Anyone used these covers for T-Slots?

HMF

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Has anyone used this product to prevent chips and coolant from gumming up T-slots on your mill?


http://www.bigkaiser.com/t-slot.php

How do you like them?


Anyone make their own covers instead?


Thanks,


Nelson
 
Wow, pretty old thread bump! :)

Good choice on using wood. Some use rubber & I'm not a fan of most rubbers used for table covers as hot chips will embed themselves into them & sharp fine steel chips tend to get stuck making it hard to brush off.

I choose to go with T-slot covers similar to the link in the OP instead of table covers/trays made by Vertex. I use my super spacer & rotary table as often as I do my vise so I didn't want to make dedicated covers just for use with the vise. I don't have the habit of laying tools on my table anyway.

The individual T-slot covers also allows me to expose certain sections when I need to like when I use my table mounted workstop. They slip in & out very easily & I actually modded mine by adding brass pads so they have a tighter friction fit so they don't get sucked up with my vacuum. Although I haven't hooked up my coolant system yet, the Vertex T-slot covers will still allow coolant drainage into the drain on the right side of my the table.


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I went with 1/8" rubber, I have a roll, and it works great. The magnets were only used until the rubber would lay flat on it's own.

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Way covers!!
Do you not relocate vice to suit the job? Or do you only attempt machining things that suit the covers.
Clean up is part of machining.
 
A part of machining that takes time. We all know the old adage "Time is Money." It might not be money exactly, but the more time I save cleaning, the more time I have for doing. Precious little shop time these days.
 
I don't have a pic handy, but my field expedient covers are made from corrugated plastic poster board such as the counter top guy makes templates with. Each half has a half moon cut out and when fit together in between the vice and the vice base, there is enough tension to hold them in place. The cut out half moons get tucked in under the ends to cover the table hand wheels when I'm feeling froggy. There is a similar arrangement on the back of the table tucked in the T slot and folded up. there is also one affixed to the column that comes down over the back of the first , but doesn,t attach to it so the table remains free to traverse . They all slide right off and dump neatly into the s#$% can depositing 90% of the chips. It was originally a free, quick throw away that has worked so well it has never been replaced. Matter of fact is, I hunted down more free templates to make a fresh set when I tire of the oil stains on these.
 
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