnet when you pull the handle.



Dave

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Does the blade pass inside the nozzle, or is the nozzle adjacent to the blade (meaning that one side of the blade misses out)?

Adjacent to the blade but it seems to pick up most of the dust. I have mine hooked up to a shop vac with a triton bucket.
I'll try to remember to post some pics of the other one when i get home.

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Stuart the previous paragraph probably applies to your idea as well. Are the magswitches magnetic on the sides as well? How do you think they would go for immediate capture of swarf? One last question - I would have thought that a magswitch would penetrate through 18mm mdf - is that the case?

Sorry I was talking more about just generally cleaning the place up.
I doubt most magnets would be much use with an 18mm gap.
For your job I would get a little plastic container, place it upside down over that place where the hole is going and drill through the container. That will keep all the swarf in one place. To use magnets I think you would have to surround the hole, two or three dial gauge stands might do the job but it would be a lot of messing about.
Stuart

Dave $15! the one in their cat is $87 I might have gone to their sale if I had seen that.

No thats the magnetic wand, the one pictured above they get in for sales on the cheap Chinese tool tables and isn't in their catalog. It is on this weekend, give them a call to see if they have them in again for this sale. I find it saves the back a lot by not having to bend over to pickup swarf. Also when I am milling something and waiting for it to finish, I wave it around floor where I am working to save walking on so much swarf.

Dave

Originally Posted by Stustoys

Sorry I was talking more about just generally cleaning the place up.
I doubt most magnets would be much use with an 18mm gap.

Stuart, I think we may be at cross purposes. I'm referring specifically to the Magswitch 50mm square. I've seen your size, and seen you try to lift off the table. Surely that would grab any drilling swarf? Or are there some other inherent problems with this idea? That's also what I meant by penetrating 18mm mdf.

Brett