Is it ok to stop the machine and vacuum out (with a shop vacuum-occasionally I get a shock)the sawdust and then restart the machine.
Or is it ok to let the machine finish and the sawdust buildup will not hurt anything?
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Is it ok to stop the machine and vacuum out (with a shop vacuum-occasionally I get a shock)the sawdust and then restart the machine.
Or is it ok to let the machine finish and the sawdust buildup will not hurt anything?
Most will say no it is not safe to vacuum out the machine with a shop vac as that shock you got is static discharge. It can discharge to electrical components and kill them.
Your best bet is to get a good dust collection system set up so that the saw dust is sucked up during the carve.
The last time I tried to vacuum the sawdust out during a carve, I got a static charge that killed the project. Fortunately I was able to power cycle and start over, (BTW, this was many years ago.) So to answer your question, NO, DON'T DO IT! Get a dust collector.
Someone designed an effective collector adapter you can carve. Just search for it.
If you dumped a pile of sawdust on the floor then sucked it up with your shop vac you would get that same shock.. It is the sawdust flowing through the hose that makes the static.
And yes, in the early years killing the computer was a common post... "I stopped the machine and vacuumed it out now it won't respond to key pad commands... It is DEAD..."
Floyd sells a nice metal dust hood. It Sucks... :) You need a Dust collector not a shop vac...
AL
In my opinion the coarse sawdust is not a problem and the machine can work properly with a fair amount of buildup. Killer is the fine dust that finds its way into the bearings and encoders that will cause problems over time. You need to remove at minimum the fine dust while your machine is running. I have my own design top-mount dust collector (sorry Floyd). It gets the fine dust and most, but not all, of the coarser sawdust. I blow out the remaining sawdust with compressed air after machining, which does not generate static like dust moving through a plastic hose of a vacuum. Been doing this for over 9 years with good results and no damage. (I do have a ground wire from machine to Harbor Freight dust collector.)Quote:
Originally Posted by Tractorman
Dick,
No problem! The main point is YOU NEED DUST COLLECTION! You can make your own or go with one that has been proven to work.. IT JUST SUCKS! ;)