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2 Attachment(s)
Chuck,
I use 4 independent 220vac house central vacuum cleaner motors directly attached to the underside of my table.
Link for vacuum motors: http://www.centralvacuummotor.com/lighthouse.htm
Ward is the owner of this company and he is GREAT to work with. Very fare and will treat you right. Scroll down until you see model number 117123-13 and that's the motor. His prices include the shipping! Call him to place the order as he is pleasant to talk with and will answer any of your questions.
No plumbing. I have 1/4" tubes running from each plenum to a vacuum gauge.
Attachment 684
Attachment 685
When I have a fresh spoil board I get about 7inches. I haven't measured the CFM. I need to do that to figure out what needs to be increased for better holddown - vacuum or CFM. I am going to be experimenting with using 3/4" MDF instead of 1/2" Trupan just to see if hold down is better. For the most part 4x8 and 5x5 sheets are held well. For small parts, less then 4" wide - like stretchers - I use tabs to hold them in place. For 3D carving small parts, I will attach the material to a piece of MDO with screws and then use the vacuum to hold the MDO down. Works well.
As far as cabinets types, there are frameless and faceframed cabinets. Most of what I do has faceframes from solid wood. More work but a step up from frameless.
JC - you are a good writer. Great writeup on how you use your system. Very efficient. I do so much 5x5 baltic birch processing that I'm afraid to put a 2nd Z on and loose that capability. This is something I really have to think about. I wish there was a way to put one spindle on one side of the gantry and the other spindle on the other side keeping them in line on the X axis. This would enable 60" table owners to still use 5x5 sheets with no problem. I don't think 4x8's would be a problem as my X axis has more extra length then my Y axis has width. Oh well....
Don
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Don, you can step up to 18mm trupan with no trouble, but if you try mdf you are in for some messed up parts.
Kenneth
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Thanks Kenneth.
The only Trupan I can get in this area is 1/2". I wonder what the outcome would be doubling the 1/2" into 1" thick. Might try it.
Don
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See if you can find Tafisa lightweight mdf in thicker sheets. It works good also.
Kenneth
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don do you have trouble with noise and dirt getting into the vac. I have two on my 5 x 10 pipe in with valve. I was planning to add two more. I pipe the one's I have now to another room with a filter in between to stop chips.
thank you
frank
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Kenneth,
I found a local supplier that carries 3/4" ultralight. I'm going to try some of that.
Frank,
Whenever I've changed my spoil board I have found virtually no sawdust or chips in my plenum. Even after a hundred sheets or so of plywood, clean as a whistle. I use white melamine edge banding on my 1/2" Trupan spoil board. When I turn on the vacuum motors it sucks the Trupan flat and seals it against the plenum and nothing gets under it to the motors.
Don
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I have 4 of the Lighthouse vacs and with gasket material from All Star I am cutting 242 4" circles out of 1/8 bamboo - no tabs.
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Thanks guys for all the input as always . It has given me a few more things to think about . I am comfortable now going either 48 or 60" but would prefer 60" . To make best use of any upgrade I need to upgrade my E-cabines cabinet files . I have using the Link on 3 large jobs this year and found I learned something new each time and now it is time to include all those 'findings' in my new cabinet library to get full benefit of the CNC .
Happy New Year to All !!!
Bill