Swarf Control - It’s everywhere

[Shox Dr]

How do people keep swarf at bay? It gets everywhere, and I mean everywhere, always has I guess must have got to the top of a ‘what gets on Daves Ti
There’s about 15kg of swarf in that bin from the last few days, and about 2kg still in the vac, I’ve sucked up from around the workshop.

I’ve got the usual screens on sticks, and obedient stalks. While they stop it from firing it at you, it just deflects it at great speed 20’ across the workshop.


I hd thought of using roller blinds hung from the ceiling; just pull them down when required. I’ve a hunch they’ll get pulled down after the fact. Same on the lathe, just fires it in all damn directions

Carbide inserts; you gota love them

 

[Dr.Al]

Yeah. It's a real problem. I think the only real solution is lots of space so the machines can be a long way apart!

I've got some aluminium plates on the mill table to stop swarf getting into the t-slots. I've also got some tarpaulin hanging from the ceiling half-way along the garage to stop the swarf from getting up to the end of the garage with motorbikes in.

For a few years I had an acrylic guard I made that wrapped all the way around the milling machine's table (although not as high at the back as there had to be clearance for the head). You can see it on the right hand side of this photo: https://www.cgtk.co.uk/metalwork/workshop/images/workshop2018.jpg. That helped a lot but then I tripped over some clutter on the floor, put my arm out to stop myself falling and in doing so smashed it to bits At some point I'd like to make one with a more robust mounting method, but I need to buy a job lot of round tuits first.


I don't find the lathe too bad in terms of swarf - since I upgraded from the minilathe to the M250, most of the swarf stays in the confines of the machine. I've got a swarf shield on the M250 that works really well at keeping the bits that fire operator-wards in control - they bounce of the shield and land in the tray. The only real problems occur when I start turning brass but if I've got a lot of that to do I turn the tool upside down and run the lathe backwards - that fires all the swarf downwards rather than all over the workshop.

 

[roofman]

Fly cutting is one job i hate... gets everywhere and sometimes i get out the bath and there are metal chips at the bottom

 

[Dieselman 63]

Fly cutting is one job i hate... gets everywhere and sometimes i get out the bath and there are metal chips at the bottom

I’ve got long curly hair - I wear a bandana, but still I’ll find bits of wire and swarf occasionally when I brush it!

 

[Wozzaaah]

I’ve got long curly hair - I wear a bandana, but still I’ll find bits of wire and swarf occasionally when I brush it!

As we used to say as kids..... See that? That’s you that is.

 

[Dieselman 63]

As we used to say as kids..... See that? That’s you that is.
View attachment 217575

I wonder if a power stance with my Desoutter straight grinder would be as appealing to the ladies

 

[Shox Dr]

Fly cutting is one job i hate... gets everywhere and sometimes i get out the bath and there are metal chips at the bottom

The list is endless... Socks and pockets are breeding grounds I’m sure. The ones in your socks are the best, you only know about it when you put your whole weight down.

 

[rory1]

I’ve given up with worrying about swarf. Its just something that comes with the job. It’s everywhere at my place, I can full a 200l drum in a day when I’ve got a couple of machines running. The house ends up full of it, the dogs are covered in it, Even the wife has swarf in her socks and she’s never stepped foot in a workshop.

Edit: and one of my favourite pastimes is catching swarf in the corner of my eye . Only the red hot stuff tho.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Gave up worrying too much.
Keep a wire brush by the door and give the bottom of my trainers a good scrub before I walk out to save dragging it in the house

 

[Dieselman 63]

Gave up worrying too much.
Keep a wire brush by the door and give the bottom of my trainers a good scrub before I walk out to save dragging it in the house

I believe that is how the Germans managed to find what types of metals we were using in the war, shoes with soft rubber soles which the swarf would get caught in, no need to smuggle it away in pockets etc

 

[indy4x]

It's not just swarf, grinding detritus gets on my wick as well, gets everywhere

 

[graffian]

I’ve given up with worrying about swarf.
Edit: and one of my favourite pastimes is catching swarf in the corner of my eye . Only the red hot stuff tho.

Stainless or titanium is best for the eyelids.

 

[Shox Dr]

I’ve given up with worrying about swarf. Its just something that comes with the job. It’s everywhere at my place, I can full a 200l drum in a day when I’ve got a couple of machines running. The house ends up full of it, the dogs are covered in it, Even the wife has swarf in her socks and she’s never stepped foot in a workshop.

I had a dog 20yrs ago I was going to call Swarf, I could not stop that dig eating the stuff

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I had a dog 20yrs ago I was going to call Swarf, I could not stop that dig eating the stuff

Did that result in big Vet's bills?

 

[Shox Dr]

Did that result in big Vet's bills?

Amazingly not, she lived to a grand old age.

 

[Hopefuldave]

Amazingly not, she lived to a grand old age.

Never suffered from anaemia I guess...

Dave H. (the other one)

 

[Shox Dr]

Never suffered from anaemia I guess...

Dave H. (the other one)

No I think she got enough ferrous oxide off my steel toe caps (only joking for the snowflakes on here)

 

[minimutly]

I was doing a job in the workshop the other night, i could just make out this horrible rancid smell - sniff sniff, follow your nose - there it was behind the miller. Looked like an emaciated rat, but it had a curly tail?
So I picked it up - by its "tail" - which turned out to be a 10 inch long steel curler, still couldn't make it out, took a sniff - b.....er and f...k, cat sh1t, semi dried! Looked like a rat though...
I was not amused. It's not even our cat!

 

[Yamhon]

Could you build an enclosure of some kind? I notice a lot of CNC machines come with enclosures and coolant or air is used to remove chips which can then be collected.

 

[Parm]

I wonder if a power stance with my Desoutter straight grinder would be as appealing to the ladies

Why don’t you post a photo and let the ladies of the forum judge?