# Felts and chip deflector



## John (Jan 31, 2008)

Here are some photographs of some felts I put on the front of the carriage of my lathe to stop chips being trapped between the carriage and the ways. I made these using magnetic rubber cut from fridge magnets - the local real estate agents keep up a supply of these to my mail box along with all the other junk mail. 

Just cut out the magnetic rubber to suit the profile of your ways and the glue on some felt material to wipe the ways. The magnetic rubber sticks to the iron of the carriage. Works great.







I also had trouble with chips getting into the gears behind the carriage hand wheel. Made up a chip deflector out of thin aluminium sheet and stuck that in place using magnetic rubber . Works well too.












John


----------



## BobWarfield (Jan 31, 2008)

Rubber fridge magnets? Brilliant! I love it!

RE the deflector on the apron:

I've wondered about a metal deflector in that location that extends further to help shield the leadscrew. I was planning to move my carriage all the way left and see how large the deflector could be. That's a prime area for chips and a deflector ought to help a lot to keep them off the screw.

Best,

BW


----------



## miker (Jan 31, 2008)

John, thanks for the idea and pics. I will copy the wipers and look at the possibilities for a chip deflector like Bob.

Rgds

Michael

Australia.


----------



## macona (Feb 1, 2008)

Check this stuff out: http://www.kabelschlepp.com/waywipers.htm

Way wiper by the foot. This eliminates the main problem of using felt, that being it becomes a scouring pad unless kept very clean.

I installed these on the y axis of my mill. Worked real well, actually cleaned off some of the old dried on way lube residue. I think its about $30 for 3 ft. I just used a chop saw to cut the miters.


----------



## John (Feb 2, 2008)

Hi Bob. I looked at a leadscrew deflector for my lathe (Sieg C3) but there is not much clearance behind the carriage apron and also there is the problem of the split nut that clamps on the leadscrew.

One idea is to make a short deflector out of sheet aluminium and attach it with magnets to the side of the lathe bed over the leadscrew where you are working. Just need to remember to move it when you move the carriage.

Another idea is to use a wide metal measuring tape. Fix the body of the tape on the motor housing near the chuck and the other end onto the carriage so the tape covers the leadscrew but winds in and out when the carriage is moved.

Hey Macona, those Kabelschlepp wipers look good. Maybe I could make something similar with bits of old windshield wiper blades held on with magnetic rubber! You are right about felts becoming like scouring pads. Must change them often.

John


----------



## BobWarfield (Feb 2, 2008)

Yep, I was looking at a pic of the C3. You have a little room, but not nearly as much as me:






I can make a deflector the size of that red rectangle without affecting my travels at all. That would deflect a very large percentage of chips I suspect. 

Of course what I'd really like to do is make a metal way cover using overlapping segments. I recently came across photos of how the covers work on a Mazak, and it all became clear. They use a little scissors linkage:











I'll experiment with this at some point. I'm envisioning a little sheet metal brake project to make the sheet metal segments. I also considered heat formable plastic, which would be really easy to work with, although it would scratch up like crazy.

Best,

BW


----------



## John (Feb 11, 2008)

That Mazak way cover looks complicated - good luck! Maybe a roller blind idea may do the same job.


John


----------



## Circlip (Feb 12, 2008)

For the leadscrew covers I'm surprised that no-one has picked up the Tensator spring type covers? It's like a wide clock spring that is fixed at both ends between the saddle and gearbox and saddle and tailstock end bracket over the leadscrew. An article in the ME a few years ago suggested a cheaper alternative to the metal ones was to use the sleeves used for wrapping round treelets in there early growth stages to protect them. Spiralwrap is a plastic type used for cable tidies. if anyone interested will try to find original articles or suppliers.


----------



## BobWarfield (Feb 12, 2008)

Pictures are worth a thousand words. All I get for "Tensator" are the systems to rope off crowds in "queues". But I am intrigued.

Spiral wrap for wiring I'm very familiar with, but it doesn't seem helpful for leadscrews as it will gap with very little travel.

I don't think the Mazak cover would be so terrible to build, though not exactly trivial. The question is whether the scissors linkages are available for scrounging or not. I've often seen them over the years on cheap housewares, but not recently. The stainless is an excercise in bending or press brake work, which would be fun to try. I just got a new 45 ton hydraulic press and need to make a brake for it.

Cheers,

BW


----------



## Circlip (Feb 13, 2008)

Tensator used to be used to describe a type of spring, a bit like the generic term "Hoover" for a vacuum cleaner. Proper name is constant force spring, looks like a clock spring but is close wound and in its free state remains coiled. If you pull out the inner coil, it extends like a tapered cone, thus the simile to spiralwrap. I will dig out the relevent info, and in the words of the governor of California "I will return" 
 Best wishes Ian

   Found it.  www.spiroflex.com


----------



## Hilmar (Feb 13, 2008)

Found it.  www.spiroflex.com

Look for Lead Screw Guards! That was easy!!!!!!!
Hilmar


----------



## richappli (Aug 7, 2010)

thank for detail


----------



## johnthomp (Aug 7, 2010)

what about useing an old seatbelt unit from a car on a block or stand fixed to the counter covering evrything yet theres enough tension there to eliminate sagging and if fixed to the carriage with either a button or velcro can be easily removed for inspection or service also theres somewhere between 8 and 10 foot of ribbon on those things and can easily be cut when worn out then just stretched out again and your off again 
  regards john


----------



## Chazz (Aug 8, 2010)

Awesome John, this belongs in one of those "Now why didn't I think of that?" moments of inspiration. Thanks for sharing, now off to buy some felt. 

Cheers,
Chazz


----------

