Dust collection

[rwill40158@aol.com]

Has anybody tried this? For dust collection I've built a duct out of light wall 1" X 2" tube and bolted it to a bracket which I've attached to the aluminum bracket that holds the guide wheels on the back of the Z frame. It then travels down and under the Z frame and attached to the end is a small fan shroud which I found in my travels. The fan shroud surrounds the router bit. The whole unit travels up and down with the router as it is attached to the same carriage. The duct work is adjustable in height by a group of set screws on the Z carriage bracket which it can slide through.The top of the ductwork adapts to a shop vac hose which travels its usual route off the table. The unit weighs a bit but I'm only using a 1 1/2 HP PC so I figure the Z motor can handle lifting it up and down.

[rwill40158@aol.com]

I've had some e-mail on the dust duct I described earlier and I realize it is hard to visualize so I'll try again. Its basically an "L" shape made of 1" X 2" rectangular tube. The vertical section is maybe 20" ( I'm not in the shop right now ) and the horizontal section is maybe 5" long. The vertical section slides up and down through a bracket which is bolted to the existing bracket on the back of the Z carriage ( the one that the guide wheels are attached to ). It is lockable at any height via a set screw in the bracket it slides through. The horizontal section at the bottom goes under the Z frame an over to the router bit. A housing which is attached to the 1 X 2 tube, surrounds the bit. At the top of the vertical section is an adapter to go from the rectangular tube to a round shop vac hose. Just so you know, I havn't tested it yet. I know it moves well with the router and is a solid mechanism but I just finished it so I can't swear by it yet.

[bruce_clark]

Mr. Williams,

It sounds like what you are describing is called
a "Dust Foot". For a better picture of one,
check out www.multicam.com. I have seen one in
action and it really does work (and the machine
was cutting urathane foam).

I would be interested in seeing a photo when you
are finished.

Bruce Clark
bwclark@centurytel.net

[rwill40158@aol.com]

Bruce:
I checked out the dust foot at the site you suggested.It looks like it may be separate from the plunge action of the router and may be more similar to the system alreaedy suggested in the software download section.It does look slick. The fact that it has a 4" discharge hose makes me wonder if my 1" X 2" tube will be man enough to do the job. I will be working with HDPE and HMW plastic which has more chips than dust so it may plug up this tube. I'll let you know.

[bruce_clark]

Mr. Williams,

Actually, it is called a "pressure foot" not a
dust foot. Sorry about that. Here is a shortcut
to the picture:

http://www.multicam.com/sf-spindles.htm

Scroll to the bottom and have a look. Oh, you are
right about their dust collector looking similar
to ShopBot's.

Sorry for the mixup,

Bruce Clark
bwclark@centurytel.net

[rwill40158@aol.com]

Bruce:

The pressure foot is very similar to what I've done except mine is attached to the Z carriage and not the router. Thanks for the info. When I get a picture I will post it on my web site.