motor swarf filter

[PeterT]

I heard a disturbing pop from my lathe motor on the weekend. Some of the aluminum string swarf made its way in through the grill. I'm hoping it was a crunch & not an electrical pop. I fished out an uncomfortable amount of shavings rattling around the fan blade. Not a good thing at all. Of course the fan housing is retained by cheesy screws that are impossible to remove without pulling the motor. I got 3 off but not #4. I'm so glad they put an extra coat of paint over all the screw heads to protect them from the elements .... and a screwdriver has even more difficulty engaging.

So Red Green time. I made a donut ring from overlapping duct tape & found some a piece of 1/4" scuff pad material which has no air resistance. Red Green: If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

It ain't pretty but it works & easy to remove. Cheaper than a motor. Its amazing how much stuff has stuck to it after a few days of machining. One of my regrets in life is not buying the back splash or whatever you call those sheet metal housings that keeps chips & fluid from your wall clean & (I think) keeps also isolates the motor end bell protected from swarf & crap. I've got a makeshift plywood back but I'm going to have to make something more suitable one day.

 

[CalgaryPT]

I made a really effective CNC plasma table filter once from Scotchbrites—super useful material. Good for you for being creative.

(Red Green is underrated.)

 

[RobinHood]

That’s an excellent idea; I am sure it will do a really good job to keep the nasties out.

 

[Tom O]

Nice! I’d check the motor temp occasionally though, the other option would be a 3D printed snorkel type.

 

[PeterT]

The material looks dense in the picture but there is like zero resistance to air flow. You can blow through it lightly & feel your breath on the other side. I put my hand over the motor fan & doesn't put out a lot of air anyways.

I was initially thinking of something 3D printed with an integral lip to hold filter medium. I think it would have to be screwed onto the existing cover & to that I'd have to probably drop the motor anyways to get proper access. Unfortunately the motor can is mostly curved surfaces, not a lot to latch onto. I think the big gaping holes in the existing grill infers the motor is always supposed to be behind the chip back splash metal because as-is you could fit a piece of rebar in there. I found a threaded fitting/hole on my headstock that I think must be used as one of the tie down points for the back splash. But now I'm wondering if there must also be a bump recess in the sheet metal because a straight line cardboard template intersects the motor end. I might mock one up in plywood.

 

[Dabbler]

Nice work, Peter!